Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ushuaia and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Ushuaia: $957 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $660 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Ushuaia
🇦🇷 Argentina
$957
/mo nomad
Lima
🇵🇪 Peru
$1,012
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ushuaia and in Lima

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ushuaia and in Lima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $957 in Ushuaia versus $1,012 in Lima.

  • Ushuaia $957
  • Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,570 in Ushuaia versus $1,589 in Lima.

  • Ushuaia $1,570
  • Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,183 in Ushuaia versus $2,167 in Lima.

  • Ushuaia $2,183
  • Lima $2,167

Living in Ushuaia costs roughly 5% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ushuaia 29% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ushuaia
Lima
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.38 ARS 15.8K
$4.40 PEN 15.10
135.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.08 ARS 50.2K
$35.17 PEN 121
-5.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.06 ARS 13.7K
$6.89 PEN 23.65
31.49%
Cappuccino
$2.78 ARS 4,224
$3.26 PEN 11.20
-14.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 ARS 2,528
$1.12 PEN 3.84
49.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 ARS 2,330
$0.62 PEN 2.11
148.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.16 ARS 3,274
$2.65 PEN 9.09
-18.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 ARS 4,610
$4.41 PEN 15.15
-31.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ushuaia
Lima
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 ARS 1,984
$1.63 PEN 5.61
-19.63%
White Bread (500g)
$1.57 ARS 2,388
$2.56 PEN 8.78
-38.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.02 ARS 3,069
$1.35 PEN 4.65
49.63%
Eggs
$2.27 ARS 3,449
$2.90 PEN 9.96
-21.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.15 ARS 15.4K
$8.85 PEN 30.38
14.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.35 ARS 9,633
$5.98 PEN 20.52
6.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.23 ARS 14.0K
$9.78 PEN 33.59
-5.62%
Apples (1kg)
$2.01 ARS 3,052
$2.05 PEN 7.02
-1.95%
Banana (1kg)
$2.06 ARS 3,132
$1.06 PEN 3.66
94.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.27 ARS 1,933
$1.35 PEN 4.64
-5.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.62 ARS 3,980
$1.50 PEN 5.15
74.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.17 ARS 1,779
$0.88 PEN 3.03
32.95%
Onion (1kg)
$1.19 ARS 1,809
$0.92 PEN 3.15
29.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.32 ARS 2,005
$0.89 PEN 3.07
48.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 ARS 2,197
$0.90 PEN 3.10
61.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.11 ARS 4,716
$5.90 PEN 20.27
-47.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.02 ARS 7,625
$8.52 PEN 29.26
-41.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.97 ARS 2,994
$1.88 PEN 6.45
4.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.02 ARS 4,583
$3.22 PEN 11.05
-6.21%
🚌 Getting Around
Ushuaia
Lima
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.77 ARS 1,173
$0.68 PEN 2.33
13.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.86 PEN 92.2
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.47 ARS 2,224
$3.81 PEN 13.09
-61.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.86 ARS 1,308
$2.02 PEN 6.93
-57.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.86 ARS 8,894
$7.11 PEN 24.41
-17.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 ARS 1,671
$1.72 PEN 5.91
-36.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K ARS 42.3M
$22.3K PEN 76.6K
25.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.4K ARS 46.1M
$25.5K PEN 87.6K
19.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ushuaia
Lima
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$65.8 ARS 99.8K
$73.1 PEN 251
-9.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.24 ARS 26.2K
$16.35 PEN 56.2
5.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.31 ARS 33.9K
$27.47 PEN 94.3
-18.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ushuaia
Lima
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.50 ARS 40.2K
$31.90 PEN 110
-16.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.68 ARS 20.8K
$19.41 PEN 66.7
-29.52%
Cinema Ticket
$6.16 ARS 9,341
$7.05 PEN 24.23
-12.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ushuaia
Lima
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$220 ARS 333.3K
$182 PEN 627
20.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,731 ARS 4.1M
$13.0K PEN 44.8K
-79.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ushuaia
Lima
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$75.1 ARS 113.9K
$53.8 PEN 185
39.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$70.4 ARS 106.8K
$34.32 PEN 118
105.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 ARS 173.1K
$82.8 PEN 284
37.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$111 ARS 168.4K
$78.2 PEN 269
41.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ushuaia
Lima
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$342 ARS 519.2K
$721 PEN 2,476
-52.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$233 ARS 354.2K
$343 PEN 1,179
-32.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$694 ARS 1.1M
$1,219 PEN 4,186
-43.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$537 ARS 814.2K
$651 PEN 2,235
-17.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,848 ARS 2.8M
$2,414 PEN 8,292
-23.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,594 ARS 2.4M
$1,357 PEN 4,660
17.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ushuaia
Lima
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$648 PEN 2,226
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
58.5
8.94
554.36%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ushuaia: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ushuaia
$233
Lima
$343 47.2% $110
Groceries & Markets
Ushuaia
$231
Lima
$226 2.2% $5.1
Eating Out
Ushuaia
$173
Lima
$124 28.5% $49
Clothing & Footwear
Ushuaia
$167
Lima
$112 32.7% $55
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ushuaia
$105
Lima
$117 11% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Ushuaia
$39
Lima
$46 18.5% $7.2
Getting Around
Ushuaia
$8.9 *
Lima
$43 390% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $342 in Ushuaia and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $33.00 in Ushuaia vs $35.00 in Lima. Groceries flip the comparison at $231 vs $226, with Lima cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Ushuaia
🇵🇪 Lima
🕒 Local time
10:54 10:54 AM
08:54 8:54 AM
2 h behind Ushuaia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,538
9,989,369 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ushuaia Lima 4,810 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ushuaia
  • Lima

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Ushuaia vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ushuaia and in Lima?
Ushuaia and Lima differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($957 vs $1,012 including rent). Ushuaia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Ushuaia compared to Lima?
You'd need roughly $1,436 in Ushuaia and $1,518 in Lima to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Ushuaia and in Lima?
Rent for a central apartment: $342 in Ushuaia versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Lima pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more expensive overall: Ushuaia or Lima?
All in, you'll spend $957 per month in Ushuaia versus $1,012 in Lima – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $957 in Ushuaia versus $1,012 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ushuaia but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Ushuaia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Ushuaia and Lima?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Is Ushuaia or Lima safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Ushuaia and Lima are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Ushuaia or Lima?
Expats usually find Ushuaia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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