Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zacatecas and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacatecas: $738 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Zacatecas
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Zacatecas Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$738

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zacatecas 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 Zacatecas and in Lima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $738 in Zacatecas versus $1,012 in Lima.

Zacatecas $738
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,170 in Zacatecas versus $1,589 in Lima.

Zacatecas $1,170
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,602 in Zacatecas versus $2,167 in Lima.

Zacatecas $1,602
Lima $2,167

Living in Zacatecas costs roughly 27% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zacatecas 45% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.12 MX$113

$4.40 PEN 15.10

39.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.70 MX$586

$35.17 PEN 121

-9.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 MX$139

$6.89 PEN 23.65

8.85%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MX$54.7

$3.26 PEN 11.20

-9.20%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.31

$1.12 PEN 3.84

8.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 MX$13.31

$0.62 PEN 2.11

16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 MX$34.45

$2.65 PEN 9.09

-29.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 MX$75.4

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-7.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-15.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 MX$40.91

$2.56 PEN 8.78

-13.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.52

$1.35 PEN 4.65

14.07%

Eggs

$2.29 MX$42.31

$2.90 PEN 9.96

-21.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 MX$135

$8.85 PEN 30.38

-17.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.12 MX$113

$5.98 PEN 20.52

2.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 MX$171

$9.78 PEN 33.59

-5.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.31

$2.05 PEN 7.02

-14.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.63

$1.06 PEN 3.66

56.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.30

$1.35 PEN 4.64

49.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 MX$27.05

$1.50 PEN 5.15

-2.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.98

$0.88 PEN 3.03

127.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.50

$0.92 PEN 3.15

91.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.04

$0.89 PEN 3.07

70.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.60

$0.90 PEN 3.10

-6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MX$79.4

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-27.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.67 MX$197

$8.52 PEN 29.26

25.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 MX$30.90

$1.88 PEN 6.45

-11.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$3.22 PEN 11.05

4.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.88

$0.68 PEN 2.33

-22.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.52 MX$305

$26.86 PEN 92.2

-38.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 MX$40.77

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-41.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 MX$19.91

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-46.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.28 MX$227

$7.11 PEN 24.41

72.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.79

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-15.70%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.1K MX$390.6K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

-5.27%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.5K MX$452.6K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

-3.97%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$23.16 MX$428

$73.1 PEN 251

-68.30%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$8.38 MX$155

$16.35 PEN 56.2

-48.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.17 MX$465

$27.47 PEN 94.3

-8.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.02 MX$462

$31.90 PEN 110

-21.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.17 MX$151

$19.41 PEN 66.7

-57.91%

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 MX$81.1

$7.05 PEN 24.23

-37.73%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$256 MX$4,736

$182 PEN 627

40.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,234 MX$59.8K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-75.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.26 MX$836

$53.8 PEN 185

-15.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.19 MX$743

$34.32 PEN 118

17.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 MX$1,692

$82.8 PEN 284

10.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.08 MX$796

$78.2 PEN 269

-44.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$242 MX$4,467

$721 PEN 2,476

-66.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 MX$2,994

$343 PEN 1,179

-52.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$383 MX$7,074

$1,219 PEN 4,186

-68.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$249 MX$4,606

$651 PEN 2,235

-61.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$571 MX$10.5K

$1,357 PEN 4,660

-57.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$407 MX$7,527

$648 PEN 2,226

-37.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.8

8.94

20.81%

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

Last update for Zacatecas: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Zacatecas

$228 30.9%

Lima

$226 22.3% 0.8% $1.9

Accommodation & Living

Zacatecas

$162 22%

Lima

$343 33.9% 112% $181

Eating Out

Zacatecas

$132 17.9%

Lima

$124 12.3% 6.2% $8.2

Clothing & Footwear

Zacatecas

$99 13.4%

Lima

$112 11.1% 13.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zacatecas

$57 7.7%

Lima

$117 11.6% 106% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Zacatecas

$34 4.6%

Lima

$46 4.6% 36.1% $12

Getting Around

Zacatecas

$26 3.6%

Lima

$43 4.3% 65.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $242 in Zacatecas and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 59% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Zacatecas vs $35.00 in Lima. Groceries flip the comparison at $228 vs $226, with Lima cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zacatecas

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

23:50 11:50 PM

00:50 12:50 AM

1 h ahead of Zacatecas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,444

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zacatecas Lima 4,770 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Zacatecas
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

Zacatecas vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zacatecas and Lima differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($738 vs $1,012 including rent). Zacatecas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Lima. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $242 in Zacatecas versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $256 in Zacatecas versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lima pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $738 in Zacatecas versus $1,012 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zacatecas but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Zacatecas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Zacatecas 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.

Expats usually find Zacatecas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.