Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zapopan and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,518 in Zapopan, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Zapopan
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Zapopan Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Zapopan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,518

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,518 in Zapopan versus $1,012 in Lima.

Zapopan $1,518
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,203 in Zapopan versus $1,589 in Lima.

Zapopan $2,203
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,888 in Zapopan versus $2,167 in Lima.

Zapopan $2,888
Lima $2,167

Living in Zapopan is roughly 50% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zapopan is 12% above, Lima is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.95 MX$202

$4.40 PEN 15.10

148.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.24 MX$614

$35.17 PEN 121

-5.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.12 MX$205

$6.89 PEN 23.65

61.39%

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$69.4

$3.26 PEN 11.20

15.34%

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

$1.11 MX$20.48

$1.12 PEN 3.84

-0.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.68

$0.62 PEN 2.11

88.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 MX$40.74

$2.65 PEN 9.09

-16.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$82.7

$4.41 PEN 15.15

1.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.51

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-8.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 MX$47.70

$2.56 PEN 8.78

0.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 MX$22.28

$1.35 PEN 4.65

-10.37%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.90 PEN 9.96

-5.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 MX$156

$8.85 PEN 30.38

-4.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 MX$186

$5.98 PEN 20.52

68.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.14 MX$187

$9.78 PEN 33.59

3.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 MX$54.7

$2.05 PEN 7.02

44.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.39

$1.06 PEN 3.66

34.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.68

$1.35 PEN 4.64

26.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 MX$40.25

$1.50 PEN 5.15

45.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 MX$41.19

$0.88 PEN 3.03

153.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 MX$48.12

$0.92 PEN 3.15

182.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 MX$34.70

$0.89 PEN 3.07

111.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.01

$0.90 PEN 3.10

32.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.68 MX$105

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-3.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.48 MX$120

$8.52 PEN 29.26

-23.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 MX$33.78

$1.88 PEN 6.45

-2.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 MX$52.4

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-11.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$10.01

$0.68 PEN 2.33

-20.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.31 MX$597

$26.86 PEN 92.2

20.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 MX$44.72

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-36.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.54 MX$46.94

$2.02 PEN 6.93

25.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.80 MX$181

$7.11 PEN 24.41

37.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.99

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-15.12%

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

$20.9K MX$385.6K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

-6.48%

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

$23.9K MX$441.7K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

-6.28%

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

$125 MX$2,301

$73.1 PEN 251

70.38%

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

$24.20 MX$447

$16.35 PEN 56.2

48.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.26 MX$541

$27.47 PEN 94.3

6.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.29 MX$800

$31.90 PEN 110

35.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.80 MX$255

$19.41 PEN 66.7

-28.90%

Cinema Ticket

$5.37 MX$99.3

$7.05 PEN 24.23

-23.83%

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

$166 MX$3,076

$182 PEN 627

-8.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,056 MX$130.4K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-45.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.26 MX$855

$53.8 PEN 185

-14.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.07 MX$463

$34.32 PEN 118

-26.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.8 MX$1,364

$82.8 PEN 284

-10.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 MX$2,184

$78.2 PEN 269

51.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$969 MX$17.9K

$721 PEN 2,476

34.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$658 MX$12.2K

$343 PEN 1,179

91.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,667 MX$30.8K

$1,219 PEN 4,186

36.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 MX$19.0K

$651 PEN 2,235

57.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,695 MX$105.2K

$2,414 PEN 8,292

135.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 MX$28.8K

$1,357 PEN 4,660

14.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,013 MX$18.7K

$648 PEN 2,226

56.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

8.94

26.40%

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

Last update for Zapopan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zapopan

$658 43.3%

Lima

$343 33.9% 47.8% $314

Groceries & Markets

Zapopan

$265 17.5%

Lima

$226 22.3% 14.8% $39

Eating Out

Zapopan

$195 12.9%

Lima

$124 12.3% 36.5% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zapopan

$178 11.7%

Lima

$117 11.6% 34.3% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Zapopan

$119 7.8%

Lima

$112 11.1% 5.4% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Zapopan

$54 3.6%

Lima

$46 4.6% 14.9% $8

Getting Around

Zapopan

$50 3.3%

Lima

$43 4.3% 12.3% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $969 in Zapopan and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zapopan pays 56% 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: $33.00 in Zapopan vs $35.00 in Lima. Groceries flip the comparison at $265 vs $226, with Lima cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zapopan

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

02:02 2:02 AM

1 h ahead of Zapopan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,257,547

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 19, 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 19, 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

Zapopan Lima 4,650 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Zapopan
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

Zapopan vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zapopan and Lima differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($1,518 vs $1,012 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 56% higher in Zapopan, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $969 in Zapopan versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $166 in Zapopan versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Zapopan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,518 in Zapopan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Zapopan. The gap between the two cities makes Lima 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, Zapopan 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 Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Zapopan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.