How much does it cost to live in Lima?
Typical Month (Mid Range)
$1,461 (PEN 4,916)
Housing, food, transport, mobile, coworking and gym.
Updated September 2026 · Sources cited: esim.holafly.com, riotimesonline.com
- Typical Month (Lower End)
- $827 (PEN 2,783)
- Typical Month (Premium)
- $2,088 (PEN 7,027)
- Furnished 1-bed rent
- $850 (PEN 2,860)
Miraflores
Good to know
Good to Know
- Miraflores, Barranco, and San Isidro are the three districts where nomads and expats cluster, and short-term furnished rents there run noticeably higher than a citywide average would suggest — pricing outside these districts is not representative of what a nomad would actually pay.
- Menú del día (a fixed soup + main + drink lunch) is the single best budget lever for food costs in Lima; the same lunch can cost roughly double in tourist-heavy Miraflores compared to non-touristy neighborhoods.
- Cards are widely accepted at hotels, malls, and established restaurants in nomad-friendly districts, but carrying soles in cash is still necessary for markets, local transport, and smaller eateries.
- Coliving in Barranco has grown as an option for a private room in a shared house, often bundling utilities into the price, which can simplify budgeting versus a standalone apartment.
- The Metropolitano BRT and Metro Line 1 both use flat per-ride fares (~S/2.50) loaded onto a rechargeable card — there's no unlimited monthly pass, so frequent riders should budget per trip rather than expecting a transit pass discount.
- Peru's digital nomad visa was legally created back in late 2023 but has had a slow rollout — as of recent reporting it still isn't reliably processing applications, so most nomads are simply entering as tourists.
- Coworking and nomad-relevant amenities cluster mainly in Miraflores, San Isidro, and Barranco — pricing and availability outside these areas is much thinner.
- Public healthcare in Lima is not generally recommended for foreigners; most expats and nomads use private clinics (e.g. Clínica Internacional, Clínica Anglo Americana) or carry international/nomad insurance.
Monthly Totals
- Mid-range month
- PEN 4,916
Includes 5 estimated components
- Lean month
- PEN 2,783
Includes 3 estimated components
- Comfortable month
- PEN 7,027
Includes 6 estimated components
Living Costs
- Where nomads live
- Miraflores, Barranco, and San Isidro are consistently identified as the districts where digital nomads and expats concentrate in Lima, prized for safety and walkability; all housing figures below are grounded in these three districts.
Housing (per month)
- Mid-range 1-bed
- PEN 2,860
Survey / cost-of-living site
Holafly guide states a furnished 1-bedroom apartment in Miraflores costs around $850/month on average, in modern buildings with 24-hour security and shared amenities
Published in USD
- Budget studio / 1-bed
- PEN 2,356
Estimated
Picked the low end of Rio Times Online's stated 2026 range for furnished 1BR apartments in Miraflores (US$700–$1,000/month), so marked estimated per sourcing rules on range-derived figures
Published in USD
- Premium apartment
- PEN 4,500
Survey / cost-of-living site
Rio Times Online states ocean-view units near Larcomar or Parque Kennedy in Miraflores start at 4,500 soles/month
- Private room in a shared home
- PEN 1,851
Survey / cost-of-living site
Holafly cost-of-living guide states a private room in a Barranco coliving/shared house costs about $550/month on average, typically including utilities
Published in USD
Groceries
- Groceries for one (month)
- PEN 650
Estimated
No single retrieved source stated a total monthly grocery basket for Lima; estimated from typical staple item prices (eggs, bread, milk, rice, chicken) at mid-range supermarkets like Plaza Vea, Tottus or Wong for a person cooking most meals at home
Sample prices
Eggs (12-count)
- Eggs (12 Count)
- PEN 10
Survey / cost-of-living site
Oh La Lima expat food-cost guide lists 12 eggs at S/.10.28 (~$2.65 as quoted by the source)
1L Milk
- 1L Milk
- PEN 5.50
Estimated
No direct price retrieved; estimated from general knowledge of Lima supermarket pricing tiers
Loaf of Bread
- Loaf Of Bread
- PEN 6.00
Estimated
No direct price retrieved; estimated from general knowledge of Lima supermarket pricing tiers
Chicken Breast, 1kg
- Chicken Breast, 1kg
- PEN 18
Estimated
No direct price retrieved; estimated from general knowledge of Lima supermarket pricing tiers
Rice, 1kg
- Rice, 1kg
- PEN 4.00
Estimated
No direct price retrieved; estimated, though a Numbeo ranking source notes Lima has some of the cheapest potatoes and onions in the Americas, suggesting local staples run cheap
Eating out
- Cheap meal
- PEN 17
Estimated
Hikersbay price aggregator states a McMeal-type fast food combo in Lima costs 22 PEN (quoted by the source as $6.40) [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 22 PEN reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
- High-end meal
- PEN 113
Estimated
Estimated as a per-person share (divided by 4) of Oh La Lima's reported family-of-four bill of 400-500 soles at Lima's well-regarded restaurants, excluding tasting-menu destination restaurants like Central
- Mid-range meal
- PEN 30
Estimated
No single source gave a one-person mid-range restaurant total; estimated based on typical Miraflores/Barranco casual sit-down restaurant main-course pricing [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 40 PEN reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
Work, Transport & Essentials
Coworking
- Venue
- HQ Coworking, Av. Primavera (San Borja) — plus major hubs in Miraflores, San Isidro and Barranco
- Day pass
- PEN 55
Estimated
No specific Lima coworking day-pass price was found in live listings at the time of research; estimated at a typical regional day-pass rate (~$15 USD) based on general Latin American coworking pricing patterns.
- Monthly hot desk
- PEN 824
Survey / cost-of-living site
workin.space aggregator lists a Lima coworking space (HQ, Av. Primavera) hot-desk/monthly membership at USD $245/month.
Published in USD
Transport
- How to get there
- Metropolitano BRT bus / Metro Line 1 light rail (flat fare)
- About monthly passes
- As of 2025 there is no unlimited weekly or monthly pass for the Metropolitano BRT; riders use a rechargeable stored-value card (like an Oyster/Navigo card) topped up per trip. Informal buses and combis are cash-only per ride with no pass option at all.
- Single ride
- PEN 2.50
Survey / cost-of-living site
Travel guide states Metropolitano BRT fares are S/2.50 ($0.69) per ride; Lima Metro Line 1 uses a comparable flat fare of S/2.50 per its own operator-adjacent sources.
Mobile & data
- Carrier
- Claro, Movistar, or Entel (prepaid, typical mid-tier plan)
- Monthly plan
- PEN 50
Estimated
No specific current carrier plan page was retrieved at the time of research; estimated from general knowledge of Claro/Movistar/Entel prepaid plans in Peru, which commonly bundle several GB of data around this price point.
- Data allowance
- approximately 8-15GB (estimate; not confirmed against a live carrier page at the time of research)
Short Stays (per night)
- Seasonal pricing
- Yes
- Why
- Lima's dry season (May–October) sees sustained higher accommodation demand with hotels 20–40% more expensive than rainy-season lows (November–April); November peaks at $248/night versus September's $147/night.
Low season
- Budget
- PEN 104
Airbnb low-season ADR (AirROI Feb data: $47 low-season ADR)
- Luxury
- PEN 315
5-star hotel low-season (KAYAK: May lowest ~$84; HotelsCombined: April low ~$40; used higher-confidence May figure)
- Premium
- PEN 240
4-star hotel low-season (HotelsCombined April: ~$40-50 low; extrapolated mid-range: ~$64)
- Standard
- PEN 150
3-star hotel low-season estimate (BudgetYourTrip: $50 baseline, sources cite 20-30% reduction low season)
High season
- Budget
- PEN 165
Airbnb market data (AirDNA June 2026: $62 ADR weighted across all listings; budget tier ~$44)
- Luxury
- PEN 645
5-star hotel average (KAYAK/HotelsCombined: $163-170 typical; March peak ~$264; used typical high-season figure)
- Premium
- PEN 390
4-star hotel average (BudgetYourTrip: highest-rated 4-stars ~$113 high season)
- Standard
- PEN 240
3-star hotel average (Budget Your Trip: $60-95 high season; mid-range hotels ~$95)
Low-season months
- December
- January
- February
- March
- April
High-season months
- May
- June
- July
- August
- September
- October
- November
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this cost of living research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Lima
Data last updated September 2026 · Verify anything important.