Line-item prices from Luz del Sur bills, Plaza Vea receipts and actual furnished-rental contracts. Three honest budgets.
A single person lives well in Lima on USD $1,300–1,800/month in 2026. Rent is the fork: $700–1,300 for Miraflores/Barranco, $380–750 in the local districts one ring out. Everything food-related is a bargain at local venues and world-priced at the famous ones — the 15-sol menú and the 1,200-sol tasting menu coexist a taxi ride apart. Utilities are low (no heating, no A/C), transport is app-cheap, and winter (Jun–Oct) rents soften 10–15%.
| Furnished 1BR — Miraflores | $700–1,300 |
| Furnished 1BR — Barranco | $650–1,200 |
| Furnished 1BR — San Isidro | $800–1,500 |
| Furnished 1BR — Surquillo/Magdalena/Jesús María | $380–750 |
| Fiber 200–500 Mbps (Claro/Movistar/Win/Entel) | 90–160 PEN ($24–42) |
| Mobile 20–40 GB prepaid (Claro/Entel/Bitel) | 30–55 PEN ($8–14) |
| Electricity — no heat/AC norm (Luz del Sur/Enel) | 90–200 PEN ($24–53) |
| Water (Sedapal) | 25–60 PEN ($7–16) |
| Menú del día (starter+main+drink) | 12–20 PEN ($3.20–5.30) |
| Cevichería lunch, serious | 35–70 PEN ($9–18) |
| Miraflores/Barranco dinner main | 45–90 PEN ($12–24) |
| Specialty coffee | 10–16 PEN ($2.60–4.20) |
| Groceries — Plaza Vea/Metro + mercado | 950–1,400 PEN ($250–370) |
| Groceries — Wong/imports lean | 1,500–2,100 PEN ($395–550) |
| Metropolitano BRT ride | ~3.2 PEN ($0.85) |
| App taxi Miraflores→Barranco / →San Isidro | 8–14 / 10–18 PEN |
| Smart Fit gym | 89–139 PEN ($23–37) |
| Coworking hot desk monthly (WeWork, Comunal) | 500–900 PEN ($130–235) |
| Frugal — Jesús María/Magdalena | Comfortable — Miraflores/Barranco | Premium — San Isidro/malecón | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Furnished 1BR | $500 | $950 | $1,400 |
| Utilities + internet + mobile | $60 | $85 | $110 |
| Food (groceries + eating out) | $260 | $420 | $720 |
| Transport (apps + BRT) | $40 | $75 | $140 |
| Gym / coworking / leisure | $60 | $200 | $430 |
| Monthly total | ≈ $920 | ≈ $1,730 | ≈ $2,800 |
Excludes health insurance ($50–150/mo expat plans) and flights. Couples: add ~55–65%. Winter (Jun–Oct): rents soften 10–15%.
Verified July 2026 against Luz del Sur/Enel tariff bands, Sedapal rates, Metropolitano published fares, Plaza Vea/Wong shelf prices, carrier rate cards, coworking published rates, and furnished-rental contracts on RentiHome and comparable platforms. USD at 3.8 PEN. Re-verified quarterly.
| Category | vs US cities | Reality check |
|---|---|---|
| Rent (prime coastal 1BR) | ~60–70% cheaper | $1,000 Miraflores vs $3,500 NYC/SF |
| Eating out (local) | ~80% cheaper | $4 menú vs $22 lunch |
| Eating out (world-list) | Global prices | Central ≈ what the top tables cost anywhere |
| Groceries (mercado produce) | ~65% cheaper | Surquillo avocados, mangoes, limes for coins |
| Groceries (imported brands) | Same or +20% | Cheese, wine, cereals sting |
| Ride apps | ~75% cheaper | $3 cross-district vs $15+ |
| Gym & fitness | ~60% cheaper | Smart Fit $25 vs $70+ |
| Electronics | 20–35% pricier | Bring your laptop, phone, kindle |
Lima has no heating infrastructure, so June–October comfort is a small-appliance story: a decent space heater (90–250 PEN once) adds 40–90 PEN/month in electricity if run evenings; a dehumidifier (200–400 PEN once, or included by good hosts) protects your clothes, books and lungs and costs 20–40 PEN/month to run. Total winter premium: roughly $20–35/month — trivially offset by winter's 10–15% softer rents. Summer has no equivalent cost: ocean breeze is the A/C.
1 kg chicken (13), dozen eggs (8.5), 1 kg rice (4.5), lentils (6), 1 kg tomatoes (5 at the mercado), red onions and limes for a week of leche de tigre (7), 4 avocados (8), mangoes and bananas (9), 250g national coffee (16), fresh bread daily ×7 (10.5), milk (5.5), queso fresco 400g (12). That's ~105 PEN for a week of real Peruvian cooking. The same basket import-brand-heavy at Wong runs 190–230 PEN — and you'd miss the point of being in Lima.
| Rung | Per person | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Menú del día | 12–20 PEN | How Lima eats Mon–Fri; find the chalkboard |
| Pollería night | 15–25 PEN | Quarter brasa chicken + fries + salad; a civic institution |
| Cevichería lunch | 35–70 PEN | The real event; lunch only, closed by 5 |
| Barranco/Miraflores dinner | 60–120 PEN | The strong middle: nikkei, criollo moderno |
| World-list tasting | 900–1,400 PEN | Central, Maido, Kjolle — book 1–2 months out |
Lima is the best food-per-dollar city in the hemisphere and mid-priced on everything else: a comfortable single-person month runs $1,400–1,800 in Miraflores/Barranco, or $900–1,100 in excellent local districts like Jesús María and Magdalena.
Furnished monthly 1BRs in 2026: $700–1,300 in Miraflores, $650–1,200 in Barranco, $800–1,500 in San Isidro, and $380–750 in the value districts (Surquillo, Magdalena, Jesús María, Chorrillos).
A menú del día (starter + main + drink) is 12–20 PEN ($3–5). A serious cevichería lunch runs 35–70 PEN ($9–18). Miraflores dinner mains 45–90 PEN ($12–24). The world-list tasting menus (Central, Maido, Kjolle) charge global prices — 900–1,400 PEN.
Electricity (Luz del Sur/Enel) 90–200 PEN for a 1BR with no heating or A/C — the Lima norm; water (Sedapal) 25–60 PEN; fiber 200–500 Mbps (Claro/Movistar/Win) 90–160 PEN. Furnished monthly rentals usually fold all of it into the price.
Cards work everywhere in the coastal core; menús, markets and taxis prefer cash. Withdraw at bank ATMs (BCP, Interbank, BBVA), decline dynamic conversion; foreign-card fees run 12–20 PEN.
Monthly Stay Guide · Best Neighborhoods · Cost of Living · Corporate Housing · Furnished Rentals
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