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South America · Lima

Cost of living in Peru

Peru is 52% cheaper than the US, ranking #89 of 203 countries we cover for cost of living.

World Bank data through 2024 · last reviewed 2026-06.

Cost of living · US = 100
48.2
Ranks #89 of 203 · 52% cheaper than the US
GDP / capita (PPP)
$17,802
GNI / capita (PPP)
$16,780
Inflation · YoY
2.0%
Population
34.2M
Capital
Lima
Density
26 /km²
Urban
85%
Area
1.3M km²

What drives the cost here

Price levels by category, where the world average = 100. Above 100 is pricier than the global norm; below it is cheaper.

In Peru, housing & utilities is the priciest category relative to the world (110), while health is the most affordable (42).

Housing & utilities 110
Food & groceries 89
Transport 74
Restaurants & hotels 69
Communication 67
Health 42

Category price levels: World Bank ICP 2021 (world average = 100) · source

Peru on the map

What your money is worth here

A $100,000 US lifestyle would cost roughly $48,000 in Peru.

Quality of life

75/100 · #107 of 198

Beyond cost — health, safety, and connectivity. The score is a transparent, equal-weight composite of the verified metrics below (see methodology).

Quality-of-life score
75 / 100
Our transparent equal-weight composite
Life expectancy
78 yrs
World Bank · 2024 · source
Safety · homicide /100k
8.6
UNODC · 2021 · source
Infant mortality /1k
11
World Bank · 2024 · source
Internet users
82%
ITU · 2024 · source
Safe drinking water
49%
WHO/UNICEF · 2024 · source
Air quality · PM2.5
27 µg/m³
WHO · 2020 · source

About Peru

Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most notably that of the Incas whose empire was captured by Spanish conquistadors in 1533. Peru declared its independence in 1821, and remaining Spanish forces were defeated in 1824. After a dozen years of military rule, Peru returned to democratic leadership in 1980 but experienced economic problems and the growth of a violent insurgency. President Alberto FUJIMORI's election in 1990 ushered in a decade that saw a dramatic turnaround in the economy and significant progress in curtailing guerrilla activity.

Read the full background

Nevertheless, an economic slump and the president's increasing reliance on authoritarian measures in the late 1990s generated mounting dissatisfaction with his regime, which led to his resignation in 2000. A caretaker government oversaw a new election in 2001 that installed Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique as the new head of government - Peru's first democratically elected president of indigenous ethnicity. The presidential election of 2006 saw the return of Alan GARCIA Perez who, after a disappointing presidential term from 1985 to 1990, presided over a robust economic rebound. Former army officer Ollanta HUMALA Tasso was elected president in 2011 and carried on the market-oriented economic policies of the three preceding administrations. Pedro Pablo KUCZYNSKI Godard won a very narrow runoff in the 2016 presidential election. Facing impeachment after evidence surfaced of his involvement in a vote-buying scandal, KUCZYNSKI offered his resignation in 2018, and First Vice President Martin Alberto VIZCARRA Cornejo was sworn in as president. In 2019, VIZCARRA invoked his constitutional authority to dissolve Peru's Congress after months of battling with the body over anticorruption reforms. New congressional elections in 2020 resulted in an opposition-led legislature. The Congress impeached VIZCARRA for a second time and removed him from office after accusations of corruption and mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of vacancies in the vice-presidential positions, the President of the Peruvian Congress, Manuel MERINO, became the next president. His ascension to office was not well received, and large protests forced his resignation later in 2020. Francisco SAGASTI assumed the position of President of Peru after being appointed President of the Congress the previous day. Jose Pedro CASTILLO Terrones won presidential election in 2021 but was impeached and ousted the following year; his vice president, Dina BOLUARTE, assumed the presidency by constitutional succession in 2022.

Background from the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived 2026-06-03.

Frequently asked

Is Peru expensive to live in?

Peru is 52% cheaper than the US, ranking #89 of the 203 countries we track. Its most expensive category relative to the world is housing & utilities; health costs the least.

How much money do you need to live in Peru?

A lifestyle that costs $100,000 in the United States would cost roughly $48,000 in Peru, going by overall price levels. The salary translator turns your own figure into a local equivalent.

Is Peru cheaper than the United States?

Yes. Its overall price level is 48.2, against 100 for the United States.

What is the quality of life in Peru?

Peru scores 75 out of 100 on our quality-of-life index (#107 of 198), a composite of life expectancy, safety, health, and connectivity, with life expectancy around 78 years.

Every number, sourced.

We cite the exact source and year for each figure. Derived values are computed at build time, never hand-entered.

Price level index (US = 100)
Derived: nominal ÷ PPP GDP per capita, indexed to the US
48.2
GDP per capita (PPP)
World Bank · 2024 · source
$17,802
GNI per capita (PPP)
World Bank · 2024 · source
$16,780
Inflation (annual %)
World Bank · 2024 · source
2.0%
Population
World Bank · 2024 · source
34.2M
Population density
World Bank · 2023 · source
26 /km²
Urban population
World Bank · 2024 · source
85%
Surface area
World Bank · 2023 · source
1.3M km²

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