How Much Does it Cost to Visit Lima, Peru?

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Are you thinking of going to Peru and wondering what it will cost to visit Lima? If so, this post is for you.

Steve and I spent twelve weeks in Lima in early 2026. The purpose of our trip was to relax and conserve money after a busy and expensive 2025. Lima fit the bill.

We toured Peru with Peru Hop in 2019, starting and ending in Lima. On our tour, we spent time in Paracas (loved the laid-back oceanfront town), Huacachina (where we sandboarded), Arequipa, and Cusco. And of course, we took the train to Machu Picchu Town (Aguas Calientes) to see Machu Picchu.

We loved our PeruHop experience, but on our recent Peru visit, we stuck to Lima. Here is what we spent for twelve weeks.

If you can’t wait to see the bottom line, click here.

All money is in U.S. dollars unless otherwise stated.

How We Travel

Steve and I travel at a three-star level. You can certainly spend less than we do, and you can certainly spend more.

Peru’s Currency

Peru uses the sol (symbol: S/, currency code: PEN). The sol is divided into 100 smaller units called centimos.  Banknotes are issued in denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 soles, while coins circulate in various céntimo and sol denominations.

The sol is stable. During our stay, 1 sol equaled $0.29. Conversely, 1 USD equaled S/3.4.

Accommodations

We booked this Airbnb for 84 nights. The host offers a 10% discount on monthly stays. If you are booking for a short time, you can expect to pay more per night.

We were in the 10th floor penthouse with a large balcony overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We had one bedroom, one large bathroom, a small kitchen, and a medium-sized living room. It was not luxury, but it was everything we needed.

Given the view, I consider this a steal at $56 per night.

We stayed in the Miraflores neighborhood. It is one of the most recommended for tourists along with Barranco and San Isidro. You can learn more about these neighborhoods in this article from Travel Lemming.

Food

We ate out fifty times – everything from a quick sandwich to a special Valentine’s Day meal. The average cost was $30 for the two of us.

All our other meals were eaten at home. We did most of our shopping at supermarkets, particularly Wong. We also grabbed a few things from a nearby mini-mart, and their prices weren’t bad at all.

Our food budget is $45 per day. We spent $38 per day in Lima, and we ate very well.

Here’s an example of what we got for the two of us:

Pancakes and smoothies at La Caffetteria di Lonato (Av. Sta. Cruz 1296) for $30 – these were the best smoothies we’ve ever had. If you eat outside, be sure to go inside and check out their bakery products. They are scrumptious.

A selection of traditional dishes at Costazul Seafood (C. Berlin 899) for two with beverages and dessert for $53.

A ceviche lunch with water for both of us at Cevicheria Miramar Miraflores (C. Porta 182) near Kennedy Park was only $28.

2 XL pizzas with cheese and one meat from Pizza Raul (multiple locations) for $15 total! We got several meals out of these.

Spaghetti bolognese at Salve Luigi (Av. Dos de Mayo 793) with sangria, soft drink, and tiramisu for $75. Normally we wouldn’t order spaghetti out, but Salve Luigi’s chef works magic with his bolognese sauce. Another reason to check it out – the thousands of bottles covering the walls and ceiling.

Two custards at El Senorio de Sulco (Mal. Cisneros 1470) with coffee for $20. We fell in love with their custard with caramel sauce (cream volteada) and Lima woman’s sigh (suspiro de Limena), a heavier custard with merengue. Get one of each and see if you can pick a favorite. We couldn’t.

You may notice that some of the items listed here aren’t traditional Peruvian food. We did have several traditional meals, and they were good, but the items listed above were our favorites. You can find plenty of traditional meals at prices similar to or less than those listed here.

Foodies will be happy to know that Lima is the gastronomy capital of South America and home to Maido, named the world’s best restaurant on the 2025 list compiled by U.K. media company William Reed. Lima has four entries on the 50 Best list, matching Paris and trailing only Bangkok, which has five.

For the non-foodies out there, take a look at my lighthearted post, “The Frustration of Being a Non-Foodie Traveler.”

A Word About Water

The water in Peru is not safe to drink. Tourists are advised to either boil it, use a water purifier, or use bottled water.

Bottled water is inexpensive. Although many travelers are concerned about adding to the plastic pollution problem, it may be the best option when you’re on the go.

Boiling water is simple if you have kitchen facilities, though cooling takes time.

A third option is to use a water purifier, such as those made by Grayl.

Because we had time, I chose to boil my water and filter it using a Pur filtering pitcher. This became a daily routine, and it served my sensitive stomach well. I didn’t rely on my Pur filter alone because it doesn’t remove viruses, bacteria, or protozoa (like Giardia) present in Peru’s water.

Here is a good explanation of the difference between water filters and water purifiers.

Transportation

We used Uber to get around the city. It was much easier than the bus system and less stressful than driving. Driving in Lima is not recommended for tourists as it is chaotic and aggressive. Don’t believe me? Check out this article from LimaEasy.

Our average cost per Uber trip with tip was $4.00. Here are the average costs we paid to travel to a few different parts of the city:

Trips between Miraflores and the airport – 20 km or 12 miles – $15

Trips between Miraflores and Real Plaza Salaverry – 4 km or 2.5 miles – $4

Trips between Miraflores and the city center – 10 km or 6.2 miles – $7

Activities

Since our main objective in going to Lima was to relax, catch up on some projects, and do some heavy travel planning, we weren’t as active as we normally would be. In addition, I feel that Lima is limited in tourist attractions given its size.

However, the cost of activities was surprisingly low. Here’s what we paid per person for a few of them:

Museo Larco – even if Pre-Columbian art isn’t your thing, I highly recommend this – $11

Museo Larco guided tour – you can sign up for this at the entrance. Our guide was great and her explanations made the exhibits much more meaningful – $5

Peruvian cooking class – learn to make causa, ceviche, and pisco sours – and get to eat and drink your creations in a two-and-a-half-hour class, although ours was longer – $44

The Catacombs of Lima – Explore the ossuaries located beneath the San Francisco de Asís Convent – $9. You can learn some interesting facts here. Be advised, photos aren’t allowed.

Barranco Street Art Walking Tour – get familiar with the artsy side of Lima and learn about some of the street art on this two-hour tour – $21

Our favorite thing to do in Lima was to stroll the Malecon, a roughly 6-mile (10 km) clifftop walkway overlooking the Pacific Ocean, dotted with parks, playgrounds, and cycling paths. A great way to get exercise and it’s free.

Medical Issues

I am including this as a warning rather than something I expect you to incur. Steve went to Clinica Anglo Americana with two questions:

1. Do you need to see a doctor to get a prescription for common medications that require a prescription in the U.S? Often not.

2. Can you get encephalitis vaccine boosters in Lima? No, you cannot.

Simple questions, right? Well, getting answers to those two questions cost us $134!

If you need to fill prescriptions, the best move is to check with one or more pharmacies to find out if you need a prescription for your specific medication. In Lima, I did not need one for mine.

Spending Summary

It may be necessary to use the reader mode or turn your screen to landscape to view all the data.

We spent $102 per day for the travel basics in Lima.

Items not included in the above numbers

Airfare for two people from Jacksonville, Florida – $1,000
Items purchased for our comfort because of the long stay – $270
Medical charge (discussed above) – $134

Our total cost for twelve weeks was $9,952. This is $829 per week and $118 per day. Lima is definitely less expensive than many destinations.

Conclusion

You can read about our stay in Lima in our February 2026 and March 2026 newsletters.

As you can see, travelers and nomads coming from expensive places like the U.S., Canada, Western Europe, or Australia and New Zealand, can give their travel budget a nice break in Lima. For many people, the highest cost will be getting there.

We chose Lima to chill for several months, and it fit the bill. I wouldn’t recommend it for a long-term stay unless that is your goal. But it is a great place for a shorter visit and a good hop-off point to the many wonders of Peru.

Until Next Time

If you’ve been to Lima, Steve and I would love to hear your thoughts on the attractions, the food, or the costs. Just drop a comment below.

Happy traveling,
Linda

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