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Explore Cities/Compare Cities/Isla Mujeres vs Lima

Isla Mujeres vs Lima

Side-by-side comparison for digital nomads

Lima 53% cheaper Lima +136 Mbps N/A / Low
Isla Mujeres
Isla Mujeres
Nathan Cima/Unsplash
Lima
Lima
Eduardo Flores/Unsplash
Nomad Cost

$2,710

Isla Mujeres

$1,284

Lima

Internet

83

Mbps

219

Mbps

Safety

N/A

Isla Mujeres

Low

Lima

Air Quality

5/5

Isla Mujeres

5/5

Lima

Healthcare

N/A

Isla Mujeres

High

Lima

Population

12.6k

Isla Mujeres

8.9m

Lima

Isla Mujeres (Mexico) and Lima (Peru) are both in Latin America, offering different takes on the nomad lifestyle. Here is how they compare across the metrics that matter most.

Cost of Living

The monthly savings are substantial — Lima at $1284/mo costs 53% less than Isla Mujeres at $2710/mo, adding up to $17112 over a year.

For families, Isla Mujeres costs $2152.679739708927/mo compared to Lima's $2188.437491200074/mo.

Internet & Infrastructure

For bandwidth-intensive work, Lima has a clear edge at 219 Mbps (#26 globally) compared to Isla Mujeres's 83 Mbps (#0).

Quality of Life

Both Isla Mujeres and Lima share the same safety rating — travelers can feel equally comfortable in either city.

Healthcare quality is rated similarly in both Isla Mujeres and Lima.

Monthly Weather Comparison

The best time to visit Isla Mujeres is April (around 29 degrees, 0mm rain, score 389), while Lima peaks in January (27 degrees, 0mm rain, score 454). Timing your stay around these months can make a big difference in your experience.

Cost of Living

Isla MujeresLima
Nomad$2,710/mo$1,284/mo
Expat$1,211/mo$794/mo
Local$615/mo$625/mo
Family$2,153/mo$2,188/mo

Internet & Infrastructure

Isla MujeresLima
City Speed
83 Mbps
219 Mbps#26
Country Speed83 Mbps200 Mbps

Environment & Health

Isla MujeresLima
Air Quality Score5/55/5
PollutionN/AHigh
ClimateN/AHigh
Humidity8070

Quality of Life

Isla MujeresLima
SafetyN/ALow
HealthcareN/AHigh

Monthly Weather Comparison

Isla Mujeres
Lima
Jan
29°
1mm328
27°
0mm454
Feb
26°
0mm377
29°
0mm454
Mar
30°
0mm377
28°
0mm454
Apr
29°
0mm389
25°
0mm434
May
33°
0mm389
21°
0mm414
Jun
34°
3mm292
18°
0mm414
Jul
35°
1mm366
17°
0mm414
Aug
36°
1mm366
17°
0mm414
Sep
35°
5mm302
18°
0mm414
Oct
31°
3mm297
19°
0mm414
Nov
31°
1mm366
23°
0mm434
Dec
28°
1mm307
25°
0mm434

Who Should Choose Isla Mujeres?

  • Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
  • Family-friendly at $2152.679739708927/mo for families
  • Smaller city feel with 12.6k residents
  • Peak season in April — 29 degrees, score 389

Who Should Choose Lima?

  • Great for budget nomads — monthly costs around $1284
  • Excellent for video calls and large uploads with 219 Mbps
  • Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
  • Family-friendly at $2188.437491200074/mo for families
  • Major city energy with 8.9m residents
  • Peak season in January — 27 degrees, score 454

Overall Verdict

The data favors Lima as the more well-rounded choice. At $1284/mo versus Isla Mujeres's $2710/mo, that is a 53% saving that adds up significantly on an extended stay.

Granular Price Comparison

Isla Mujeres Lima
ItemIsla MujeresLimaDiff
🍽️Restaurants8 items
Meal, inexpensive restaurant$7.74$3.92
49%
Meal for 2, mid-range (3-course)$52.86$22.19
58%
McMeal or equivalent combo$5.16$5.22
1%
Cappuccino (regular)$2.36$2.66
11%
Domestic beer (0.5L draught)$2.06$2.09
1%
Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$2.71$3.92
31%
Coke/Pepsi (0.33L)$0.87$0.86
1%
Water (0.33L)$0.8$0.57
29%
🛒Markets19 items
Milk (1L)$0.98$1.22
20%
White bread (500g)$1.55$1.83
15%
White rice (1kg)$1.33$1.11
17%
Eggs (12)$1.55$1.81
14%
Chicken fillets (1kg)$4.64$4.99
7%
Beef round (1kg)$7.22$8.2
12%
Local cheese (1kg)$3.09$6.89
55%
Apples (1kg)$2.32$1.54
34%
Bananas (1kg)$0.98$1.02
4%
Oranges (1kg)$0.78$0.93
16%
Tomatoes (1kg)$0.97$0.98
1%
Potatoes (1kg)$0.93$0.74
20%
Onions (1kg)$0.83$0.89
7%
Lettuce (1 head)$0.73$0.72
1%
Water (1.5L bottle)$0.83$0.72
13%
Wine, mid-range bottle$7.74$7.83
1%
Domestic beer (0.5L bottle)$1.03$1.6
36%
Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$1.29$2.33
45%
Cigarettes (pack of 20)$3.25$5.22
38%
🚌Transport8 items
One-way local transport ticket—$0.52
—
Monthly transport pass—$15.66
—
Taxi start (normal tariff)$2.06$2.61
21%
Taxi per 1km$1.29$1.44
10%
Taxi 1hr waiting$5.16$6.27
18%
Gasoline (1L)$1.03$1.31
21%
Volkswagen Golf (new)$18,049.15$18,274.38
1%
Toyota Corolla (new)$18,178.07$21,697.31
16%
⚡Utilities3 items
Utilities, 85m² apartment/mo$28.36$71.32
60%
Internet 60+ Mbps/mo$26.22$30.91
15%
Mobile prepaid per minute$0.03$0.18
83%
🏋️Sport & Leisure3 items
Fitness club, monthly—$37.19
—
Tennis court rent (1hr weekend)—$12.4
—
Cinema, 1 ticket$3.76$5.48
31%
👶Childcare2 items
Preschool, full-day private/mo$67.04$213.5
69%
International primary school/yr$1,113.89$5,851.01
81%
👗Clothing4 items
Jeans (Levi's 501 or similar)$43.83$43.81
=
Summer dress (chain store)$25.78$28.35
9%
Nike running shoes (mid-range)$61.88$71.57
14%
Men's leather business shoes$61.88$68.37
9%
🏠Rent4 items
1-bedroom apartment, city centre$592.34$511.24
14%
1-bedroom apartment, outside centre—$349.69
—
3-bedroom apartment, city centre—$954.12
—
3-bedroom apartment, outside centre—$701.14
—
🏗️Buy2 items
Price per m², city centre—$1,962.17
—
Price per m², outside centre—$1,483.1
—
💰Finance2 items
Average monthly net salary—$489.76
—
Mortgage interest rate (20yr fixed)$10.38$8.29
20%

Lower is better for all cost items.

Data from Open-Meteo (weather) and global internet speed rankings. Updated monthly.

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