Lima vs Salento

Side-by-side comparison for digital nomads

Lima 26% cheaper Lima +53 Mbps Low / N/A
Nomad Cost

$1,284

Lima

$1,739

Salento

Internet

219

Mbps

166

Mbps

Safety

Low

Lima

N/A

Salento

Air Quality

5/5

Lima

5/5

Salento

Healthcare

High

Lima

N/A

Salento

Population

8.9m

Lima

7.0k

Salento

Lima (Peru) and Salento (Colombia) 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 26% less than Salento at $1739/mo, adding up to $5460 over a year.

For families, Lima costs $2188.437491200074/mo compared to Salento's $842.9590586792094/mo.

Internet & Infrastructure

For bandwidth-intensive work, Lima has a clear edge at 219 Mbps (#26 globally) compared to Salento's 166 Mbps (#0).

Quality of Life

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

Healthcare quality is rated similarly in both Lima and Salento.

Monthly Weather Comparison

The best time to visit Lima is January (around 27 degrees, 0mm rain, score 454), while Salento peaks in April (24 degrees, 7mm rain, score 353). Timing your stay around these months can make a big difference in your experience.

Cost of Living

LimaSalento
Nomad$1,284/mo$1,739/mo
Expat$794/mo$701/mo
Local$625/mo$241/mo
Family$2,188/mo$843/mo

Internet & Infrastructure

LimaSalento
City Speed
219 Mbps#26
166 Mbps
Country Speed200 Mbps166 Mbps

Environment & Health

LimaSalento
Air Quality Score5/55/5
PollutionHighN/A
ClimateHighN/A
Humidity7089

Quality of Life

LimaSalento
SafetyLowN/A
HealthcareHighN/A

Monthly Weather Comparison

Lima
Salento
Jan
27°
0mm454
26°
2mm281
Feb
29°
0mm454
25°
7mm271
Mar
28°
0mm454
25°
6mm271
Apr
25°
0mm434
24°
7mm353
May
21°
0mm414
24°
6mm260
Jun
18°
0mm414
22°
5mm260
Jul
17°
0mm414
24°
1mm335
Aug
17°
0mm414
25°
4mm281
Sep
18°
0mm414
26°
4mm281
Oct
19°
0mm414
23°
7mm260
Nov
23°
0mm434
21°
6mm164
Dec
25°
0mm434
22°
9mm199

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

Who Should Choose Salento?

  • Excellent for video calls and large uploads with 166 Mbps
  • Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
  • Family-friendly at $842.9590586792094/mo for families
  • Smaller city feel with 7.0k residents
  • Peak season in April — 24 degrees, score 353

Overall Verdict

The data favors Lima as the more well-rounded choice. At $1284/mo versus Salento's $1739/mo, that is a 26% saving that adds up significantly on an extended stay.

Granular Price Comparison

Lima Salento
ItemLimaSalentoDiff
🍽️Restaurants8 items
Meal, inexpensive restaurant$3.92—
—
Meal for 2, mid-range (3-course)$22.19—
—
McMeal or equivalent combo$5.22—
—
Cappuccino (regular)$2.66—
—
Domestic beer (0.5L draught)$2.09—
—
Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$3.92—
—
Coke/Pepsi (0.33L)$0.86—
—
Water (0.33L)$0.57—
—
🛒Markets19 items
Milk (1L)$1.22—
—
White bread (500g)$1.83—
—
White rice (1kg)$1.11—
—
Eggs (12)$1.81—
—
Chicken fillets (1kg)$4.99—
—
Beef round (1kg)$8.2—
—
Local cheese (1kg)$6.89—
—
Apples (1kg)$1.54—
—
Bananas (1kg)$1.02—
—
Oranges (1kg)$0.93—
—
Tomatoes (1kg)$0.98—
—
Potatoes (1kg)$0.74—
—
Onions (1kg)$0.89—
—
Lettuce (1 head)$0.72—
—
Water (1.5L bottle)$0.72—
—
Wine, mid-range bottle$7.83—
—
Domestic beer (0.5L bottle)$1.6—
—
Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$2.33—
—
Cigarettes (pack of 20)$5.22—
—
🚌Transport8 items
One-way local transport ticket$0.52—
—
Monthly transport pass$15.66—
—
Taxi start (normal tariff)$2.61—
—
Taxi per 1km$1.44—
—
Taxi 1hr waiting$6.27—
—
Gasoline (1L)$1.31—
—
Volkswagen Golf (new)$18,274.38—
—
Toyota Corolla (new)$21,697.31—
—
⚡Utilities3 items
Utilities, 85m² apartment/mo$71.32—
—
Internet 60+ Mbps/mo$30.91—
—
Mobile prepaid per minute$0.18—
—
🏋️Sport & Leisure3 items
Fitness club, monthly$37.19—
—
Tennis court rent (1hr weekend)$12.4—
—
Cinema, 1 ticket$5.48—
—
👶Childcare2 items
Preschool, full-day private/mo$213.5—
—
International primary school/yr$5,851.01—
—
👗Clothing4 items
Jeans (Levi's 501 or similar)$43.81—
—
Summer dress (chain store)$28.35—
—
Nike running shoes (mid-range)$71.57—
—
Men's leather business shoes$68.37—
—
🏠Rent4 items
1-bedroom apartment, city centre$511.24—
—
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)$8.29—
—

Lower is better for all cost items.

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

Related Comparisons

See all comparisons