Lima - Post Report Question and Answers
Can you save money?
Yes, if you are single. Families here don't save much. - Sep 2015
Sure, it's relatively inexpensive here. One exception is gasoline (about US$5 a gallon), but even that's not too outrageous. We found that we got spoiled with the low costs so we ate at restaurants much more than we would normally do. Gonna be rough going elsewhere! - May 2015
We have not been able to. - Sep 2014
Yes, lots if you want to. Ration how often you go to the hottest restaurants (which can cost upwards of US$200/person). - Apr 2014
Yes, if you are conscious. We've saved a lot of money here but if you go out all the time and aren't paying attention, you can spend a lot of money here. - Mar 2014
It's unlikely - Food, household help and travel within South America all cost more here. Flights within Peru are cheap (US$100-150), but try to get to Brazil or another neighboring country and you'll spend US$500-1000 per ticket. Oh, and let's not forget that you'll want to be eating out at least one night a week to sample the great food (did you know Peru is one of the hottest gastronomic capitals in the world right now with 2 of the top 50 restaurants in the world?). - Aug 2013
If you're careful, yes. But this is not a particularly cheap place to live. - Jul 2013
Yes, if you want to. - Jul 2013
Maybe, if you try hard. - Jun 2013
If you shop at the open air markets, avoid eating out at restaurants, take combis, don't hire a maid, and don't travel too far outside of Lima by plane, you should be able to save some money. - Jan 2012
This depends on where you are the pay scale and your needs. Some people have and some have dipped into the savings account. - Jan 2012
yes, but it is very tempting to go blow it all on travel and food. - Aug 2011
You can save money here as long as you don't spend it all on traveling. - Jul 2010
It's hard...food, clothing, restaurants, in-country travel are all expensive. - Jun 2010
Possible, but unlikely because air travel is quite expensive. - Jul 2008
If you want to. The shopping (other than handicrafts) isn't good, but the restaurants are and plentiful. Travel outside of Lima can be very expensive if you want to go the luxury route, but you can also have great adventures on the cheap. - Apr 2008