Peru: cost of living

How fast is the cost of living rising in Peru?

Consumer prices in Metropolitan Lima were 4.55% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier, according to INEI. In September alone, vehicle fuel rose 5.2%, including gasohol at 5.8% and diesel at 3.9%, while food and non-alcoholic drink prices fell.

The CPI tracks the prices of a fixed basket of goods and services bought by Lima households; prices in other cities are in the national index in INEI's monthly report. The index measures changes in prices, not the cost of living in a particular city.

Official sources: INEI: Consumer prices in Lima, September 2026 · INEI: Price indicators report, September 2026 (PDF)

What is the poverty rate in Peru?

25.7% of Peruvians lived in monetary poverty in 2025, down from 27.6% in 2024, according to INEI. Poverty was 23.4% in urban areas and 35.5% in rural areas. Cajamarca (41.0%) and Loreto (40.1%) had the highest rates.

INEI counts a person as poor when their spending does not cover the cost of a basic basket of food and non-food items. INEI said 567,000 people moved out of poverty in 2025. Average spending per person was S/ 920 a month.

Official sources: INEI: Monetary poverty in 2025

What is the poverty line in Peru?

Peru's poverty line was S/ 462 per person a month in 2025, or S/ 1,848 for a family of four, according to INEI. The extreme poverty line, the cost of a basic food basket, was S/ 260 per person, or S/ 1,040 for a family of four.

The lines are the value of the basic consumption basket and the basic food basket. People whose spending falls below the line are counted as poor.

Official sources: INEI: Monetary poverty in 2025

How many Peruvians face food insecurity?

30.5% of Peru's population faced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2025, according to INEI, which published the measure officially for the first time. The rate was 35.4% in rural areas and 29.3% in urban areas.

Food insecurity means difficulty getting enough food, or food of sufficient quality, because of a lack of money or other resources. INEI developed the measure with technical assistance from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and added it to the National Household Survey from January 2025.

Official sources: INEI: Food insecurity in 2025

How fast are prices rising in Peru?

The latest figure from the IMF, for 2025, is 1.5%. Since 2005 it has ranged from 1.5% (2018) to 8.3% (2022). Latin America & Caribbean median: 2.1%; Peru is 17th highest of 29. World rank, highest first: 121st of 165.

How much do households in Peru spend per person?

In 2025, household consumption per person in Peru was $4,566, according to the World Bank. No year since 2005 has been higher. It is 8th highest of 15 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is $4,566. World rank, highest first: 58th of 124.

What is the extreme poverty rate in Peru?

In 2024, the share of people living on less than $3.00 a day in Peru was 5.1%, according to the World Bank. The peak was 25.4% in 2005 and the low 4.8% in 2022. Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 2.1%, and Peru placed 4th highest of 14.

What is the poverty rate in Peru?

The latest figure from the World Bank, for 2025, is 25.7%. The peak was 55.6% in 2005 and the low 20.2% in 2019. Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 23.5%, and Peru placed 4th highest of 8.

What is Peru's Gini coefficient?

According to the World Bank, the Gini index in Peru was 40.1 in 2024. It is the bottom of the series, which starts in 2005. Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 43.6, and Peru placed 12th highest of 14.

How many people in Peru face food insecurity?

According to the FAO, moderate or severe food insecurity in Peru was 33.6% in 2024. Since 2015 it has ranged from 26.6% (2015) to 37.2% (2022). Latin America & Caribbean median: 28.0%; Peru is 7th highest of 21. Of 135 countries with 2024 data, 44th highest.