ESAN

Business School

Living in Lima

Budget / Expected Expenses

Exchange students coming to live in Lima should consider the following expenses:

Accommodation

Depending on the type of facility chosen, it may vary from:

  • US$160 to US$230 per month if living with a local family
  • US$250 to US$400 if renting an apartment.

You may also download a list of well reputed to student housing establishments.

Meals

Daily costs, based on prices charged in food courts and small restaurants, are approximately as follows:

  • Breakfast                US$3.50
  • Lunch                     US$4.50
  • Dinner                    US$4.50

TOTAL: US$12.50/day or US$375 per month

Other expenses

Among these, laundry, fares to other parts of the city, newspapers, photocopying and other minor personal expenses should also be considered, amounting to approximately US$120 per month.

Public Transportation

Lima has a wide variety of public transport and its cost is rather inexpensive. Traveling by bus or colectivo may amount to US$40 per month depending on the distances to be traveled.

Although public transport in Lima´s downtown area may be rather slow, as in any historical center of a large city, in the suburbs, where ESAN is located, it is usually lighter except for rush hours (7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.). Also the amount of vehicles available covers the demand.

In addition taxi services are widely offered also at very convenient prices.

Shopping

As a modern city, Lima features shopping centers in almost all its residential areas. They include large department stores like Ripley and Saga Fallabella, and boutiques of many kinds.  Prices vary according to the brand and quality of the product. These shopping centers include cinemas, food courts, bookstores and drugstores.

Eating Out, Tipping and General Precautions

If you enjoy dining out and trying new foods, you are in for a real treat. Peru is known for having some of the best cuisine in South America. Delicious seafood, powerful spices and abundance of fresh produce (including 400 different types of potatoes) make this country a food connoisseur's delight! To search for restaurants in Lima you may want to visit, click here.

When paying the bill, look for the words propina or servicio near the bottom of it. This means the restaurant has already added a tip, usually between 5% and 10%. If the service has been good, an extra 5% may be added. The cheapest restaurants usually do not include a tip. If this is the case, the client may consider up to 10%.

While visitors are encouraged to sample the cuisine during their trip, caution should be exerted especially in the beginning. It is not uncommon for people to suffer from stomach ailments due to the change of eating habits and quantities. Here are some suggestions to avoid this occurrence:

  • Drink bottled water or from dispensers. Tea or coffees are recommended since boiled water is used to prepare them.
  • Stay away from raw salads and eat fruits and vegetables that can be peeled.
  • Be careful where you eat seafood. In general, try to look for places that are busy. Restaurants filled with locals or tourists are a good sign.
  • Don't eat food from street vendors. It may be cheap and look delicious, but sanitary regulations may not have been met.

Telephone Service

There are several options available in Lima to make either local, national and international phone calls.  Also cellular phones are extensively used.  Following are tips on the use of public phones:

  • International and long distance national calls can be made from public pay phones. Country and city codes are normally shown in the telephone booths.
  • To make an international call, dial:  00 + country code + city code + telephone number.
  • To call from one city to the next, dial:  0 + city code + telephone number.
  • Public phones take coins as well as cards, which are sold in stands and supermarkets and various other stores. Care should be exercised to buy the card corresponding to the telephone company to be to use. No collect calls can be made from pay phones.
  • To obtain telephone information, dial 103 (service is in Spanish).
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