Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ames, IA and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $2,152 in Ames, IA, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Ames, IA
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Ames, IA Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Ames, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,152

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ames, IA and in Lima

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ames, IA and in Lima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,152 in Ames, IA versus $1,042 in Lima.

Ames, IA $2,152
Lima $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,214 in Ames, IA versus $1,651 in Lima.

Ames, IA $3,214
Lima $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,277 in Ames, IA versus $2,259 in Lima.

Ames, IA $4,277
Lima $2,259

Living in Ames, IA is roughly 106% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ames, IA is 59% above, Lima is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.69 $17.69

$4.64 PEN 15.95

281.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.7 $52.7

$34.34 PEN 118

53.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.91 $11.91

$7.01 PEN 24.12

69.90%

Cappuccino

$4.86 $4.86

$3.22 PEN 11.09

50.93%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.13 PEN 3.90

131.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$0.61 PEN 2.09

277.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.93 PEN 10.08

38.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 $7.13

$4.25 PEN 14.63

67.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-43.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.61 PEN 8.98

38.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.30 PEN 4.47

150.77%

Eggs

$3.46 $3.46

$2.92 PEN 10.05

18.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.37 $10.37

$9.54 PEN 32.82

8.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.64 $13.64

$5.71 PEN 19.66

138.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.55 $18.55

$9.47 PEN 32.58

95.88%

Apples (1kg)

$5.82 $5.82

$2.01 PEN 6.91

189.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.02 PEN 3.52

82.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$1.45 PEN 4.99

346.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$1.49 PEN 5.14

245.64%

Potato (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$0.91 PEN 3.14

371.43%

Onion (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$0.89 PEN 3.07

357.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 $2.33

$0.86 PEN 2.97

170.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$0.89 PEN 3.06

185.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.72 $9.72

$5.47 PEN 18.83

77.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.93 $15.93

$10.17 PEN 35.00

56.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.81 PEN 6.21

60.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 $5.09

$3.15 PEN 10.84

61.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 $0.97

$0.66 PEN 2.28

46.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.51 $34.51

$31.89 PEN 110

8.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.02 $5.02

$3.43 PEN 11.79

46.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-12.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.68 $23.68

$9.60 PEN 33.04

146.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-47.37%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$25.5K $25.5K

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

16.73%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.4K $26.4K

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

-8.95%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$183 $183

$65.8 PEN 227

177.65%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$56.2 $56.2

$15.26 PEN 52.5

268.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.4 $69.4

$26.87 PEN 92.5

158.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.9 $67.9

$32.91 PEN 113

106.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.84 $19.84

$20.12 PEN 69.2

-1.39%

Cinema Ticket

$14.93 $14.93

$7.12 PEN 24.49

109.69%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,337 $1,337

$309 PEN 1,064

332.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K $10.2K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

-52.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 $55.8

$52.0 PEN 179

7.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.45 $44.45

$35.69 PEN 123

24.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.8 $88.8

$81.8 PEN 281

8.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 $108

$78.0 PEN 268

38.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,065 $1,065

$727 PEN 2,501

46.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$834 $834

$373 PEN 1,284

123.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,787 $1,787

$1,249 PEN 4,297

43.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,445 $1,445

$739 PEN 2,544

95.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,605 $2,605

$2,380 PEN 8,191

9.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,115 $2,115

$1,365 PEN 4,697

54.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,549 $3,549

$650 PEN 2,238

445.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.41

8.38

-23.51%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ames, IA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ames, IA

$834 38.8%

Lima

$373 35.8% 55.3% $461

Groceries & Markets

Ames, IA

$436 20.3%

Lima

$228 21.9% 47.7% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ames, IA

$308 14.3%

Lima

$108 10.4% 65% $200

Eating Out

Ames, IA

$290 13.5%

Lima

$127 12.2% 56.2% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Ames, IA

$134 6.2%

Lima

$111 10.7% 16.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Ames, IA

$98 4.5%

Lima

$47 4.5% 51.8% $51

Getting Around

Ames, IA

$52 2.4%

Lima

$48 4.6% 8.1% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,065 in Ames, IA and $727 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ames, IA pays about 5.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $53 in Ames, IA vs $34 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $436 vs $228 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ames, IA

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

04:52 4:52 AM

05:52 5:52 AM

1 h ahead of Ames, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,427

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.87 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

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Ames, IA Lima 6,250 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Ames, IA
Lima

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ames, IA vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Ames, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lima the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Ames, IA is about 5.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,065 in Ames, IA versus $727 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lima runs roughly 8% less than in Ames, IA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,337 in Ames, IA versus $309 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,042 in Lima versus $2,152 in Ames, IA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Ames, IA. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Ames, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.