Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Anchorage, AK and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $3,251 in Anchorage, AK, rent and utilities included – about $27,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

159

Cost of Living Index in Anchorage, AK
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Anchorage, AK Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Anchorage, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$3,251

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Anchorage, AK 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 Anchorage, AK and in Lima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,251 in Anchorage, AK versus $996 in Lima.

Anchorage, AK $3,251
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,799 in Anchorage, AK versus $1,594 in Lima.

Anchorage, AK $4,799
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,346 in Anchorage, AK versus $2,191 in Lima.

Anchorage, AK $6,346
Lima $2,191

Living in Anchorage, AK is roughly 226% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Anchorage, AK is 143% above, Lima is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.37 $25.37

$4.42 PEN 15.21

473.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$35.04 PEN 121

189.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.88 $14.88

$6.84 PEN 23.52

117.54%

Cappuccino

$6.80 $6.80

$3.27 PEN 11.26

107.95%

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

$3.28 $3.28

$1.10 PEN 3.80

198.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$0.65 PEN 2.23

293.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 $7.83

$2.58 PEN 8.88

203.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.73 $9.73

$4.47 PEN 15.39

117.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.59 PEN 5.48

-25.16%

White Bread (500g)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.58 PEN 8.89

86.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.33 $6.33

$1.36 PEN 4.67

365.44%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$2.95 PEN 10.14

46.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.83 $13.83

$9.10 PEN 31.30

51.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.52 $12.52

$5.81 PEN 19.98

115.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.84 $21.84

$9.83 PEN 33.80

122.18%

Apples (1kg)

$7.99 $7.99

$2.01 PEN 6.92

297.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.08 PEN 3.70

109.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$1.37 PEN 4.71

307.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.23 $6.23

$1.48 PEN 5.08

320.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$0.96 PEN 3.32

206.25%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$0.85 PEN 2.93

258.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.76 $2.76

$0.88 PEN 3.03

213.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.87 PEN 2.98

171.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.79 $12.79

$5.90 PEN 20.31

116.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.74 $17.74

$8.81 PEN 30.31

101.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.92 PEN 6.59

-11.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.20 PEN 11.02

5.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.68 PEN 2.33

188.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.9 $60.9

$26.74 PEN 92.0

127.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.81 PEN 13.10

-26.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$2.04 PEN 7.02

-7.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.99 $41.99

$7.14 PEN 24.57

488.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-21.21%

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

$33.5K $33.5K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

51.14%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

0.12%

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

$409 $409

$73.0 PEN 251

460.43%

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

$90.2 $90.2

$16.26 PEN 55.9

454.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$137 $137

$27.60 PEN 94.9

396.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.3 $89.3

$33.07 PEN 114

169.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.86 $39.86

$19.49 PEN 67.1

104.52%

Cinema Ticket

$15.28 $15.28

$7.39 PEN 25.41

106.77%

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

$1,227 $1,227

$182 PEN 626

574.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K $10.6K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

-20.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.59 $49.59

$52.6 PEN 181

-5.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.89 $45.89

$34.23 PEN 118

34.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$83.8 PEN 288

33.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$79.0 PEN 272

54.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,788 $1,788

$723 PEN 2,488

147.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 $1,410

$340 PEN 1,170

314.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,845 $2,845

$1,184 PEN 4,074

140.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,437 $2,437

$635 PEN 2,183

283.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,006 $4,006

$2,449 PEN 8,423

63.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,789 $2,789

$1,372 PEN 4,718

103.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,681 $4,681

$653 PEN 2,245

617.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

8.94

-27.40%

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

Last update for Anchorage, AK: October 3, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Anchorage, AK

$1.4K 42.9%

Lima

$340 33.6% 75.9% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Anchorage, AK

$637 19.3%

Lima

$117 11.6% 81.6% $520

Groceries & Markets

Anchorage, AK

$484 14.7%

Lima

$226 22.4% 53.2% $258

Eating Out

Anchorage, AK

$411 12.5%

Lima

$124 12.3% 69.8% $287

Clothing & Footwear

Anchorage, AK

$148 4.5%

Lima

$112 11.1% 24.2% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Anchorage, AK

$120 3.6%

Lima

$48 4.7% 60.1% $72

Getting Around

Anchorage, AK

$81 2.5%

Lima

$43 4.3% 46.3% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,788 in Anchorage, AK and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Anchorage, AK pays 617% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $102 in Anchorage, AK vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $484 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Anchorage, AK

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

17:53 5:53 PM

20:53 8:53 PM

3 h ahead of Anchorage, AK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

289,600

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

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Anchorage, AK Lima 10,280 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Anchorage, AK
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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

Anchorage, AK vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 226% lower than in Anchorage, AK. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lima the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 617% higher in Anchorage, AK, 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: $1,788 in Anchorage, AK versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lima – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $102 in Anchorage, AK. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,251 per month in Anchorage, AK versus $996 in Lima – a 226% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $996 in Lima versus $3,251 in Anchorage, AK, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Anchorage, AK. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lima delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $996 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lima hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 226% less than in Anchorage, AK. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.