Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, TX and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $2,463 in Arlington, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, TX
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Arlington, TX Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Arlington, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,463

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,463 in Arlington, TX versus $1,042 in Lima.

Arlington, TX $2,463
Lima $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,672 in Arlington, TX versus $1,651 in Lima.

Arlington, TX $3,672
Lima $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,880 in Arlington, TX versus $2,259 in Lima.

Arlington, TX $4,880
Lima $2,259

Living in Arlington, TX is roughly 136% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Arlington, TX is 82% above, Lima is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 $17.94

$4.64 PEN 15.95

286.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 $71.1

$34.34 PEN 118

106.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 $10.02

$7.01 PEN 24.12

42.94%

Cappuccino

$4.78 $4.78

$3.22 PEN 11.09

48.45%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$1.13 PEN 3.90

124.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$0.61 PEN 2.09

270.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 $5.54

$2.93 PEN 10.08

89.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.56 $6.56

$4.25 PEN 14.63

54.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-48.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.61 PEN 8.98

39.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$1.30 PEN 4.47

304.62%

Eggs

$2.57 $2.57

$2.92 PEN 10.05

-11.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.58 $10.58

$9.54 PEN 32.82

10.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.89 $12.89

$5.71 PEN 19.66

125.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.04 $18.04

$9.47 PEN 32.58

90.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.01 PEN 6.91

124.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.02 PEN 3.52

158.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.16 $5.16

$1.45 PEN 4.99

255.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$1.49 PEN 5.14

168.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$0.91 PEN 3.14

173.63%

Onion (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$0.89 PEN 3.07

248.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.86 PEN 2.97

125.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.89 PEN 3.06

128.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.95 $9.95

$5.47 PEN 18.83

81.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.14 $12.14

$10.17 PEN 35.00

19.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.81 PEN 6.21

17.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.15 PEN 10.84

3.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.66 PEN 2.28

357.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 $109

$31.89 PEN 110

241.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 $2.30

$3.43 PEN 11.79

-32.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-41.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.77 $23.77

$9.60 PEN 33.04

147.60%

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)

$27.3K $27.3K

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

24.87%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

-11.31%

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

$205 $205

$65.8 PEN 227

211.10%

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

$68.2 $68.2

$15.26 PEN 52.5

346.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.8 $63.8

$26.87 PEN 92.5

137.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.51 $35.51

$32.91 PEN 113

7.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.2

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 $15.29

$7.12 PEN 24.49

114.75%

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

$1,129 $1,129

$309 PEN 1,064

265.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K $20.4K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

-4.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 $59.8

$52.0 PEN 179

15.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.78 $49.78

$35.69 PEN 123

39.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.9 $85.9

$81.8 PEN 281

5.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$78.0 PEN 268

29.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 $1,327

$727 PEN 2,501

82.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 $1,114

$373 PEN 1,284

198.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,174 $2,174

$1,249 PEN 4,297

74.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,939 $1,939

$739 PEN 2,544

162.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,285 $2,285

$2,380 PEN 8,191

-3.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,916 $1,916

$1,365 PEN 4,697

40.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,872 $3,872

$650 PEN 2,238

495.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.38

-22.32%

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

Last update for Arlington, TX: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arlington, TX

$1.1K 45.2%

Lima

$373 35.8% 66.5% $741

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, TX

$392 15.9%

Lima

$228 21.9% 41.9% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, TX

$337 13.7%

Lima

$108 10.4% 67.9% $229

Eating Out

Arlington, TX

$291 11.8%

Lima

$127 12.2% 56.4% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, TX

$133 5.4%

Lima

$111 10.7% 16.5% $22

Getting Around

Arlington, TX

$129 5.2%

Lima

$48 4.6% 62.9% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, TX

$66 2.7%

Lima

$47 4.5% 28.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,327 in Arlington, TX and $727 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arlington, TX pays about 6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Arlington, TX vs $34 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $228 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, TX

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

22:44 10:44 PM

23:44 11:44 PM

1 h ahead of Arlington, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,438

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 = 0.891 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 6, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Arlington, TX Lima 5,420 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Arlington, TX
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

Arlington, TX vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Arlington, TX. 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 Arlington, TX is about 6 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: $1,327 in Arlington, TX versus $727 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,463 per month in Arlington, TX versus $1,042 in Lima – Lima is about 58% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Lima runs roughly 71% less than in Arlington, TX. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,042 in Lima versus $2,463 in Arlington, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Arlington, TX. 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 58% less than in Arlington, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.