Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,045 a month against $2,607 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

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

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,045

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,607 in Austin, TX versus $1,045 in Lima.

Austin, TX $2,607
Lima $1,045

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Austin, TX versus $1,668 in Lima.

Austin, TX $4,031
Lima $1,668

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Austin, TX versus $2,292 in Lima.

Austin, TX $5,454
Lima $2,292

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 149% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 92% above, Lima is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$4.25 PEN 14.73

378.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 $84.7

$35.07 PEN 122

141.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$7.04 PEN 24.40

72.16%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$3.30 PEN 11.45

71.21%

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

$3.68 $3.68

$1.11 PEN 3.85

231.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.62 PEN 2.15

280.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$2.64 PEN 9.16

198.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$4.41 PEN 15.30

100.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.62 PEN 5.63

-29.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$2.59 PEN 8.98

42.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.32 PEN 4.57

150.76%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$2.95 PEN 10.22

40.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$9.59 PEN 33.25

35.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$5.70 PEN 19.77

143.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.34 $16.34

$9.95 PEN 34.50

64.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$1.94 PEN 6.74

141.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.03 PEN 3.57

40.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$1.44 PEN 4.98

254.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.53 PEN 5.29

195.42%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$0.90 PEN 3.12

242.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.89 PEN 3.09

167.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.87 PEN 3.03

106.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.88 PEN 3.05

152.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$5.64 PEN 19.56

76.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$9.56 PEN 33.15

57.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.92 PEN 6.67

51.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.16 PEN 10.94

5.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.72 PEN 2.49

69.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

$32.28 PEN 112

25.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.56 PEN 12.34

-21.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.99 PEN 6.90

-17.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.39 $35.39

$7.83 PEN 27.13

351.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.65 PEN 5.71

-42.42%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

$21.7K PEN 75.3K

57.43%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$28.3K PEN 97.9K

-5.27%

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

$223 $223

$67.7 PEN 235

229.44%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$15.71 PEN 54.5

272.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$26.76 PEN 92.8

165.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 $53.0

$32.50 PEN 113

63.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

$19.68 PEN 68.2

-14.89%

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$7.39 PEN 25.61

90.26%

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

$1,459 $1,459

$309 PEN 1,071

372.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$13.0K PEN 45.1K

64.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$53.9 PEN 187

-2.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$35.93 PEN 125

18.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$81.5 PEN 283

6.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$79.5 PEN 276

30.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 $2,112

$734 PEN 2,544

187.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 $1,230

$373 PEN 1,294

229.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,863 $3,863

$1,287 PEN 4,460

200.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$764 PEN 2,647

215.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,426 $7,426

$2,434 PEN 8,437

205.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,060 $3,060

$1,359 PEN 4,709

125.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

$666 PEN 2,307

678.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

8.78

-22.32%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2%

Lima

$373 35.7% 69.7% $857

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$410 15.7%

Lima

$229 21.9% 44.1% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$353 13.5%

Lima

$110 10.5% 68.8% $242

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.4%

Lima

$124 11.8% 64.5% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.9%

Lima

$113 10.8% 12.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$81 3.1%

Lima

$47 4.5% 41.7% $34

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$56 2.2%

Lima

$49 4.7% 13.8% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,112 in Austin, TX and $734 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 7.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $35 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $229 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

02:06 2:06 AM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 PEN = 0.289 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 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 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3.47 PEN (1 PEN = 0.289 USD). 1 EUR = 3.87 PEN (1 PEN = 0.258 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

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Austin, TX Lima 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, 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

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

Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 60% lower than in Austin, 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 Austin, TX is about 7.8 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: $2,112 in Austin, TX versus $734 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,607 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,045 in Lima – Lima is about 60% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Lima runs roughly 20% less than in Austin, TX. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,045 in Lima versus $2,607 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Austin, 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 60% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.