Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bakersfield, CA and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $3,146 in Bakersfield, CA, rent and utilities included – about $25,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

152

Cost of Living Index in Bakersfield, CA
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Bakersfield, CA Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Bakersfield, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,146

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,146 in Bakersfield, CA versus $996 in Lima.

Bakersfield, CA $3,146
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,361 in Bakersfield, CA versus $1,594 in Lima.

Bakersfield, CA $4,361
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,575 in Bakersfield, CA versus $2,191 in Lima.

Bakersfield, CA $5,575
Lima $2,191

Living in Bakersfield, CA is roughly 216% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bakersfield, CA is 135% above, Lima is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.87 $18.87

$4.42 PEN 15.16

326.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.2 $64.2

$35.04 PEN 120

83.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 $13.91

$6.84 PEN 23.44

103.36%

Cappuccino

$6.05 $6.05

$3.27 PEN 11.22

85.02%

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

$2.67 $2.67

$1.10 PEN 3.78

142.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.65 PEN 2.22

213.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 $6.14

$2.58 PEN 8.85

137.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$4.47 PEN 15.34

31.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.59 PEN 5.46

-32.08%

White Bread (500g)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.58 PEN 8.86

61.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$1.36 PEN 4.65

289.71%

Eggs

$3.42 $3.42

$2.95 PEN 10.11

15.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.83 $12.83

$9.10 PEN 31.19

40.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.26 $13.26

$5.81 PEN 19.91

128.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.95 $15.95

$9.83 PEN 33.68

62.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$2.01 PEN 6.89

105.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.08 PEN 3.69

91.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$1.37 PEN 4.70

189.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$1.48 PEN 5.06

158.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.96 PEN 3.30

128.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 $2.41

$0.85 PEN 2.92

183.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.88 PEN 3.02

142.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.87 PEN 2.97

171.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.95 $9.95

$5.90 PEN 20.24

68.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.72 $17.72

$8.81 PEN 30.21

101.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.92 PEN 6.57

-1.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 $4.76

$3.20 PEN 10.98

48.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 $1.75

$0.68 PEN 2.33

157.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.5 $57.5

$26.74 PEN 91.7

114.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 $3.01

$3.81 PEN 13.06

-21.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.04 PEN 7.00

1.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.65 PEN 5.65

-8.48%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

68.51%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

2.54%

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

$400 $400

$73.0 PEN 250

448.15%

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

$60.0 $60.0

$16.26 PEN 55.7

268.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.3 $74.3

$27.60 PEN 94.6

169.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.76 $38.76

$33.07 PEN 113

17.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.77 $24.77

$19.49 PEN 66.8

27.09%

Cinema Ticket

$15.05 $15.05

$7.39 PEN 25.33

103.65%

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

$1,482 $1,482

$182 PEN 624

714.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.5 $61.5

$52.6 PEN 180

16.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.13 $48.13

$34.23 PEN 117

40.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 $99.7

$83.8 PEN 287

18.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$79.0 PEN 271

55.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 $1,694

$723 PEN 2,479

134.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 $1,567

$340 PEN 1,166

360.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,401 $2,401

$1,184 PEN 4,060

102.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,511 $2,511

$635 PEN 2,176

295.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,496 $2,496

$2,449 PEN 8,394

1.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,464 $2,464

$1,372 PEN 4,702

79.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,646 $3,646

$653 PEN 2,237

458.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

8.94

-28.08%

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

Last update for Bakersfield, CA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bakersfield, CA

$1.6K 50%

Lima

$340 33.6% 78.3% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bakersfield, CA

$535 17.1%

Lima

$117 11.6% 78.1% $418

Groceries & Markets

Bakersfield, CA

$411 13.1%

Lima

$226 22.4% 44.9% $184

Eating Out

Bakersfield, CA

$327 10.4%

Lima

$124 12.3% 62% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Bakersfield, CA

$150 4.8%

Lima

$112 11.1% 24.9% $37

Getting Around

Bakersfield, CA

$78 2.5%

Lima

$43 4.3% 44.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Bakersfield, CA

$69 2.2%

Lima

$48 4.7% 30.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,694 in Bakersfield, CA and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bakersfield, CA pays 459% 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: $64.0 in Bakersfield, CA vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $411 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bakersfield, CA

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

18:37 6:37 PM

20:37 8:37 PM

2 h ahead of Bakersfield, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

373,640

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 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 = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

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Bakersfield, CA Lima 6,880 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bakersfield, CA
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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

Bakersfield, CA vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 216% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 459% higher in Bakersfield, CA, 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: $1,694 in Bakersfield, CA 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 $64.0 in Bakersfield, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,146 per month in Bakersfield, CA versus $996 in Lima – a 216% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $996 in Lima versus $3,146 in Bakersfield, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Bakersfield, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lima is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bakersfield, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 216% less than in Bakersfield, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.