Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bellingham, WA and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,045 a month against $3,010 in Bellingham, WA, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

145

Cost of Living Index in Bellingham, WA
Learn more

Bellingham, WA Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Bellingham, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,010

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,045

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,010 per month in Bellingham, WA vs $1,045 in Lima, rent included.

Bellingham, WA $3,010
Lima $1,045

A couple spends around $4,448 per month in Bellingham, WA vs $1,668 in Lima, rent included.

Bellingham, WA $4,448
Lima $1,668

A family of three spends $5,886 per month in Bellingham, WA vs $2,292 in Lima, rent included.

Bellingham, WA $5,886
Lima $2,292

Bellingham, WA costs about 188% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bellingham, WA sits 121% above the global median, while Lima is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.70 $24.70

$4.25 PEN 14.65

481.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$35.07 PEN 121

188.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 $13.26

$7.04 PEN 24.26

88.35%

Cappuccino

$5.94 $5.94

$3.30 PEN 11.39

80.00%

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

$3.16 $3.16

$1.11 PEN 3.83

184.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.62 PEN 2.13

253.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 $6.87

$2.64 PEN 9.11

160.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 $6.90

$4.41 PEN 15.22

56.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.62 PEN 5.59

-30.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.82 $3.82

$2.59 PEN 8.93

47.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$1.32 PEN 4.55

271.97%

Eggs

$4.96 $4.96

$2.95 PEN 10.16

68.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.80 $18.80

$9.59 PEN 33.07

96.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.61 $18.61

$5.70 PEN 19.66

226.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.00 $23.00

$9.95 PEN 34.31

131.16%

Apples (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$1.94 PEN 6.70

164.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.03 PEN 3.55

83.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$1.44 PEN 4.95

269.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.32 $6.32

$1.53 PEN 5.27

313.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$0.90 PEN 3.10

301.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$0.89 PEN 3.08

255.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 $2.55

$0.87 PEN 3.01

193.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.88 PEN 3.03

180.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.44 $12.44

$5.64 PEN 19.46

120.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.95 $14.95

$9.56 PEN 32.97

56.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.92 PEN 6.63

-8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 $5.74

$3.16 PEN 10.88

81.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.72 PEN 2.48

176.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.51 $30.51

$32.28 PEN 111

-5.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$3.56 PEN 12.28

-24.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.99 PEN 6.86

-14.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.27 $30.27

$7.83 PEN 26.99

286.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.65 PEN 5.68

-12.73%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$21.7K PEN 74.9K

26.64%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$28.3K PEN 97.4K

-8.97%

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

$217 $217

$67.7 PEN 233

220.74%

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

$57.4 $57.4

$15.71 PEN 54.2

265.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.3 $81.3

$26.76 PEN 92.3

203.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.0 $62.0

$32.50 PEN 112

90.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$19.68 PEN 67.8

-24.70%

Cinema Ticket

$18.31 $18.31

$7.39 PEN 25.47

147.77%

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

$1,125 $1,125

$309 PEN 1,065

264.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.7K $31.7K

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

143.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 $80.5

$53.9 PEN 186

49.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.32 $28.32

$35.93 PEN 124

-21.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$81.5 PEN 281

33.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 $149

$79.5 PEN 274

87.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 $1,707

$734 PEN 2,530

132.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 $1,458

$373 PEN 1,287

290.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,598 $2,598

$1,287 PEN 4,436

101.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,347 $2,347

$764 PEN 2,632

207.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,441 $4,441

$2,434 PEN 8,391

82.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,925 $3,925

$1,359 PEN 4,683

188.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,391 $4,391

$666 PEN 2,295

559.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

8.78

-23.92%

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

Last update for Bellingham, WA: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bellingham, WA

$1.5K 48.4%

Lima

$373 35.7% 74.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Bellingham, WA

$505 16.8%

Lima

$229 21.9% 54.6% $275

Eating Out

Bellingham, WA

$378 12.6%

Lima

$124 11.8% 67.3% $254

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bellingham, WA

$356 11.8%

Lima

$110 10.5% 69% $246

Clothing & Footwear

Bellingham, WA

$165 5.5%

Lima

$113 10.8% 31.6% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Bellingham, WA

$99 3.3%

Lima

$47 4.5% 52.1% $51

Getting Around

Bellingham, WA

$50 1.7%

Lima

$49 4.7% 2% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,707 in Bellingham, WA versus $734 in Lima. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bellingham, WA are about 6.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Bellingham, WA versus $35 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $505 vs $229 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bellingham, WA

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

09:41 9:41 AM

11:41 11:41 AM

2 h ahead of Bellingham, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,482

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.261 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.261 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bellingham, WA Lima 8,100 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bellingham, WA
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

Bellingham, WA vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bellingham, WA costs about 188% more than Lima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,515 per month in Bellingham, WA and $1,568 in Lima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lima, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $734 there versus $1,707 in Bellingham, WA.

Kindergarten costs $1,125 per month in Bellingham, WA and $309 in Lima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 120% more in Bellingham, WA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $1,045, than in Bellingham, WA at $3,010. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bellingham, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lima – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Lima. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bellingham, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.