Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bethel, AK and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,014 a month against $2,380 in Bethel, AK, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Bethel, AK
Learn more

Bethel, AK Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Bethel, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$2,380

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,380 in Bethel, AK versus $1,014 in Lima.

Bethel, AK $2,380
Lima $1,014

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,720 in Bethel, AK versus $1,613 in Lima.

Bethel, AK $3,720
Lima $1,613

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,060 in Bethel, AK versus $2,211 in Lima.

Bethel, AK $5,060
Lima $2,211

Living in Bethel, AK is roughly 135% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bethel, AK is 76% above, Lima is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.36 $19.36

$4.42 PEN 15.19

338.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 $70.7

$34.56 PEN 119

104.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 $11.78

$6.80 PEN 23.37

73.24%

Cappuccino

$4.91 $4.91

$3.30 PEN 11.34

48.79%

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

$2.49 $2.49

$1.06 PEN 3.64

134.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.66 PEN 2.26

227.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 $6.60

$2.54 PEN 8.71

159.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.31 $6.31

$4.24 PEN 14.55

48.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.58 PEN 5.43

-38.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.61 PEN 8.97

50.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$1.34 PEN 4.60

253.73%

Eggs

$4.35 $4.35

$2.93 PEN 10.08

48.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 $11.54

$9.45 PEN 32.45

22.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.23 $13.23

$5.75 PEN 19.75

130.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.29 $18.29

$9.69 PEN 33.29

88.75%

Apples (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$2.02 PEN 6.95

178.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.07 PEN 3.66

32.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$1.37 PEN 4.70

197.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$1.47 PEN 5.05

249.66%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$0.95 PEN 3.25

230.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$0.91 PEN 3.14

190.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 $2.45

$0.90 PEN 3.10

172.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.89 PEN 3.04

119.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.64 $8.64

$5.74 PEN 19.71

50.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 $13.68

$9.21 PEN 31.64

48.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.84 PEN 6.31

11.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.11 PEN 10.67

11.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 $1.83

$0.72 PEN 2.46

154.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.03 PEN 89.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.54 PEN 12.17

-20.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.07 PEN 7.12

-3.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.49 $28.49

$7.75 PEN 26.62

267.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.71 PEN 5.86

-41.52%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$21.6K PEN 74.1K

20.37%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

-4.76%

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

$175 $175

$68.2 PEN 234

156.65%

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

$53.8 $53.8

$15.73 PEN 54.0

241.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$26.48 PEN 90.9

173.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.66 $43.66

$33.94 PEN 117

28.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.10 PEN 69.0

Cinema Ticket

$15.58 $15.58

$7.22 PEN 24.80

115.79%

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

$1,600 $1,600

$201 PEN 689

697.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K $21.0K

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

62.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$53.7 PEN 184

0.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.07 $41.07

$35.88 PEN 123

14.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 $95.3

$83.8 PEN 288

13.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$78.8 PEN 271

56.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 $1,742

$729 PEN 2,505

138.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 $1,117

$349 PEN 1,197

220.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,259 $2,259

$1,186 PEN 4,073

90.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,265 $2,265

$696 PEN 2,391

225.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,049 $3,049

$2,360 PEN 8,105

29.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,332 $2,332

$1,356 PEN 4,657

71.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 PEN 2,278

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.78

-25.17%

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

Last update for Bethel, AK: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bethel, AK

$1.1K 46.9%

Lima

$349 34.4% 68.8% $768

Groceries & Markets

Bethel, AK

$412 17.3%

Lima

$227 22.4% 44.9% $185

Eating Out

Bethel, AK

$313 13.2%

Lima

$123 12.2% 60.6% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bethel, AK

$301 12.7%

Lima

$110 10.9% 63.4% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Bethel, AK

$141 5.9%

Lima

$113 11.2% 19.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Bethel, AK

$75 3.1%

Lima

$48 4.8% 35.3% $26

Getting Around

Bethel, AK

$20 * 0.8%

Lima

$43 4.2% 113% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,742 in Bethel, AK and $729 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $71.0 in Bethel, AK vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $412 vs $227 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bethel, AK

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

07:17 7:17 AM

10:17 10:17 AM

3 h ahead of Bethel, AK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,300

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bethel, AK Lima 10,890 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Bethel, AK
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

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

Bethel, AK and Lima differ by about 135% in total monthly costs ($2,380 vs $1,014 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,570 in Bethel, AK and $1,522 in Lima to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,742 in Bethel, AK versus $729 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 81% higher in Bethel, AK. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,380 per month in Bethel, AK versus $1,014 in Lima – a 135% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,014 in Lima versus $2,380 in Bethel, AK, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Bethel, AK. 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 135% less than in Bethel, AK. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.