Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boulder, CO and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,014 a month against $3,518 in Boulder, CO, rent and utilities included – about $30,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

169

Cost of Living Index in Boulder, CO
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Boulder, CO Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Boulder, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$3,518

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,518 per month in Boulder, CO vs $1,014 in Lima, rent included.

Boulder, CO $3,518
Lima $1,014

A couple spends around $5,103 per month in Boulder, CO vs $1,613 in Lima, rent included.

Boulder, CO $5,103
Lima $1,613

A family of three spends $6,689 per month in Boulder, CO vs $2,211 in Lima, rent included.

Boulder, CO $6,689
Lima $2,211

Boulder, CO costs about 247% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Boulder, CO sits 160% above the global median, while Lima is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 $19.81

$4.42 PEN 15.19

348.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 $79.3

$34.56 PEN 119

129.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.07 $15.07

$6.80 PEN 23.37

121.62%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$3.30 PEN 11.34

68.48%

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

$3.70 $3.70

$1.06 PEN 3.64

249.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$0.66 PEN 2.26

336.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.09 $7.09

$2.54 PEN 8.71

179.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.84 $8.84

$4.24 PEN 14.55

108.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.58 PEN 5.43

-25.32%

White Bread (500g)

$5.55 $5.55

$2.61 PEN 8.97

112.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.50 $6.50

$1.34 PEN 4.60

385.07%

Eggs

$5.53 $5.53

$2.93 PEN 10.08

88.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.85 $11.85

$9.45 PEN 32.45

25.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.91 $10.91

$5.75 PEN 19.75

89.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.35 $17.35

$9.69 PEN 33.29

79.05%

Apples (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$2.02 PEN 6.95

193.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.07 PEN 3.66

36.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.35 $6.35

$1.37 PEN 4.70

363.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.09 $6.09

$1.47 PEN 5.05

314.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$0.95 PEN 3.25

312.63%

Onion (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$0.91 PEN 3.14

321.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.35 $3.35

$0.90 PEN 3.10

272.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$0.89 PEN 3.04

197.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.24 $10.24

$5.74 PEN 19.71

78.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.23 $17.23

$9.21 PEN 31.64

87.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.84 PEN 6.31

1.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 $4.94

$3.11 PEN 10.67

58.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 $2.82

$0.72 PEN 2.46

291.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 $152

$26.03 PEN 89.4

483.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$3.54 PEN 12.17

-31.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 $1.38

$2.07 PEN 7.12

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.21 $24.21

$7.75 PEN 26.62

212.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.71 PEN 5.86

-36.84%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$21.6K PEN 74.1K

27.25%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

-5.92%

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

$279 $279

$68.2 PEN 234

309.42%

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

$72.1 $72.1

$15.73 PEN 54.0

358.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.2 $74.2

$26.48 PEN 90.9

180.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.1 $83.1

$33.94 PEN 117

144.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.21 $20.21

$20.10 PEN 69.0

0.55%

Cinema Ticket

$16.72 $16.72

$7.22 PEN 24.80

131.58%

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

$1,633 $1,633

$201 PEN 689

713.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.2K $31.2K

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

142.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.2 $69.2

$53.7 PEN 184

28.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.21 $48.21

$35.88 PEN 123

34.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 $92.2

$83.8 PEN 288

10.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$78.8 PEN 271

82.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,374 $2,374

$729 PEN 2,505

225.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,825 $1,825

$349 PEN 1,197

423.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,307 $4,307

$1,186 PEN 4,073

263.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,069 $3,069

$696 PEN 2,391

340.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,420 $4,420

$2,360 PEN 8,105

87.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,495 $4,495

$1,356 PEN 4,657

231.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,629 $5,629

$663 PEN 2,278

748.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

8.78

-25.40%

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

Last update for Boulder, CO: 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

Boulder, CO

$1.8K 51.9%

Lima

$349 34.4% 80.9% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Boulder, CO

$470 13.4%

Lima

$227 22.4% 51.7% $243

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boulder, CO

$425 12.1%

Lima

$110 10.9% 74.1% $315

Eating Out

Boulder, CO

$350 10%

Lima

$123 12.2% 64.7% $226

Getting Around

Boulder, CO

$173 4.9%

Lima

$43 4.2% 75.2% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Boulder, CO

$159 4.5%

Lima

$113 11.2% 28.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Boulder, CO

$117 3.3%

Lima

$48 4.8% 58.5% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,374 in Boulder, CO versus $729 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 run about 749% higher in Boulder, CO, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Boulder, CO versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $470 vs $227 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Boulder, CO

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

11:52 11:52 AM

1 h ahead of Boulder, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,803

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 →

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Boulder, CO Lima 6,490 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Boulder, CO vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Boulder, CO is pricier by about 247%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,277 per month in Boulder, CO and $1,522 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 107% more in Boulder, CO, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Boulder, CO and $35.00 in Lima. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $1,014, than in Boulder, CO at $3,518. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Boulder, CO 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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