Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brainerd, MN and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $2,400 in Brainerd, MN, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Brainerd, MN
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Brainerd, MN Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Brainerd, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,400

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,400 in Brainerd, MN versus $1,042 in Lima.

Brainerd, MN $2,400
Lima $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,397 in Brainerd, MN versus $1,651 in Lima.

Brainerd, MN $3,397
Lima $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,395 in Brainerd, MN versus $2,259 in Lima.

Brainerd, MN $4,395
Lima $2,259

Living in Brainerd, MN is roughly 130% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brainerd, MN is 78% above, Lima is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.74 $14.74

$4.64 PEN 15.96

217.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.73 $38.73

$34.34 PEN 118

12.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 $9.88

$7.01 PEN 24.13

40.94%

Cappuccino

$1.84 $1.84

$3.22 PEN 11.09

-42.86%

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

$2.17 $2.17

$1.13 PEN 3.90

92.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$0.61 PEN 2.09

216.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 $6.06

$2.93 PEN 10.08

106.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 $6.02

$4.25 PEN 14.64

41.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-43.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.61 PEN 8.98

27.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.43 $3.43

$1.30 PEN 4.47

163.85%

Eggs

$2.52 $2.52

$2.92 PEN 10.05

-13.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 $9.63

$9.54 PEN 32.83

0.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.70 $9.70

$5.71 PEN 19.66

69.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.24 $13.24

$9.47 PEN 32.59

39.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$2.01 PEN 6.91

141.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.02 PEN 3.52

12.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.16 $6.16

$1.45 PEN 4.99

324.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$1.49 PEN 5.14

231.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.91 PEN 3.14

312.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$0.89 PEN 3.07

297.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.86 PEN 2.97

131.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$0.89 PEN 3.06

95.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.03 $12.03

$5.47 PEN 18.84

119.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 $12.98

$10.17 PEN 35.01

27.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.81 PEN 6.22

-3.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$3.15 PEN 10.84

10.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.66 PEN 2.28

168.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.5 $59.5

$31.89 PEN 110

86.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 $2.57

$3.43 PEN 11.80

-25.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-19.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.59 $31.59

$9.60 PEN 33.05

229.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-46.78%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

25.24%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

-8.94%

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

$224 $224

$65.8 PEN 227

239.98%

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

$45.60 $45.60

$15.26 PEN 52.5

198.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 $60.0

$26.87 PEN 92.5

123.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.63 $44.63

$32.91 PEN 113

35.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.3

Cinema Ticket

$8.87 $8.87

$7.12 PEN 24.50

24.58%

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

$1,223 $1,223

$309 PEN 1,064

295.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.8K $30.8K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

44.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.60 $40.60

$52.0 PEN 179

-21.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.14 $40.14

$35.69 PEN 123

12.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.5 $60.5

$81.8 PEN 282

-26.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 $65.9

$78.0 PEN 268

-15.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,644 $1,644

$727 PEN 2,502

126.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 $1,257

$373 PEN 1,284

236.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,296 $2,296

$1,249 PEN 4,298

83.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,072 $2,072

$739 PEN 2,544

180.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,393 $2,393

$2,380 PEN 8,193

0.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,410 $2,410

$1,365 PEN 4,698

76.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 PEN 2,238

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

8.38

-24.70%

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

Last update for Brainerd, MN: October 31, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brainerd, MN

$1.3K 52.4%

Lima

$373 35.8% 70.3% $884

Groceries & Markets

Brainerd, MN

$353 14.7%

Lima

$228 21.9% 35.3% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brainerd, MN

$329 13.7%

Lima

$108 10.4% 67.2% $221

Eating Out

Brainerd, MN

$228 9.5%

Lima

$127 12.2% 44.4% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Brainerd, MN

$93 3.9%

Lima

$111 10.7% 19.5% $18

Getting Around

Brainerd, MN

$77 3.2%

Lima

$48 4.6% 38% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Brainerd, MN

$62 2.6%

Lima

$47 4.5% 24.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,644 in Brainerd, MN and $727 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39 in Brainerd, MN vs $34 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $228 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brainerd, MN

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

17:08 5:08 PM

18:08 6:08 PM

1 h ahead of Brainerd, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,722

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Brainerd, MN Lima 6,720 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Brainerd, MN
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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

Brainerd, MN vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 57% lower than in Brainerd, MN. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lima the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,600 in Brainerd, MN and $1,564 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: $1,644 in Brainerd, MN versus $727 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 $34 versus $39 in Brainerd, MN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,400 per month in Brainerd, MN versus $1,042 in Lima – Lima is about 57% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,042 in Lima versus $2,400 in Brainerd, MN, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Brainerd, MN. 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 57% less than in Brainerd, MN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.