Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brookings, SD and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $2,639 in Brookings, SD, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Brookings, SD
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Brookings, SD Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Brookings, SD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,639

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,639 per month in Brookings, SD vs $1,042 in Lima, rent included.

Brookings, SD $2,639
Lima $1,042

A couple spends around $3,597 per month in Brookings, SD vs $1,651 in Lima, rent included.

Brookings, SD $3,597
Lima $1,651

A family of three spends $4,556 per month in Brookings, SD vs $2,259 in Lima, rent included.

Brookings, SD $4,556
Lima $2,259

Brookings, SD costs about 153% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Brookings, SD sits 95% above the global median, while Lima is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.36 $17.36

$4.64 PEN 15.96

274.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.21 $39.21

$34.34 PEN 118

14.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.52 $11.52

$7.01 PEN 24.13

64.34%

Cappuccino

$4.52 $4.52

$3.22 PEN 11.09

40.37%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$1.13 PEN 3.90

117.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$0.61 PEN 2.09

229.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 $5.85

$2.93 PEN 10.08

99.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$4.25 PEN 14.64

60.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-43.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.61 PEN 8.98

41.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.44 $6.44

$1.30 PEN 4.47

395.38%

Eggs

$3.52 $3.52

$2.92 PEN 10.05

20.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$9.54 PEN 32.83

8.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.66 $13.66

$5.71 PEN 19.66

139.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 $12.99

$9.47 PEN 32.59

37.17%

Apples (1kg)

$5.72 $5.72

$2.01 PEN 6.91

184.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.02 PEN 3.52

77.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.61 $6.61

$1.45 PEN 4.99

355.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$1.49 PEN 5.14

240.27%

Potato (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$0.91 PEN 3.14

390.11%

Onion (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$0.89 PEN 3.07

379.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 $2.28

$0.86 PEN 2.97

165.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.89 PEN 3.06

128.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.84 $12.84

$5.47 PEN 18.84

134.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 $12.05

$10.17 PEN 35.01

18.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.81 PEN 6.22

59.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 $5.81

$3.15 PEN 10.84

84.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 PEN 2.28

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.89 PEN 110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 $4.90

$3.43 PEN 11.80

42.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-15.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.75 $23.75

$9.60 PEN 33.05

147.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-39.18%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

35.20%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

-10.84%

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

$184 $184

$65.8 PEN 227

180.12%

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

$57.3 $57.3

$15.26 PEN 52.5

275.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.4 $69.4

$26.87 PEN 92.5

158.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.91 PEN 113

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.3

Cinema Ticket

$12.03 $12.03

$7.12 PEN 24.50

68.96%

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

$1,316 $1,316

$309 PEN 1,064

325.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K $36.7K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

71.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.51 $42.51

$52.0 PEN 179

-18.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.79 $34.79

$35.69 PEN 123

-2.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.7 $88.7

$81.8 PEN 282

8.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$78.0 PEN 268

34.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,715 $1,715

$727 PEN 2,502

136.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 $1,459

$373 PEN 1,284

291.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,051 $2,051

$1,249 PEN 4,298

64.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 $2,107

$739 PEN 2,544

185.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,339 $2,339

$2,380 PEN 8,193

-1.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,374 $2,374

$1,365 PEN 4,698

73.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 PEN 2,238

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

8.38

-34.37%

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

Last update for Brookings, SD: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brookings, SD

$1.5K 55.3%

Lima

$373 35.8% 74.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Brookings, SD

$421 16%

Lima

$228 21.9% 45.8% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brookings, SD

$311 11.8%

Lima

$108 10.4% 65.3% $203

Eating Out

Brookings, SD

$288 10.9%

Lima

$127 12.2% 56% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Brookings, SD

$122 4.6%

Lima

$111 10.7% 8.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Brookings, SD

$24 * 0.9%

Lima

$47 4.5% 95.8% $23

Getting Around

Brookings, SD

$13 * 0.5%

Lima

$48 4.6% 261% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,715 in Brookings, SD versus $727 in Lima. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Brookings, SD versus $34 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $421 vs $228 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brookings, SD

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

17:47 5:47 PM

18:47 6:47 PM

1 h ahead of Brookings, SD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,802

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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Between locations

Brookings, SD Lima 6,580 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Brookings, SD
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

Brookings, SD vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brookings, SD costs about 153% 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 $3,958 per month in Brookings, SD and $1,564 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 $727 there versus $1,715 in Brookings, SD.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Brookings, SD and $34 in Lima. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 84% more in Brookings, SD, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $1,042, than in Brookings, SD at $2,639. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brookings, SD 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.