Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butte, MT and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,014 a month against $1,848 in Butte, MT, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Butte, MT
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Butte, MT Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Butte, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$1,848

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,848 per month in Butte, MT vs $1,014 in Lima, rent included.

Butte, MT $1,848
Lima $1,014

A couple spends around $2,812 per month in Butte, MT vs $1,613 in Lima, rent included.

Butte, MT $2,812
Lima $1,613

A family of three spends $3,777 per month in Butte, MT vs $2,211 in Lima, rent included.

Butte, MT $3,777
Lima $2,211

Butte, MT costs about 82% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Butte, MT sits 36% above the global median, while Lima is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.71 $14.71

$4.42 PEN 15.19

232.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.5 $60.5

$34.56 PEN 119

75.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.68 $9.68

$6.80 PEN 23.37

42.35%

Cappuccino

$4.40 $4.40

$3.30 PEN 11.34

33.33%

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

$2.08 $2.08

$1.06 PEN 3.64

96.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.66 PEN 2.26

269.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.54 PEN 8.71

19.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 $5.10

$4.24 PEN 14.55

20.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.58 PEN 5.43

-29.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.61 PEN 8.97

-7.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.34 PEN 4.60

264.93%

Eggs

$3.82 $3.82

$2.93 PEN 10.08

30.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.44 $6.44

$9.45 PEN 32.45

-31.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.34 $7.34

$5.75 PEN 19.75

27.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.88 $18.88

$9.69 PEN 33.29

94.84%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$2.02 PEN 6.95

150.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.07 PEN 3.66

32.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.37 PEN 4.70

27.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.47 PEN 5.05

50.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.57 $0.57

$0.95 PEN 3.25

-40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.91 PEN 3.14

142.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.90 PEN 3.10

97.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.89 PEN 3.04

64.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 $7.85

$5.74 PEN 19.71

36.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.37 $9.37

$9.21 PEN 31.64

1.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.84 PEN 6.31

4.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$3.11 PEN 10.67

-26.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 PEN 2.46

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.03 PEN 89.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 $5.03

$3.54 PEN 12.17

42.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 $0.64

$2.07 PEN 7.12

-69.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.81 $9.81

$7.75 PEN 26.62

26.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.71 PEN 5.86

-39.18%

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

$32.1K $32.1K

$21.6K PEN 74.1K

48.85%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

-14.33%

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

$137 $137

$68.2 PEN 234

100.81%

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

$24.92 $24.92

$15.73 PEN 54.0

58.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$26.48 PEN 90.9

158.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.94 PEN 117

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.10 PEN 69.0

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 $10.48

$7.22 PEN 24.80

45.15%

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

$1,974 $1,974

$201 PEN 689

883.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K $14.2K

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

9.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.8 $64.8

$53.7 PEN 184

20.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.42 $43.42

$35.88 PEN 123

21.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$83.8 PEN 288

24.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 $148

$78.8 PEN 271

88.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 $1,009

$729 PEN 2,505

38.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$884 $884

$349 PEN 1,197

153.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 $1,835

$1,186 PEN 4,073

54.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,619 $1,619

$696 PEN 2,391

132.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,237 $2,237

$2,360 PEN 8,105

-5.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,272 $2,272

$1,356 PEN 4,657

67.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,849 $3,849

$663 PEN 2,278

480.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.25

8.78

-28.82%

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

Last update for Butte, MT: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Butte, MT

$884 47.9%

Lima

$349 34.4% 60.6% $536

Groceries & Markets

Butte, MT

$298 16.2%

Lima

$227 22.4% 23.9% $71

Eating Out

Butte, MT

$243 13.2%

Lima

$123 12.2% 49.2% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butte, MT

$230 12.5%

Lima

$110 10.9% 52.1% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Butte, MT

$162 8.8%

Lima

$113 11.2% 30.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Butte, MT

$21 * 1.1%

Lima

$48 4.8% 131% $27

Getting Around

Butte, MT

$8.2 * 0.5%

Lima

$43 4.2% 420% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,009 in Butte, MT 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 480% higher in Butte, MT, 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 $60.0 in Butte, MT versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $227 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Butte, MT

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

02:59 2:59 AM

03:59 3:59 AM

1 h ahead of Butte, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,000

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 22, 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

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Between locations

Butte, MT Lima 7,370 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Butte, MT
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

Butte, MT vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butte, MT costs about 82% more than Lima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,772 per month in Butte, MT 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Butte, MT and $35.00 in Lima. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Butte, MT, 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 $1,014, than in Butte, MT at $1,848. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Butte, MT it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lima costs $1,014 versus $1,848 in Butte, MT. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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