Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Girardeau, MO and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $2,114 in Cape Girardeau, MO, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Cape Girardeau, MO
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Cape Girardeau, MO Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Cape Girardeau, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,114

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,114 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $1,042 in Lima.

Cape Girardeau, MO $2,114
Lima $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,249 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $1,651 in Lima.

Cape Girardeau, MO $3,249
Lima $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,384 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $2,259 in Lima.

Cape Girardeau, MO $4,384
Lima $2,259

Living in Cape Girardeau, MO is roughly 103% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cape Girardeau, MO is 56% above, Lima is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 $17.55

$4.64 PEN 15.95

278.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.8 $57.8

$34.34 PEN 118

68.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 $6.84

$7.01 PEN 24.12

-2.43%

Cappuccino

$5.82 $5.82

$3.22 PEN 11.09

80.75%

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

$2.59 $2.59

$1.13 PEN 3.90

129.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$0.61 PEN 2.09

208.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.93 PEN 10.07

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.63 $7.63

$4.25 PEN 14.63

79.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-37.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.61 PEN 8.98

-16.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.46 $7.46

$1.30 PEN 4.46

473.85%

Eggs

$2.97 $2.97

$2.92 PEN 10.04

1.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.19 $15.19

$9.54 PEN 32.82

59.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.32 $18.32

$5.71 PEN 19.66

220.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.95 $24.95

$9.47 PEN 32.57

163.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.01 PEN 6.91

68.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.02 PEN 3.52

98.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$11.22 $11.22

$1.45 PEN 4.99

673.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.59 $8.59

$1.49 PEN 5.14

476.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$0.91 PEN 3.14

146.15%

Onion (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$0.89 PEN 3.07

598.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.94 $2.94

$0.86 PEN 2.97

241.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$0.89 PEN 3.05

175.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.35 $7.35

$5.47 PEN 18.83

34.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.20 $12.20

$10.17 PEN 34.99

19.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.81 PEN 6.21

-2.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.79 $7.79

$3.15 PEN 10.83

147.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 PEN 2.28

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.89 PEN 110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 PEN 11.79

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 PEN 6.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.60 PEN 33.03

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-52.05%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$21.9K PEN 75.2K

27.55%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$29.0K PEN 99.9K

-14.53%

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

$203 $203

$65.8 PEN 227

208.05%

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

$42.79 $42.79

$15.26 PEN 52.5

180.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.8 $80.8

$26.87 PEN 92.5

200.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.63 $19.63

$32.91 PEN 113

-40.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.2

Cinema Ticket

$14.80 $14.80

$7.12 PEN 24.49

107.87%

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

$814 $814

$309 PEN 1,063

163.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K $15.0K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

-29.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.74 $45.74

$52.0 PEN 179

-12.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.64 $39.64

$35.69 PEN 123

11.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 $84.1

$81.8 PEN 281

2.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.56 $40.56

$78.0 PEN 268

-47.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 $788

$727 PEN 2,501

8.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$854 $854

$373 PEN 1,284

128.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,612 $1,612

$1,249 PEN 4,296

29.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 $1,658

$739 PEN 2,543

124.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,521 $1,521

$2,380 PEN 8,190

-36.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,520 $1,520

$1,365 PEN 4,696

11.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,473 $2,473

$650 PEN 2,237

280.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

8.38

-23.03%

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

Last update for Cape Girardeau, MO: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Girardeau, MO

$854 40.4%

Lima

$373 35.8% 56.3% $481

Groceries & Markets

Cape Girardeau, MO

$511 24.2%

Lima

$228 21.9% 55.4% $283

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Girardeau, MO

$326 15.4%

Lima

$108 10.4% 66.9% $218

Eating Out

Cape Girardeau, MO

$279 13.2%

Lima

$127 12.2% 54.4% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Girardeau, MO

$95 4.5%

Lima

$111 10.7% 17.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Girardeau, MO

$49 2.3%

Lima

$47 4.5% 4.3% $2.1

Getting Around

Cape Girardeau, MO

- * 0%

Lima

$48 4.6%

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 $788 in Cape Girardeau, MO and $727 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Girardeau, MO pays about 3.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $58 in Cape Girardeau, MO vs $34 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $511 vs $228 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cape Girardeau, MO

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

09:16 9:16 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Girardeau, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,941

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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 6, 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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Cape Girardeau, MO Lima 5,640 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Cape Girardeau, MO
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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

Cape Girardeau, MO vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Cape Girardeau, MO is about 3.8 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $727 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 124% higher in Cape Girardeau, MO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,114 per month in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $1,042 in Lima – Lima is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,042 in Lima versus $2,114 in Cape Girardeau, MO, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Cape Girardeau, MO. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Lima wins on affordability, Cape Girardeau, MO on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.