Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carbondale, IL and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $1,747 in Carbondale, IL, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Carbondale, IL
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Carbondale, IL Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Carbondale, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,747

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,747 in Carbondale, IL versus $1,042 in Lima.

Carbondale, IL $1,747
Lima $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,122 in Carbondale, IL versus $1,651 in Lima.

Carbondale, IL $2,122
Lima $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,497 in Carbondale, IL versus $2,259 in Lima.

Carbondale, IL $2,497
Lima $2,259

Living in Carbondale, IL is roughly 68% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Carbondale, IL is 29% above, Lima is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.95 $17.95

$4.64 PEN 15.95

286.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 $37.83

$34.34 PEN 118

10.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.91 $8.91

$7.01 PEN 24.12

27.10%

Cappuccino

$5.11 $5.11

$3.22 PEN 11.09

58.70%

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

$2.29 $2.29

$1.13 PEN 3.90

102.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.61 PEN 2.09

219.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.93 PEN 10.07

56.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.81 $7.81

$4.25 PEN 14.63

83.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-43.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.61 PEN 8.98

15.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$1.30 PEN 4.46

220.00%

Eggs

$3.74 $3.74

$2.92 PEN 10.04

28.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.03 $13.03

$9.54 PEN 32.82

36.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.18 $11.18

$5.71 PEN 19.66

95.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.27 $19.27

$9.47 PEN 32.57

103.48%

Apples (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$2.01 PEN 6.91

176.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.02 PEN 3.52

69.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.76 $5.76

$1.45 PEN 4.99

297.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$1.49 PEN 5.14

224.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$0.91 PEN 3.14

79.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$0.89 PEN 3.07

169.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 $2.62

$0.86 PEN 2.97

204.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.89 PEN 3.05

137.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.08 $9.08

$5.47 PEN 18.83

66.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.89 $12.89

$10.17 PEN 34.99

26.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.81 PEN 6.21

-2.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$3.15 PEN 10.83

-32.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 PEN 2.28

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.89 PEN 110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.43 PEN 11.79

-42.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.94 $19.94

$9.60 PEN 33.03

107.71%

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)

$28.2K $28.2K

$21.9K PEN 75.2K

28.86%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$29.0K PEN 99.9K

-5.02%

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

$190 $190

$65.8 PEN 227

188.38%

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

$86.4 $86.4

$15.26 PEN 52.5

466.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.1 $75.1

$26.87 PEN 92.5

179.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.91 PEN 113

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.2

Cinema Ticket

$12.05 $12.05

$7.12 PEN 24.49

69.24%

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

$1,679 $1,679

$309 PEN 1,063

443.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.7K $26.7K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

25.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.51 $47.51

$52.0 PEN 179

-8.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.54 $31.54

$35.69 PEN 123

-11.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 $81.1

$81.8 PEN 281

-0.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 $154

$78.0 PEN 268

97.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$652 $652

$727 PEN 2,501

-10.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$543 $543

$373 PEN 1,284

45.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 PEN 4,296

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 PEN 2,543

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$976 $976

$2,380 PEN 8,190

-58.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,005 $1,005

$1,365 PEN 4,696

-26.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,839 $3,839

$650 PEN 2,237

490.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

8.38

-21.24%

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

Last update for Carbondale, IL: 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

Carbondale, IL

$543 31%

Lima

$373 35.8% 31.2% $170

Groceries & Markets

Carbondale, IL

$393 22.5%

Lima

$228 21.9% 42% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carbondale, IL

$351 20.1%

Lima

$108 10.4% 69.3% $243

Eating Out

Carbondale, IL

$287 16.4%

Lima

$127 12.2% 55.8% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Carbondale, IL

$142 8.1%

Lima

$111 10.7% 21.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Carbondale, IL

$24 * 1.4%

Lima

$47 4.5% 95.6% $23

Getting Around

Carbondale, IL

$7.5 * 0.4%

Lima

$48 4.6% 540% $40

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 $652 in Carbondale, IL and $727 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carbondale, IL pays about 5.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Carbondale, IL vs $34 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $228 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Carbondale, IL

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

09:16 9:16 AM

1 h ahead of Carbondale, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,881

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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Between locations

Carbondale, IL Lima 5,680 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Carbondale, IL
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

Carbondale, IL vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Carbondale, IL. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lima the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Carbondale, IL is about 5.9 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: $652 in Carbondale, IL versus $727 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Carbondale, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,747 per month in Carbondale, IL versus $1,042 in Lima – Lima is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Lima gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Carbondale, IL on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.