Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carlsbad, NM and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,014 a month against $2,205 in Carlsbad, NM, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Carlsbad, NM
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Carlsbad, NM Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Carlsbad, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,205

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,205 per month in Carlsbad, NM vs $1,014 in Lima, rent included.

Carlsbad, NM $2,205
Lima $1,014

A couple spends around $3,139 per month in Carlsbad, NM vs $1,613 in Lima, rent included.

Carlsbad, NM $3,139
Lima $1,613

A family of three spends $4,074 per month in Carlsbad, NM vs $2,211 in Lima, rent included.

Carlsbad, NM $4,074
Lima $2,211

Carlsbad, NM costs about 117% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Carlsbad, NM sits 63% above the global median, while Lima is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 $17.22

$4.42 PEN 15.19

289.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.18 $44.18

$34.56 PEN 119

27.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 $11.85

$6.80 PEN 23.37

74.26%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$3.30 PEN 11.34

69.70%

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

$1.53 $1.53

$1.06 PEN 3.64

44.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 $1.25

$0.66 PEN 2.26

89.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.54 PEN 8.71

92.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 $7.16

$4.24 PEN 14.55

68.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.58 PEN 5.43

-51.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.61 PEN 8.97

37.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.70 $3.70

$1.34 PEN 4.60

176.12%

Eggs

$4.67 $4.67

$2.93 PEN 10.08

59.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.44 $13.44

$9.45 PEN 32.45

42.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.26 $12.26

$5.75 PEN 19.75

113.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.75 $17.75

$9.69 PEN 33.29

83.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.02 PEN 6.95

114.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.07 PEN 3.66

94.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.37 PEN 4.70

145.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$1.47 PEN 5.05

167.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.95 PEN 3.25

134.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.91 PEN 3.14

165.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 $1.73

$0.90 PEN 3.10

92.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$0.89 PEN 3.04

106.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.76 $10.76

$5.74 PEN 19.71

87.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.80 $14.80

$9.21 PEN 31.64

60.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.84 PEN 6.31

32.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 $3.66

$3.11 PEN 10.67

17.68%

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)

$2.41 $2.41

$3.54 PEN 12.17

-31.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.07 PEN 7.12

14.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.75 PEN 26.62

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.71 PEN 5.86

-43.86%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$21.6K PEN 74.1K

29.15%

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

$24.1K $24.1K

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

-15.70%

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

$174 $174

$68.2 PEN 234

155.70%

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

$58.8 $58.8

$15.73 PEN 54.0

273.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.3 $75.3

$26.48 PEN 90.9

184.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.10 $41.10

$33.94 PEN 117

21.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.10 PEN 69.0

Cinema Ticket

$9.95 $9.95

$7.22 PEN 24.80

37.81%

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

$682 $682

$201 PEN 689

239.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 $59.2

$53.7 PEN 184

10.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.94 $31.94

$35.88 PEN 123

-10.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.2 $84.2

$83.8 PEN 288

0.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.6 $99.6

$78.8 PEN 271

26.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 $1,219

$729 PEN 2,505

67.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 $1,018

$349 PEN 1,197

192.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,957 $1,957

$1,186 PEN 4,073

65.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 $1,580

$696 PEN 2,391

126.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,020 $2,020

$2,360 PEN 8,105

-14.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,971 $1,971

$1,356 PEN 4,657

45.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,217 $4,217

$663 PEN 2,278

535.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.61

8.78

-36.10%

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

Last update for Carlsbad, NM: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Carlsbad, NM

$1K 46.2%

Lima

$349 34.4% 65.8% $670

Groceries & Markets

Carlsbad, NM

$389 17.6%

Lima

$227 22.4% 41.5% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carlsbad, NM

$308 14%

Lima

$110 10.9% 64.2% $198

Eating Out

Carlsbad, NM

$290 13.2%

Lima

$123 12.2% 57.5% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Carlsbad, NM

$124 5.6%

Lima

$113 11.2% 8.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Carlsbad, NM

$61 2.8%

Lima

$48 4.8% 20.7% $13

Getting Around

Carlsbad, NM

$14 * 0.7%

Lima

$43 4.2% 200% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,219 in Carlsbad, NM 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 536% higher in Carlsbad, NM, 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 $44.00 in Carlsbad, NM versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $389 vs $227 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Carlsbad, NM

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

04:56 4:56 AM

05:56 5:56 AM

1 h ahead of Carlsbad, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,746

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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Carlsbad, NM Lima 5,730 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Carlsbad, NM
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

Carlsbad, NM vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,205 in Carlsbad, NM, $1,014 in Lima – roughly 117% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,307 per month in Carlsbad, NM 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 $44.00 in Carlsbad, NM 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 71% more in Carlsbad, NM, 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 Carlsbad, NM at $2,205. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Carlsbad, NM it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lima has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,014 in Lima to $2,205 in Carlsbad, NM. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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