Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $3,072 in Chicago, IL, rent and utilities included – about $24,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

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

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,072

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,072 per month in Chicago, IL vs $1,042 in Lima, rent included.

Chicago, IL $3,072
Lima $1,042

A couple spends around $4,545 per month in Chicago, IL vs $1,651 in Lima, rent included.

Chicago, IL $4,545
Lima $1,651

A family of three spends $6,019 per month in Chicago, IL vs $2,259 in Lima, rent included.

Chicago, IL $6,019
Lima $2,259

Chicago, IL costs about 195% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chicago, IL sits 127% above the global median, while Lima is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.39 $20.39

$4.64 PEN 15.96

339.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.6 $88.6

$34.34 PEN 118

157.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.85 $12.85

$7.01 PEN 24.13

83.31%

Cappuccino

$5.78 $5.78

$3.22 PEN 11.09

79.50%

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

$2.74 $2.74

$1.13 PEN 3.90

142.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$0.61 PEN 2.09

270.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 $6.88

$2.93 PEN 10.08

134.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.24 $9.24

$4.25 PEN 14.64

117.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-20.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.61 PEN 8.98

36.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.38 $5.38

$1.30 PEN 4.47

313.85%

Eggs

$4.55 $4.55

$2.92 PEN 10.05

55.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 $13.65

$9.54 PEN 32.83

43.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.07 $14.07

$5.71 PEN 19.66

146.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.06 $18.06

$9.47 PEN 32.59

90.71%

Apples (1kg)

$5.16 $5.16

$2.01 PEN 6.91

156.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.02 PEN 3.52

94.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$1.45 PEN 4.99

167.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$1.49 PEN 5.14

224.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$0.91 PEN 3.14

208.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$0.89 PEN 3.07

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 $2.07

$0.86 PEN 2.97

140.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 $3.03

$0.89 PEN 3.06

240.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.90 $13.90

$5.47 PEN 18.84

154.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$10.17 PEN 35.01

47.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.81 PEN 6.22

45.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$3.15 PEN 10.84

9.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.66 PEN 2.28

268.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.3 $75.3

$31.89 PEN 110

136.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 $3.17

$3.43 PEN 11.80

-7.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-14.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.90 $24.90

$9.60 PEN 33.05

159.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-25.15%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

63.66%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

-7.70%

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

$192 $192

$65.8 PEN 227

191.72%

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

$69.6 $69.6

$15.26 PEN 52.5

356.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.2 $62.2

$26.87 PEN 92.5

131.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.79 $47.79

$32.91 PEN 113

45.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.10 $27.10

$20.12 PEN 69.3

34.69%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 $17.83

$7.12 PEN 24.50

150.42%

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

$1,815 $1,815

$309 PEN 1,064

487.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.6K $40.6K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

90.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.2 $66.2

$52.0 PEN 179

27.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$35.69 PEN 123

43.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$81.8 PEN 282

26.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 $143

$78.0 PEN 268

82.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,531 $2,531

$727 PEN 2,502

248.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 $1,621

$373 PEN 1,284

334.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,828 $4,828

$1,249 PEN 4,298

286.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,734 $2,734

$739 PEN 2,544

269.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,163 $4,163

$2,380 PEN 8,193

74.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,723 $2,723

$1,365 PEN 4,698

99.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,924 $4,924

$650 PEN 2,238

657.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.78

8.38

-19.09%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: November 3, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chicago, IL

$1.6K 52.8%

Lima

$373 35.8% 77% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Chicago, IL

$439 14.3%

Lima

$228 21.9% 48.1% $211

Eating Out

Chicago, IL

$344 11.2%

Lima

$127 12.2% 63.1% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chicago, IL

$324 10.5%

Lima

$108 10.4% 66.7% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Chicago, IL

$164 5.3%

Lima

$111 10.7% 31.9% $52

Getting Around

Chicago, IL

$97 3.2%

Lima

$48 4.6% 50.5% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chicago, IL

$83 2.7%

Lima

$47 4.5% 43.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,531 in Chicago, IL 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.

Salaries in Chicago, IL are about 7.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Chicago, IL versus $34 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $439 vs $228 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

18:43 6:43 PM

19:43 7:43 PM

1 h ahead of Chicago, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,746,388

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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 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

Chicago, IL Lima 6,090 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chicago, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $3,072 in Chicago, IL, $1,042 in Lima – Lima comes out roughly 66% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,608 per month in Chicago, IL 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 $2,531 in Chicago, IL.

Groceries cost about 93% more in Chicago, IL, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Chicago, IL and $34 in Lima. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $1,042, than in Chicago, IL at $3,072. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chicago, IL 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 $1,042 in Lima to $3,072 in Chicago, IL. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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