Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Mesa, CA and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $3,959 in Costa Mesa, CA, rent and utilities included – about $35,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

192

Cost of Living Index in Costa Mesa, CA
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Costa Mesa, CA Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Costa Mesa, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,959

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,959 per month in Costa Mesa, CA vs $1,012 in Lima, rent included.

Costa Mesa, CA $3,959
Lima $1,012

A couple spends around $5,540 per month in Costa Mesa, CA vs $1,589 in Lima, rent included.

Costa Mesa, CA $5,540
Lima $1,589

A family of three spends $7,121 per month in Costa Mesa, CA vs $2,167 in Lima, rent included.

Costa Mesa, CA $7,121
Lima $2,167

Costa Mesa, CA costs about 291% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Costa Mesa, CA sits 193% above the global median, while Lima is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.85 $19.85

$4.40 PEN 15.10

351.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 $78.6

$35.17 PEN 121

123.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.90 $14.90

$6.89 PEN 23.65

116.26%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$3.26 PEN 11.20

71.47%

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

$3.40 $3.40

$1.12 PEN 3.84

203.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.62 PEN 2.11

303.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.32 $7.32

$2.65 PEN 9.09

176.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.73 $9.73

$4.41 PEN 15.15

120.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-31.29%

White Bread (500g)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.56 PEN 8.78

56.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$1.35 PEN 4.65

247.41%

Eggs

$5.09 $5.09

$2.90 PEN 9.96

75.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.82 $12.82

$8.85 PEN 30.38

44.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.19 $20.19

$5.98 PEN 20.52

237.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.58 $21.58

$9.78 PEN 33.59

120.65%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$2.05 PEN 7.02

144.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.06 PEN 3.66

133.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$1.35 PEN 4.64

235.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.80 $5.80

$1.50 PEN 5.15

286.67%

Potato (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$0.88 PEN 3.03

414.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$0.92 PEN 3.15

152.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.89 PEN 3.07

142.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$0.90 PEN 3.10

111.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.60 $11.60

$5.90 PEN 20.27

96.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.06 $15.06

$8.52 PEN 29.26

76.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.88 PEN 6.45

6.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 $4.18

$3.22 PEN 11.05

29.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.68 PEN 2.33

186.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.9 $69.9

$26.86 PEN 92.2

160.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.10 $6.10

$3.81 PEN 13.09

60.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-14.53%

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

$37.2K $37.2K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

66.76%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

0.27%

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

$218 $218

$73.1 PEN 251

197.81%

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

$68.5 $68.5

$16.35 PEN 56.2

319.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.5 $71.5

$27.47 PEN 94.3

160.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.81 $39.81

$31.90 PEN 110

24.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.21 $12.21

$19.41 PEN 66.7

-37.09%

Cinema Ticket

$16.67 $16.67

$7.05 PEN 24.23

136.45%

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

$1,196 $1,196

$182 PEN 627

555.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.1 $57.1

$53.8 PEN 185

6.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.38 $47.38

$34.32 PEN 118

38.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.2 $93.2

$82.8 PEN 284

12.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 $128

$78.2 PEN 269

64.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,726 $2,726

$721 PEN 2,476

278.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,467 $2,467

$343 PEN 1,179

618.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,187 $4,187

$1,219 PEN 4,186

243.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,833 $3,833

$651 PEN 2,235

489.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,284 $9,284

$2,414 PEN 8,292

284.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,077 $7,077

$1,357 PEN 4,660

421.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,286 $6,286

$648 PEN 2,226

870.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

8.94

-28.52%

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

Last update for Costa Mesa, CA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Costa Mesa, CA

$2.5K 62.3%

Lima

$343 33.9% 86.1% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Costa Mesa, CA

$480 12.1%

Lima

$226 22.3% 52.9% $254

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Costa Mesa, CA

$358 9%

Lima

$117 11.6% 67.3% $241

Eating Out

Costa Mesa, CA

$350 8.9%

Lima

$124 12.3% 64.6% $226

Clothing & Footwear

Costa Mesa, CA

$147 3.7%

Lima

$112 11.1% 23.6% $35

Getting Around

Costa Mesa, CA

$84 * 2.1%

Lima

$43 4.3% 48.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Costa Mesa, CA

$73 1.9%

Lima

$46 4.6% 37.1% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,726 in Costa Mesa, CA versus $721 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 870% higher in Costa Mesa, CA, 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 $79.0 in Costa Mesa, CA versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $480 vs $226 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Costa Mesa, CA

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

09:32 9:32 AM

11:32 11:32 AM

2 h ahead of Costa Mesa, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

109,960

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 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 →

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Costa Mesa, CA Lima 6,670 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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Costa Mesa, CA
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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

Costa Mesa, CA vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Costa Mesa, CA costs about 291% more than Lima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,938 per month in Costa Mesa, CA and $1,518 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.

Groceries cost about 112% more in Costa Mesa, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Costa Mesa, CA and $35.00 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 $1,012, than in Costa Mesa, CA at $3,959. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Costa Mesa, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lima costs $1,012 versus $3,959 in Costa Mesa, CA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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