Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denver, CO and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $3,160 in Denver, CO, rent and utilities included – about $26,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Denver, CO
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Denver, CO Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Denver, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$3,160

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,160 in Denver, CO versus $996 in Lima.

Denver, CO $3,160
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,580 in Denver, CO versus $1,594 in Lima.

Denver, CO $4,580
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,000 in Denver, CO versus $2,191 in Lima.

Denver, CO $6,000
Lima $2,191

Living in Denver, CO is roughly 217% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Denver, CO is 136% above, Lima is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.90 $19.90

$4.42 PEN 15.21

350.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.7 $87.7

$35.04 PEN 121

150.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 $11.72

$6.84 PEN 23.52

71.35%

Cappuccino

$5.84 $5.84

$3.27 PEN 11.26

78.59%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$1.10 PEN 3.80

172.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$0.65 PEN 2.23

252.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.01 $7.01

$2.58 PEN 8.88

171.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 $7.94

$4.47 PEN 15.39

77.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.59 PEN 5.48

-27.04%

White Bread (500g)

$5.26 $5.26

$2.58 PEN 8.89

103.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.19 $7.19

$1.36 PEN 4.67

428.68%

Eggs

$5.24 $5.24

$2.95 PEN 10.14

77.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.13 $16.13

$9.10 PEN 31.30

77.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.04 $17.04

$5.81 PEN 19.98

193.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 $17.89

$9.83 PEN 33.80

81.99%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$2.01 PEN 6.92

160.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.08 PEN 3.70

91.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$1.37 PEN 4.71

256.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.34 $5.34

$1.48 PEN 5.08

260.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.96 PEN 3.32

173.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$0.85 PEN 2.93

227.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.88 PEN 3.03

157.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$0.87 PEN 2.98

186.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.41 $10.41

$5.90 PEN 20.31

76.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.12 $19.12

$8.81 PEN 30.31

117.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.92 PEN 6.59

44.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 $3.60

$3.20 PEN 11.02

12.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 $2.71

$0.68 PEN 2.33

298.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 $88.6

$26.74 PEN 92.0

231.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.81 PEN 13.10

-7.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.04 PEN 7.02

-16.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.38 $30.38

$7.14 PEN 24.57

325.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-34.55%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

56.70%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

-0.86%

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

$167 $167

$73.0 PEN 251

128.55%

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

$75.9 $75.9

$16.26 PEN 55.9

366.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$27.60 PEN 94.9

150.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 $61.5

$33.07 PEN 114

86.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.75 $24.75

$19.49 PEN 67.1

26.99%

Cinema Ticket

$14.82 $14.82

$7.39 PEN 25.41

100.54%

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

$2,416 $2,416

$182 PEN 626

1227.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.5K $34.5K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

158.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 $71.6

$52.6 PEN 181

36.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.65 $45.65

$34.23 PEN 118

33.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$83.8 PEN 288

22.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 $129

$79.0 PEN 272

63.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,012 $2,012

$723 PEN 2,488

178.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 $1,713

$340 PEN 1,170

403.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,277 $3,277

$1,184 PEN 4,074

176.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,619 $2,619

$635 PEN 2,183

312.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,649 $5,649

$2,449 PEN 8,423

130.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,760 $3,760

$1,372 PEN 4,718

174.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,413 $4,413

$653 PEN 2,245

576.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.9

8.94

-22.82%

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

Last update for Denver, CO: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Denver, CO

$1.7K 53.2%

Lima

$340 33.6% 80.1% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Denver, CO

$498 15.5%

Lima

$226 22.4% 54.5% $271

Eating Out

Denver, CO

$337 10.5%

Lima

$124 12.3% 63.1% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Denver, CO

$312 9.7%

Lima

$117 11.6% 62.5% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Denver, CO

$157 4.9%

Lima

$112 11.1% 28.5% $45

Getting Around

Denver, CO

$111 3.5%

Lima

$43 4.3% 61% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Denver, CO

$91 2.8%

Lima

$48 4.7% 47.5% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,012 in Denver, CO and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Denver, CO pays 576% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $88.0 in Denver, CO vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $498 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Denver, CO

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

19:45 7:45 PM

20:45 8:45 PM

1 h ahead of Denver, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

715,522

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 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 →

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Between locations

Denver, CO Lima 6,440 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Denver, CO
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

Denver, CO vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 217% lower than in Denver, CO. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lima the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 576% higher in Denver, CO, 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: $2,012 in Denver, CO versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 120% higher in Denver, CO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lima – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $88.0 in Denver, CO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $996 in Lima versus $3,160 in Denver, CO, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Denver, CO. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lima delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $996 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lima hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Denver, CO and Lima are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 217% less than in Denver, CO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.