Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubuque, IA and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $1,801 in Dubuque, IA, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Dubuque, IA
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Dubuque, IA Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Dubuque, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,801

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,801 per month in Dubuque, IA vs $1,042 in Lima, rent included.

Dubuque, IA $1,801
Lima $1,042

A couple spends around $2,569 per month in Dubuque, IA vs $1,651 in Lima, rent included.

Dubuque, IA $2,569
Lima $1,651

A family of three spends $3,337 per month in Dubuque, IA vs $2,259 in Lima, rent included.

Dubuque, IA $3,337
Lima $2,259

Dubuque, IA costs about 73% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dubuque, IA sits 33% above the global median, while Lima is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.91 $13.91

$4.64 PEN 15.95

199.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.13 $49.13

$34.34 PEN 118

43.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.11 $12.11

$7.01 PEN 24.12

72.75%

Cappuccino

$4.94 $4.94

$3.22 PEN 11.09

53.42%

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

$1.96 $1.96

$1.13 PEN 3.90

73.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 $1.00

$0.61 PEN 2.09

63.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.93 PEN 10.08

-5.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 $4.43

$4.25 PEN 14.63

4.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-51.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.61 PEN 8.98

2.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.30 PEN 4.47

118.46%

Eggs

$2.73 $2.73

$2.92 PEN 10.05

-6.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.57 $14.57

$9.54 PEN 32.82

52.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.15 $10.15

$5.71 PEN 19.66

77.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.49 $10.49

$9.47 PEN 32.58

10.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.01 PEN 6.91

61.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.02 PEN 3.52

19.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.45 PEN 4.99

124.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.49 PEN 5.14

62.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 $1.35

$0.91 PEN 3.14

48.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$0.89 PEN 3.07

89.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.86 PEN 2.97

190.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$0.89 PEN 3.06

92.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.59 $8.59

$5.47 PEN 18.83

57.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.28 $13.28

$10.17 PEN 35.00

30.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.81 PEN 6.21

-1.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$3.15 PEN 10.84

-12.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 PEN 2.28

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.89 PEN 110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 PEN 11.79

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 PEN 6.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.60 PEN 33.04

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-50.29%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

14.10%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

-10.46%

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

$175 $175

$65.8 PEN 227

165.81%

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

$50.8 $50.8

$15.26 PEN 52.5

232.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 $50.7

$26.87 PEN 92.5

88.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 $37.91

$32.91 PEN 113

15.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.2

Cinema Ticket

$7.96 $7.96

$7.12 PEN 24.49

11.80%

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

$1,471 $1,471

$309 PEN 1,064

376.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 $55.8

$52.0 PEN 179

7.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.40 $34.40

$35.69 PEN 123

-3.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.3 $86.3

$81.8 PEN 281

5.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 $89.5

$78.0 PEN 268

14.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$998 $998

$727 PEN 2,501

37.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$800 $800

$373 PEN 1,284

114.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,472 $1,472

$1,249 PEN 4,297

17.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 $1,204

$739 PEN 2,544

62.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,709 $1,709

$2,380 PEN 8,191

-28.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,768 $1,768

$1,365 PEN 4,697

29.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,697 $3,697

$650 PEN 2,238

468.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

8.38

-37.35%

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

Last update for Dubuque, IA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubuque, IA

$800 44.4%

Lima

$373 35.8% 53.3% $427

Groceries & Markets

Dubuque, IA

$310 17.2%

Lima

$228 21.9% 26.5% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubuque, IA

$276 15.4%

Lima

$108 10.4% 60.9% $168

Eating Out

Dubuque, IA

$242 13.4%

Lima

$127 12.2% 47.5% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Dubuque, IA

$120 6.6%

Lima

$111 10.7% 7% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Dubuque, IA

$54 3%

Lima

$47 4.5% 12.4% $6.7

Getting Around

Dubuque, IA

- * 0%

Lima

$48 4.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $998 in Dubuque, IA 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 Dubuque, IA are about 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Dubuque, IA versus $34 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $228 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Dubuque, IA

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

23:59 11:59 PM

1 h ahead of Dubuque, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,667

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

Dubuque, IA Lima 6,220 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubuque, IA
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

Dubuque, IA vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubuque, IA costs about 73% more than Lima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,702 per month in Dubuque, IA 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 $998 in Dubuque, IA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,801 in Dubuque, IA and $1,042 in Lima. That makes Lima about 42% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,471 per month in Dubuque, IA and $309 in Lima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,801 in Dubuque, IA and $1,042 in Lima, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Lima – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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