Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Dorado, AR and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $1,806 in El Dorado, AR, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in El Dorado, AR
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El Dorado, AR Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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El Dorado, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$1,806

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in El Dorado, AR versus $1,042 in Lima.

El Dorado, AR $1,806
Lima $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,643 in El Dorado, AR versus $1,651 in Lima.

El Dorado, AR $2,643
Lima $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,480 in El Dorado, AR versus $2,259 in Lima.

El Dorado, AR $3,480
Lima $2,259

Living in El Dorado, AR is roughly 73% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: El Dorado, AR is 34% above, Lima is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 $17.22

$4.64 PEN 15.95

271.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 $60.2

$34.34 PEN 118

75.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.16 $11.16

$7.01 PEN 24.12

59.20%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$3.22 PEN 11.09

59.63%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$1.13 PEN 3.90

163.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$0.61 PEN 2.09

283.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.93 PEN 10.07

67.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.45 $6.45

$4.25 PEN 14.63

51.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-32.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.61 PEN 8.98

8.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.30 PEN 4.46

106.92%

Eggs

$3.48 $3.48

$2.92 PEN 10.04

19.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.23 $10.23

$9.54 PEN 32.82

7.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.83 $11.83

$5.71 PEN 19.66

107.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.57 $22.57

$9.47 PEN 32.57

138.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$2.01 PEN 6.91

123.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.02 PEN 3.52

37.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.45 PEN 4.99

202.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$1.49 PEN 5.14

165.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$0.91 PEN 3.14

70.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$0.89 PEN 3.07

191.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 $1.93

$0.86 PEN 2.97

124.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.89 PEN 3.05

104.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.21 $9.21

$5.47 PEN 18.83

68.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.46 $13.46

$10.17 PEN 34.99

32.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.81 PEN 6.21

-0.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$3.15 PEN 10.83

-44.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 $2.26

$0.66 PEN 2.28

242.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.0 $62.0

$31.89 PEN 110

94.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 $2.53

$3.43 PEN 11.79

-26.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-25.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.02 $24.02

$9.60 PEN 33.03

150.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-41.52%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$21.9K PEN 75.2K

24.13%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$29.0K PEN 99.9K

-8.17%

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

$135 $135

$65.8 PEN 227

104.95%

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

$60.5 $60.5

$15.26 PEN 52.5

296.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.66 $40.66

$26.87 PEN 92.5

51.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.44 $40.44

$32.91 PEN 113

22.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.2

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 $8.80

$7.12 PEN 24.49

23.60%

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

$1,052 $1,052

$309 PEN 1,063

240.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

-17.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 $50.5

$52.0 PEN 179

-2.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.19 $35.19

$35.69 PEN 123

-1.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 $80.6

$81.8 PEN 281

-1.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.8 $60.8

$78.0 PEN 268

-21.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 $1,528

$727 PEN 2,501

110.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 $669

$373 PEN 1,284

79.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,875 $1,875

$1,249 PEN 4,296

50.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$930 $930

$739 PEN 2,543

25.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,147 $1,147

$2,380 PEN 8,190

-51.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,174 $1,174

$1,365 PEN 4,696

-13.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,088 $4,088

$650 PEN 2,237

528.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.38

-19.45%

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

Last update for El Dorado, AR: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Dorado, AR

$669 37.1%

Lima

$373 35.8% 44.3% $296

Groceries & Markets

El Dorado, AR

$368 20.4%

Lima

$228 21.9% 38% $140

Eating Out

El Dorado, AR

$292 16.2%

Lima

$127 12.2% 56.5% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Dorado, AR

$236 13.1%

Lima

$108 10.4% 54.3% $128

Clothing & Footwear

El Dorado, AR

$102 5.7%

Lima

$111 10.7% 9% $9.2

Getting Around

El Dorado, AR

$81 4.5%

Lima

$48 4.6% 40.9% $33

Sport & Entertainment

El Dorado, AR

$58 3.2%

Lima

$47 4.5% 18.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,528 in El Dorado, AR and $727 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

El Dorado, AR pays about 6.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $60 in El Dorado, AR vs $34 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $228 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 El Dorado, AR

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

15:49 3:49 PM

1 h ahead of El Dorado, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,756

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 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 = 0.895 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

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El Dorado, AR Lima 5,300 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

El Dorado, AR
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

El Dorado, AR vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima is about 42% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in El Dorado, AR is about 6.3 times higher, 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: $1,528 in El Dorado, AR versus $727 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lima – a meal for two runs $34 versus $60 in El Dorado, AR. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,806 per month in El Dorado, AR versus $1,042 in Lima – Lima is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Lima gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in El Dorado, AR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.