Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Paso, TX and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $2,130 in El Paso, TX, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in El Paso, TX
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El Paso, TX Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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El Paso, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,130

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,130 per month in El Paso, TX vs $996 in Lima, rent included.

El Paso, TX $2,130
Lima $996

A couple spends around $3,193 per month in El Paso, TX vs $1,594 in Lima, rent included.

El Paso, TX $3,193
Lima $1,594

A family of three spends $4,257 per month in El Paso, TX vs $2,191 in Lima, rent included.

El Paso, TX $4,257
Lima $2,191

El Paso, TX costs about 114% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

El Paso, TX sits 59% above the global median, while Lima is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 $18.73

$4.42 PEN 15.16

323.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 $77.0

$35.04 PEN 120

119.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.19 $12.19

$6.84 PEN 23.44

78.22%

Cappuccino

$6.19 $6.19

$3.27 PEN 11.22

89.30%

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

$2.30 $2.30

$1.10 PEN 3.78

109.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.65 PEN 2.22

136.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.87 $5.87

$2.58 PEN 8.85

127.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.61 $6.61

$4.47 PEN 15.34

47.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.59 PEN 5.46

-45.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.58 PEN 8.86

16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.36 PEN 4.65

80.15%

Eggs

$3.61 $3.61

$2.95 PEN 10.11

22.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.94 $11.94

$9.10 PEN 31.19

31.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.76 $11.76

$5.81 PEN 19.91

102.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 $13.07

$9.83 PEN 33.68

32.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 $3.59

$2.01 PEN 6.89

78.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.08 PEN 3.69

37.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.37 PEN 4.70

88.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$1.48 PEN 5.06

140.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.96 PEN 3.30

125.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$0.85 PEN 2.92

229.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.88 PEN 3.02

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.87 PEN 2.97

81.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.43 $9.43

$5.90 PEN 20.24

59.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.54 $9.54

$8.81 PEN 30.21

8.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.92 PEN 6.57

8.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.74 $4.74

$3.20 PEN 10.98

48.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 $1.47

$0.68 PEN 2.33

116.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.29 $48.29

$26.74 PEN 91.7

80.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 $1.69

$3.81 PEN 13.06

-55.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$2.04 PEN 7.00

-31.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 $27.39

$7.14 PEN 24.49

283.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.65 PEN 5.65

-41.82%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

65.66%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

-3.59%

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

$163 $163

$73.0 PEN 250

122.49%

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

$70.4 $70.4

$16.26 PEN 55.7

332.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.8 $68.8

$27.60 PEN 94.6

149.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.42 $18.42

$33.07 PEN 113

-44.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.56 $8.56

$19.49 PEN 66.8

-56.08%

Cinema Ticket

$12.05 $12.05

$7.39 PEN 25.33

63.06%

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

$579 $579

$182 PEN 624

218.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,916 $6,916

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

-48.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.02 $47.02

$52.6 PEN 180

-10.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.19 $36.19

$34.23 PEN 117

5.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$83.8 PEN 287

21.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$174 $174

$79.0 PEN 271

120.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 $1,155

$723 PEN 2,479

59.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 $890

$340 PEN 1,166

161.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 $1,738

$1,184 PEN 4,060

46.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 $1,480

$635 PEN 2,176

133.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,781 $1,781

$2,449 PEN 8,394

-27.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,746 $1,746

$1,372 PEN 4,702

27.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,336 $3,336

$653 PEN 2,237

411.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.94

-27.18%

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

Last update for El Paso, TX: October 6, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Paso, TX

$890 42.3%

Lima

$340 33.6% 61.8% $550

Groceries & Markets

El Paso, TX

$329 15.6%

Lima

$226 22.4% 31.2% $103

Eating Out

El Paso, TX

$319 15.1%

Lima

$124 12.3% 61.1% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Paso, TX

$302 14.3%

Lima

$117 11.6% 61.2% $185

Clothing & Footwear

El Paso, TX

$162 7.7%

Lima

$112 11.1% 30.5% $49

Getting Around

El Paso, TX

$63 3%

Lima

$43 4.3% 30.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

El Paso, TX

$43 2%

Lima

$48 4.7% 12.5% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,155 in El Paso, TX versus $723 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 411% higher in El Paso, TX, 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 $77.0 in El Paso, TX versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $329 vs $226 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 El Paso, TX

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

02:19 2:19 AM

03:19 3:19 AM

1 h ahead of El Paso, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

678,815

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

El Paso, TX Lima 5,800 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

El Paso, TX
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 Paso, TX vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Paso, TX costs about 114% 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 $3,195 per month in El Paso, TX and $1,494 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,130 in El Paso, TX and $996 in Lima. That's a gap of about 114%.

Public transport costs about 81% less in Lima. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $996, than in El Paso, TX at $2,130. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in El Paso, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lima costs $996 versus $2,130 in El Paso, TX. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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