Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elgin, IL and Lima

For one person, living costs are similar in Elgin, IL and in Lima: $1,039 and $1,042 a month, rent and utilities included.

50

Cost of Living Index in Elgin, IL
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Elgin, IL Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Elgin, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,039

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,039 in Elgin, IL versus $1,042 in Lima.

Elgin, IL $1,039
Lima $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,605 in Elgin, IL versus $1,651 in Lima.

Elgin, IL $2,605
Lima $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,171 in Elgin, IL versus $2,259 in Lima.

Elgin, IL $4,171
Lima $2,259

Monthly costs are close between Elgin, IL and Lima; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Elgin, IL 23% lower, Lima 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.38 $20.38

$4.64 PEN 15.95

339.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$34.34 PEN 118

72.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 $9.92

$7.01 PEN 24.12

41.51%

Cappuccino

$4.08 $4.08

$3.22 PEN 11.09

26.71%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$1.13 PEN 3.90

162.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.61 PEN 2.09

237.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.87 $5.87

$2.93 PEN 10.08

100.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 $4.92

$4.25 PEN 14.63

15.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-39.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 $3.16

$2.61 PEN 8.98

21.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$1.30 PEN 4.47

221.54%

Eggs

$3.57 $3.57

$2.92 PEN 10.05

22.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.43 $11.43

$9.54 PEN 32.82

19.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.71 PEN 19.66

115.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.64 $11.64

$9.47 PEN 32.58

22.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.01 PEN 6.91

119.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.02 PEN 3.52

30.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.45 PEN 4.99

71.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$1.49 PEN 5.14

181.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$0.91 PEN 3.14

109.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$0.89 PEN 3.07

133.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.86 PEN 2.97

111.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$0.89 PEN 3.06

162.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.84 $10.84

$5.47 PEN 18.83

98.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.79 $15.79

$10.17 PEN 35.00

55.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.81 PEN 6.21

50.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.15 PEN 10.84

9.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 PEN 2.28

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.89 PEN 110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 $3.98

$3.43 PEN 11.79

16.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-1.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.08 $28.08

$9.60 PEN 33.04

192.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-35.09%

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

$30.3K $30.3K

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

38.64%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

-12.91%

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

$98.6 $98.6

$65.8 PEN 227

49.76%

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

$46.06 $46.06

$15.26 PEN 52.5

201.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.95 $49.95

$26.87 PEN 92.5

85.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.91 PEN 113

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.2

Cinema Ticket

$14.97 $14.97

$7.12 PEN 24.49

110.25%

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

$1,634 $1,634

$309 PEN 1,064

428.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K $21.8K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

2.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.76 $40.76

$52.0 PEN 179

-21.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.36 $47.36

$35.69 PEN 123

32.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 $100.0

$81.8 PEN 281

22.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$78.0 PEN 268

53.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 PEN 2,501

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 PEN 1,284

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,160 $2,160

$1,249 PEN 4,297

73.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 $1,819

$739 PEN 2,544

146.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,248 $2,248

$2,380 PEN 8,191

-5.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,258 $2,258

$1,365 PEN 4,697

65.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,063 $4,063

$650 PEN 2,238

524.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

8.38

-18.74%

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

Last update for Elgin, IL: October 31, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Elgin, IL

$361 34.8%

Lima

$228 21.9% 36.9% $133

Eating Out

Elgin, IL

$301 29%

Lima

$127 12.2% 57.8% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elgin, IL

$195 18.7%

Lima

$108 10.4% 44.5% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Elgin, IL

$138 13.3%

Lima

$111 10.7% 19.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Elgin, IL

$30 * 2.9%

Lima

$47 4.5% 57.4% $17

Getting Around

Elgin, IL

$14 * 1.3%

Lima

$48 4.6% 247% $34

Accommodation & Living

Elgin, IL

- * 0%

Lima

$373 35.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

Elgin, IL pays about 6.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $59 in Elgin, IL vs $34 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $361 vs $228 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Elgin, IL

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

05:50 5:50 AM

06:50 6:50 AM

1 h ahead of Elgin, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,603

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 = 0.89 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.87 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Elgin, IL Lima 6,120 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Elgin, IL
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

Elgin, IL vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay in Elgin, IL is about 6.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Dining out is cheaper in Lima – a meal for two runs $34 versus $59 in Elgin, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $1,634 in Elgin, IL versus $309 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Elgin, IL 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.