Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Madison, IA and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $2,634 in Fort Madison, IA, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Fort Madison, IA
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Fort Madison, IA Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Fort Madison, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,634

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,634 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $1,042 in Lima, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $2,634
Lima $1,042

A couple spends around $3,827 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $1,651 in Lima, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $3,827
Lima $1,651

A family of three spends $5,019 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $2,259 in Lima, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $5,019
Lima $2,259

Fort Madison, IA costs about 153% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Fort Madison, IA sits 95% above the global median, while Lima is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.21 $20.21

$4.64 PEN 15.95

335.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 $74.3

$34.34 PEN 118

116.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.33 $11.33

$7.01 PEN 24.12

61.63%

Cappuccino

$5.42 $5.42

$3.22 PEN 11.09

68.32%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$1.13 PEN 3.90

132.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.61 PEN 2.09

221.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.86 $5.86

$2.93 PEN 10.08

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.34 $7.34

$4.25 PEN 14.63

72.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-33.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.53 $3.53

$2.61 PEN 8.98

35.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$1.30 PEN 4.47

244.62%

Eggs

$4.27 $4.27

$2.92 PEN 10.05

46.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.72 $12.72

$9.54 PEN 32.82

33.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.40 $11.40

$5.71 PEN 19.66

99.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.19 $17.19

$9.47 PEN 32.58

81.52%

Apples (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$2.01 PEN 6.91

157.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.02 PEN 3.52

61.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.45 PEN 4.99

201.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$1.49 PEN 5.14

208.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$0.91 PEN 3.14

208.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$0.89 PEN 3.07

224.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 $2.18

$0.86 PEN 2.97

153.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.89 PEN 3.06

155.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.32 $9.32

$5.47 PEN 18.83

70.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.22 $15.22

$10.17 PEN 35.00

49.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.81 PEN 6.21

17.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 $3.90

$3.15 PEN 10.84

23.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.66 PEN 2.28

206.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.6 $67.6

$31.89 PEN 110

112.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 $3.73

$3.43 PEN 11.79

8.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-12.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.85 $27.85

$9.60 PEN 33.04

190.10%

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)

$24.9K $24.9K

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

14.05%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

-16.06%

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

$198 $198

$65.8 PEN 227

200.94%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$15.26 PEN 52.5

288.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.6 $68.6

$26.87 PEN 92.5

155.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.55 $40.55

$32.91 PEN 113

23.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.2

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 $14.14

$7.12 PEN 24.49

98.60%

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

$1,229 $1,229

$309 PEN 1,064

297.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K $20.4K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

-4.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.6 $53.6

$52.0 PEN 179

3.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.01 $42.01

$35.69 PEN 123

17.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$81.8 PEN 281

10.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$78.0 PEN 268

43.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 $1,580

$727 PEN 2,501

117.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 $1,292

$373 PEN 1,284

246.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,548 $2,548

$1,249 PEN 4,297

104.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,071 $2,071

$739 PEN 2,544

180.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,929 $2,929

$2,380 PEN 8,191

23.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,599 $2,599

$1,365 PEN 4,697

90.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 PEN 2,238

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

8.38

-21.36%

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

Last update for Fort Madison, IA: November 3, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort Madison, IA

$1.3K 49%

Lima

$373 35.8% 71.1% $918

Groceries & Markets

Fort Madison, IA

$403 15.3%

Lima

$228 21.9% 43.4% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Madison, IA

$326 12.4%

Lima

$108 10.4% 66.9% $218

Eating Out

Fort Madison, IA

$323 12.3%

Lima

$127 12.2% 60.7% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Madison, IA

$134 5.1%

Lima

$111 10.7% 16.8% $23

Getting Around

Fort Madison, IA

$88 3.3%

Lima

$48 4.6% 45.7% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Madison, IA

$69 2.6%

Lima

$47 4.5% 31.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,580 in Fort Madison, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Fort Madison, IA versus $34 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $228 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Madison, IA

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

23:28 11:28 PM

00:28 12:28 AM

1 h ahead of Fort Madison, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,270

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

Fort Madison, IA Lima 6,040 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Madison, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,634 in Fort Madison, IA, $1,042 in Lima – Lima comes out roughly 60% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,951 per month in Fort Madison, 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 $1,580 in Fort Madison, IA.

Groceries cost about 77% more in Fort Madison, IA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Fort Madison, IA and $34 in Lima. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $1,042, than in Fort Madison, IA at $2,634. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort Madison, IA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

For expats, Lima is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 60% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.