Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Smith, AR and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $1,988 in Fort Smith, AR, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Fort Smith, AR
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Fort Smith, AR Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Fort Smith, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$1,988

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,988 in Fort Smith, AR versus $1,042 in Lima.

Fort Smith, AR $1,988
Lima $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,038 in Fort Smith, AR versus $1,651 in Lima.

Fort Smith, AR $3,038
Lima $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,088 in Fort Smith, AR versus $2,259 in Lima.

Fort Smith, AR $4,088
Lima $2,259

Living in Fort Smith, AR is roughly 91% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Fort Smith, AR is 47% above, Lima is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.79 $19.79

$4.64 PEN 15.95

326.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.6 $65.6

$34.34 PEN 118

91.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.29 $11.29

$7.01 PEN 24.12

61.06%

Cappuccino

$5.27 $5.27

$3.22 PEN 11.09

63.66%

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

$2.34 $2.34

$1.13 PEN 3.90

107.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.61 PEN 2.09

236.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$2.93 PEN 10.08

101.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.98 $8.98

$4.25 PEN 14.63

111.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-36.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.61 PEN 8.98

31.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$1.30 PEN 4.47

190.00%

Eggs

$2.99 $2.99

$2.92 PEN 10.05

2.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.56 $7.56

$9.54 PEN 32.82

-20.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.80 $10.80

$5.71 PEN 19.66

89.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.18 $19.18

$9.47 PEN 32.58

102.53%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 $5.03

$2.01 PEN 6.91

150.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.02 PEN 3.52

44.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.45 PEN 4.99

71.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.49 PEN 5.14

41.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$0.91 PEN 3.14

109.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$0.89 PEN 3.07

68.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 $1.75

$0.86 PEN 2.97

103.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.89 PEN 3.06

155.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.12 $8.12

$5.47 PEN 18.83

48.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.65 $14.65

$10.17 PEN 35.00

44.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.81 PEN 6.21

1.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$3.15 PEN 10.84

-17.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 $1.26

$0.66 PEN 2.28

90.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.39 $34.39

$31.89 PEN 110

7.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.43 PEN 11.79

-17.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-35.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.46 $30.46

$9.60 PEN 33.04

217.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-53.80%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

20.41%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

-12.15%

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

$281 $281

$65.8 PEN 227

326.30%

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

$78.5 $78.5

$15.26 PEN 52.5

414.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.7 $85.7

$26.87 PEN 92.5

218.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.52 $26.52

$32.91 PEN 113

-19.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.30 $16.30

$20.12 PEN 69.2

-18.99%

Cinema Ticket

$13.68 $13.68

$7.12 PEN 24.49

92.13%

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

$893 $893

$309 PEN 1,064

188.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K $21.7K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

1.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 $54.8

$52.0 PEN 179

5.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.41 $41.41

$35.69 PEN 123

16.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 $91.9

$81.8 PEN 281

12.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.5 $77.5

$78.0 PEN 268

-0.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 $683

$727 PEN 2,501

-6.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 $654

$373 PEN 1,284

75.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,518 $1,518

$1,249 PEN 4,297

21.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,309 $1,309

$739 PEN 2,544

77.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,571 $1,571

$2,380 PEN 8,191

-34.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,539 $1,539

$1,365 PEN 4,697

12.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,123 $3,123

$650 PEN 2,238

380.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.38

8.38

-23.87%

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

Last update for Fort Smith, AR: 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 Smith, AR

$654 32.9%

Lima

$373 35.8% 42.9% $281

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Smith, AR

$445 22.4%

Lima

$108 10.4% 75.7% $337

Groceries & Markets

Fort Smith, AR

$347 17.4%

Lima

$228 21.9% 34.2% $119

Eating Out

Fort Smith, AR

$321 16.1%

Lima

$127 12.2% 60.4% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Smith, AR

$120 6%

Lima

$111 10.7% 6.8% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Smith, AR

$54 2.7%

Lima

$47 4.5% 12.5% $6.8

Getting Around

Fort Smith, AR

$49 2.5%

Lima

$48 4.6% 1.7% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $683 in Fort Smith, AR and $727 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Smith, AR pays about 4.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Fort Smith, AR vs $34 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $347 vs $228 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Smith, AR

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

08:59 8:59 AM

09:59 9:59 AM

1 h ahead of Fort Smith, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,142

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

Fort Smith, AR Lima 5,580 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Smith, 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

Fort Smith, AR vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Fort Smith, AR. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lima the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Fort Smith, AR is about 4.8 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: $683 in Fort Smith, AR versus $727 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,988 per month in Fort Smith, AR versus $1,042 in Lima – Lima is about 48% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Lima runs roughly 7% less than in Fort Smith, AR. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Lima wins on affordability, Fort Smith, AR on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.