Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fresno, CA and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $2,894 in Fresno, CA, rent and utilities included – about $22,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Fresno, CA
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Fresno, CA Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Fresno, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,894

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,894 per month in Fresno, CA vs $996 in Lima, rent included.

Fresno, CA $2,894
Lima $996

A couple spends around $4,460 per month in Fresno, CA vs $1,594 in Lima, rent included.

Fresno, CA $4,460
Lima $1,594

A family of three spends $6,026 per month in Fresno, CA vs $2,191 in Lima, rent included.

Fresno, CA $6,026
Lima $2,191

Fresno, CA costs about 191% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Fresno, CA sits 116% above the global median, while Lima is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.18 $20.18

$4.42 PEN 15.16

356.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.5 $70.5

$35.04 PEN 120

101.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.12 $14.12

$6.84 PEN 23.44

106.43%

Cappuccino

$5.15 $5.15

$3.27 PEN 11.22

57.49%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$1.10 PEN 3.78

174.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.65 PEN 2.22

229.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 $6.79

$2.58 PEN 8.85

163.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.11 $9.11

$4.47 PEN 15.34

103.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.59 PEN 5.46

-29.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.58 PEN 8.86

3.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$1.36 PEN 4.65

243.38%

Eggs

$5.38 $5.38

$2.95 PEN 10.11

82.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.02 $11.02

$9.10 PEN 31.19

21.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 $9.57

$5.81 PEN 19.91

64.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.58 $15.58

$9.83 PEN 33.68

58.49%

Apples (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.01 PEN 6.89

151.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.08 PEN 3.69

87.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.37 PEN 4.70

216.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.48 PEN 5.06

119.59%

Potato (1kg)

$7.93 $7.93

$0.96 PEN 3.30

726.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$0.85 PEN 2.92

220.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.88 PEN 3.02

177.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 $3.03

$0.87 PEN 2.97

248.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.19 $12.19

$5.90 PEN 20.24

106.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.06 $18.06

$8.81 PEN 30.21

104.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.92 PEN 6.57

14.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.40 $6.40

$3.20 PEN 10.98

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 $1.21

$0.68 PEN 2.33

77.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.99 $47.99

$26.74 PEN 91.7

79.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.14 $4.14

$3.81 PEN 13.06

8.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.04 PEN 7.00

-25.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.90 $27.90

$7.14 PEN 24.49

290.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.65 PEN 5.65

-11.52%

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

$37.5K $37.5K

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

69.01%

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

$30.6K $30.6K

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

19.14%

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

$238 $238

$73.0 PEN 250

225.74%

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

$53.3 $53.3

$16.26 PEN 55.7

227.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.8 $76.8

$27.60 PEN 94.6

178.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.32 $38.32

$33.07 PEN 113

15.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.97 $41.97

$19.49 PEN 66.8

115.34%

Cinema Ticket

$17.44 $17.44

$7.39 PEN 25.33

135.99%

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

$1,206 $1,206

$182 PEN 624

562.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K $12.9K

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

-3.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.3 $60.3

$52.6 PEN 180

14.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.19 $43.19

$34.23 PEN 117

26.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 $97.3

$83.8 PEN 287

16.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$174 $174

$79.0 PEN 271

120.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,712 $1,712

$723 PEN 2,479

136.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,462 $1,462

$340 PEN 1,166

329.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,183 $3,183

$1,184 PEN 4,060

168.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,902 $2,902

$635 PEN 2,176

357.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,700 $2,700

$2,449 PEN 8,394

10.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,120 $3,120

$1,372 PEN 4,702

127.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,687 $3,687

$653 PEN 2,237

464.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.4

8.94

-28.41%

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

Last update for Fresno, CA: October 3, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fresno, CA

$1.5K 50.6%

Lima

$340 33.6% 76.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Fresno, CA

$412 14.3%

Lima

$226 22.4% 45.1% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fresno, CA

$368 12.8%

Lima

$117 11.6% 68.2% $251

Eating Out

Fresno, CA

$338 11.7%

Lima

$124 12.3% 63.3% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Fresno, CA

$169 5.8%

Lima

$112 11.1% 33.4% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Fresno, CA

$73 2.5%

Lima

$48 4.7% 34.6% $25

Getting Around

Fresno, CA

$65 2.2%

Lima

$43 4.3% 32.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,712 in Fresno, CA 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 465% higher in Fresno, CA, 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 $71.0 in Fresno, CA versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $412 vs $226 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fresno, CA

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

20:08 8:08 PM

22:08 10:08 PM

2 h ahead of Fresno, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,052

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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Fresno, CA Lima 7,030 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Fresno, CA
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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

Fresno, CA vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Fresno, CA is pricier by about 191%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,341 per month in Fresno, CA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Fresno, CA and $35.00 in Lima. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,894 in Fresno, CA and $996 in Lima. That's a gap of about 191%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $996, than in Fresno, CA at $2,894. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fresno, CA 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.

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