Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Golden, CO and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,014 a month against $3,466 in Golden, CO, rent and utilities included – about $29,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Golden, CO
🇺🇸 United States
$3,466
/mo nomad
Lima
🇵🇪 Peru
$1,014
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,466 per month in Golden, CO vs $1,014 in Lima, rent included.

  • Golden, CO $3,466
  • Lima $1,014

A couple spends around $3,184 per month in Golden, CO vs $1,613 in Lima, rent included.

  • Golden, CO $3,184
  • Lima $1,613

A family of three spends $2,903 per month in Golden, CO vs $2,211 in Lima, rent included.

  • Golden, CO $2,903
  • Lima $2,211

Golden, CO costs about 242% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Golden, CO sits 156% above the global median, while Lima is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Golden, CO
Lima
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.35 $20.35
$4.42 PEN 15.19
360.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.4 $66.4
$34.56 PEN 119
92.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.87 $11.87
$6.80 PEN 23.37
74.56%
Cappuccino
$5.38 $5.38
$3.30 PEN 11.34
63.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.70 $2.70
$1.06 PEN 3.64
154.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 $1.97
$0.66 PEN 2.26
198.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.89 $5.89
$2.54 PEN 8.71
131.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.21 $7.21
$4.24 PEN 14.55
70.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Golden, CO
Lima
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.91 $0.91
$1.58 PEN 5.43
-42.41%
White Bread (500g)
$3.27 $3.27
$2.61 PEN 8.97
25.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.34 $4.34
$1.34 PEN 4.60
223.88%
Eggs
$3.02 $3.02
$2.93 PEN 10.08
3.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.08 $15.08
$9.45 PEN 32.45
59.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.68 $13.68
$5.75 PEN 19.75
137.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.39 $17.39
$9.69 PEN 33.29
79.46%
Apples (1kg)
$5.48 $5.48
$2.02 PEN 6.95
171.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.33 $1.33
$1.07 PEN 3.66
24.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.50 $4.50
$1.37 PEN 4.70
228.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.62 $4.62
$1.47 PEN 5.05
214.29%
Potato (1kg)
$2.42 $2.42
$0.95 PEN 3.25
154.74%
Onion (1kg)
$2.60 $2.60
$0.91 PEN 3.14
185.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.40 $2.40
$0.90 PEN 3.10
166.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.97 $1.97
$0.89 PEN 3.04
121.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.09 $10.09
$5.74 PEN 19.71
75.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.31 $19.31
$9.21 PEN 31.64
109.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.32 $3.32
$1.84 PEN 6.31
80.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.73 $4.73
$3.11 PEN 10.67
52.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Golden, CO
Lima
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.68 $2.68
$0.72 PEN 2.46
272.22%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.03 PEN 89.4
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.80 $3.80
$3.54 PEN 12.17
7.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.42 $1.42
$2.07 PEN 7.12
-31.40%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.66 $24.66
$7.75 PEN 26.62
218.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.02 $1.02
$1.71 PEN 5.86
-40.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.8K $27.8K
$21.6K PEN 74.1K
28.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K $26.9K
$28.6K PEN 98.2K
-6.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Golden, CO
Lima
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$200 $200
$68.2 PEN 234
193.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$93.5 $93.5
$15.73 PEN 54.0
494.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$70.9 $70.9
$26.48 PEN 90.9
167.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Golden, CO
Lima
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.4 $60.4
$33.94 PEN 117
77.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$20.10 PEN 69.0
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.20 $15.20
$7.22 PEN 24.80
110.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Golden, CO
Lima
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,520 $1,520
$201 PEN 689
657.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.8K $24.8K
$12.9K PEN 44.3K
92.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Golden, CO
Lima
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.7 $57.7
$53.7 PEN 184
7.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.77 $24.77
$35.88 PEN 123
-30.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.3 $82.3
$83.8 PEN 288
-1.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 $104
$78.8 PEN 271
31.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Golden, CO
Lima
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,266 $2,266
$729 PEN 2,505
210.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,119 $2,119
$349 PEN 1,197
507.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,186 PEN 4,073
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$696 PEN 2,391
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,360 PEN 8,105
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,356 PEN 4,657
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Golden, CO
Lima
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$663 PEN 2,278
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.72
8.78
-23.46%

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

Last update for Golden, CO: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Golden, CO
$2.1K
Lima
$349 83.6% $1.8K
Groceries & Markets
Golden, CO
$424
Lima
$227 46.4% $197
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Golden, CO
$364
Lima
$110 69.7% $254
Eating Out
Golden, CO
$326
Lima
$123 62.1% $202
Clothing & Footwear
Golden, CO
$121
Lima
$113 6.1% $7.3
Sport & Entertainment
Golden, CO
$91
Lima
$48 46.7% $42
Getting Around
Golden, CO
$22 *
Lima
$43 97.7% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,266 in Golden, CO versus $729 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 $66.0 in Golden, CO versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $424 vs $227 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Golden, CO
🇵🇪 Lima
🕒 Local time
18:07 6:07 PM
19:07 7:07 PM
1 h ahead of Golden, CO
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
20,399
9,989,369 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Golden, CO Lima 6,460 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Golden, CO
  • 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
Golden, CO vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Golden, CO and in Lima compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,466 in Golden, CO, $1,014 in Lima – roughly 242% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Golden, CO compared to Lima?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,199 per month in Golden, CO and $1,522 in Lima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Golden, CO and Lima?
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.
Which city is more expensive overall: Golden, CO or Lima?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,466 in Golden, CO and $1,014 in Lima. That's a gap of about 242%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Golden, CO and Lima?
Kindergarten costs $1,520 per month in Golden, CO and $201 in Lima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $1,014, than in Golden, CO at $3,466. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Golden, CO it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Golden, CO and Lima?
It depends on your priorities. Lima has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,014 in Lima to $3,466 in Golden, CO. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Golden, CO or Lima safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Golden, CO and Lima?
If budget matters most, go with Lima. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Golden, CO makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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