Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grand Forks, ND and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $2,000 in Grand Forks, ND, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Grand Forks, ND

🇺🇸 United States

$2,000

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,000 in Grand Forks, ND versus $1,042 in Lima.

Grand Forks, ND $2,000
Lima $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,942 in Grand Forks, ND versus $1,651 in Lima.

Grand Forks, ND $2,942
Lima $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,885 in Grand Forks, ND versus $2,259 in Lima.

Grand Forks, ND $3,885
Lima $2,259

Living in Grand Forks, ND is roughly 92% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Grand Forks, ND is 48% above, Lima is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.17 $21.17

$4.64 PEN 15.95

356.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.4 $80.4

$34.34 PEN 118

134.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.83 $12.83

$7.01 PEN 24.12

83.02%

Cappuccino

$5.95 $5.95

$3.22 PEN 11.09

84.78%

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

$2.74 $2.74

$1.13 PEN 3.90

142.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$0.61 PEN 2.09

390.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.93 PEN 10.08

74.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 $6.15

$4.25 PEN 14.63

44.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-27.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.61 PEN 8.98

40.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$1.30 PEN 4.47

235.38%

Eggs

$3.51 $3.51

$2.92 PEN 10.05

20.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.24 $24.24

$9.54 PEN 32.82

154.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.71 PEN 19.66

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.47 PEN 32.58

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.91

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.02 PEN 3.52

93.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$1.45 PEN 4.99

209.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.49 PEN 5.14

108.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$0.91 PEN 3.14

138.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.89 PEN 3.07

228.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.86 PEN 2.97

158.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.89 PEN 3.06

120.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.16 $10.16

$5.47 PEN 18.83

85.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$34.43 $34.43

$10.17 PEN 35.00

238.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 PEN 6.21

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 $6.08

$3.15 PEN 10.84

93.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.66 PEN 2.28

121.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.14 $42.14

$31.89 PEN 110

32.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.96 $5.96

$3.43 PEN 11.79

73.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 PEN 6.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.60 PEN 33.04

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-49.12%

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

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

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

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

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

$218 $218

$65.8 PEN 227

231.10%

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

$115 $115

$15.26 PEN 52.5

652.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.3 $67.3

$26.87 PEN 92.5

150.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.4 $61.4

$32.91 PEN 113

86.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.2

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 $15.09

$7.12 PEN 24.49

111.94%

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

$586 $586

$309 PEN 1,064

89.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 PEN 179

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.69 PEN 123

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.8 PEN 281

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.0 PEN 268

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$983 $983

$727 PEN 2,501

35.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$791 $791

$373 PEN 1,284

111.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,551 $1,551

$1,249 PEN 4,297

24.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,299 $1,299

$739 PEN 2,544

75.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,729 $1,729

$2,380 PEN 8,191

-27.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,691 $1,691

$1,365 PEN 4,697

23.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,048 $4,048

$650 PEN 2,238

522.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

8.38

-18.62%

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

Last update for Grand Forks, ND: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Grand Forks, ND

–

Lima

$373 35.8%

Groceries & Markets

Grand Forks, ND

–

Lima

$228 21.9%

Eating Out

Grand Forks, ND

–

Lima

$127 12.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Grand Forks, ND

–

Lima

$111 10.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grand Forks, ND

–

Lima

$108 10.4%

Getting Around

Grand Forks, ND

–

Lima

$48 4.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Grand Forks, ND

–

Lima

$47 4.5%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $983 in Grand Forks, ND and $727 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Dining out: $80 in Grand Forks, ND vs $34 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $228 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Grand Forks, ND

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

05:27 5:27 AM

06:27 6:27 AM

1 h ahead of Grand Forks, ND

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,372

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 →

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Grand Forks, ND Lima 6,960 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Grand Forks, ND
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

Grand Forks, ND vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Grand Forks, ND. 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 Grand Forks, ND 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $983 in Grand Forks, ND versus $727 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lima runs roughly 24% less than in Grand Forks, ND. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $586 in Grand Forks, ND versus $309 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Grand Forks, ND. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.