Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Great Falls, MT and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $2,207 in Great Falls, MT, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Great Falls, MT
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Great Falls, MT Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Great Falls, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,207

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,207 per month in Great Falls, MT vs $996 in Lima, rent included.

Great Falls, MT $2,207
Lima $996

A couple spends around $3,040 per month in Great Falls, MT vs $1,594 in Lima, rent included.

Great Falls, MT $3,040
Lima $1,594

A family of three spends $3,874 per month in Great Falls, MT vs $2,191 in Lima, rent included.

Great Falls, MT $3,874
Lima $2,191

Great Falls, MT costs about 122% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Great Falls, MT sits 65% above the global median, while Lima is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.33 $11.33

$4.42 PEN 15.16

156.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.38 $37.38

$35.04 PEN 120

6.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 $9.47

$6.84 PEN 23.44

38.45%

Cappuccino

$4.20 $4.20

$3.27 PEN 11.22

28.44%

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

$2.28 $2.28

$1.10 PEN 3.78

107.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.65 PEN 2.22

216.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.95 $5.95

$2.58 PEN 8.85

130.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 $6.07

$4.47 PEN 15.34

35.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.59 PEN 5.46

-32.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.58 PEN 8.86

29.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$1.36 PEN 4.65

258.09%

Eggs

$3.24 $3.24

$2.95 PEN 10.11

9.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.85 $16.85

$9.10 PEN 31.19

85.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.82 $9.82

$5.81 PEN 19.91

69.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.92 $11.92

$9.83 PEN 33.68

21.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$2.01 PEN 6.89

136.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.08 PEN 3.69

29.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$1.37 PEN 4.70

210.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.48 PEN 5.06

50.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.96 PEN 3.30

152.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$0.85 PEN 2.92

235.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$0.88 PEN 3.02

172.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 $3.37

$0.87 PEN 2.97

287.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.30 $8.30

$5.90 PEN 20.24

40.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.20 $18.20

$8.81 PEN 30.20

106.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.92 PEN 6.57

5.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 $4.63

$3.20 PEN 10.98

44.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.86 $29.86

$26.74 PEN 91.7

11.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 $6.17

$3.81 PEN 13.06

61.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$2.04 PEN 7.00

-34.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.76 $40.76

$7.14 PEN 24.49

470.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.65 PEN 5.65

-44.24%

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

$33.0K $33.0K

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

48.89%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

-0.71%

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

$133 $133

$73.0 PEN 250

81.96%

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

$39.87 $39.87

$16.26 PEN 55.7

145.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$27.60 PEN 94.6

155.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.8 $63.8

$33.07 PEN 113

93.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

Cinema Ticket

$11.41 $11.41

$7.39 PEN 25.32

54.40%

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

$925 $925

$182 PEN 624

408.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K $13.8K

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

3.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.45 $25.45

$52.6 PEN 180

-51.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.02 $30.02

$34.23 PEN 117

-12.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 $81.2

$83.8 PEN 287

-3.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.0 $64.0

$79.0 PEN 271

-19.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 $1,405

$723 PEN 2,479

94.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 $1,123

$340 PEN 1,166

230.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,691 $2,691

$1,184 PEN 4,060

127.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,669 $1,669

$635 PEN 2,176

163.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,115 $2,115

$2,449 PEN 8,393

-13.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,120 $2,120

$1,372 PEN 4,701

54.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,503 $3,503

$653 PEN 2,237

436.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.2

8.94

-30.65%

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

Last update for Great Falls, MT: October 4, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Great Falls, MT

$1.1K 50.9%

Lima

$340 33.6% 69.7% $783

Groceries & Markets

Great Falls, MT

$391 17.7%

Lima

$226 22.4% 42.1% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Great Falls, MT

$243 11%

Lima

$117 11.6% 52% $126

Eating Out

Great Falls, MT

$229 10.4%

Lima

$124 12.3% 45.7% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Great Falls, MT

$90 4.1%

Lima

$112 11.1% 24.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Great Falls, MT

$87 3.9%

Lima

$48 4.7% 44.8% $39

Getting Around

Great Falls, MT

$43 * 1.9%

Lima

$43 4.3% 1.7% $0.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,405 in Great Falls, MT 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 437% higher in Great Falls, MT, 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 $37.00 in Great Falls, MT versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $391 vs $226 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Great Falls, MT

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

23:02 11:02 PM

00:02 12:02 AM

1 h ahead of Great Falls, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,442

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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 11, 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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Great Falls, MT Lima 7,440 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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Great Falls, MT
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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

Great Falls, MT vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Great Falls, MT costs about 122% more than Lima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,310 per month in Great Falls, MT 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.

Groceries cost about 73% more in Great Falls, MT, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Great Falls, MT and $35.00 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 $996, than in Great Falls, MT at $2,207. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Great Falls, MT it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lima costs $996 versus $2,207 in Great Falls, MT. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

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