Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harlingen, TX and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $1,892 in Harlingen, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Harlingen, TX
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Harlingen, TX Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Harlingen, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,892

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,892 in Harlingen, TX versus $1,042 in Lima.

Harlingen, TX $1,892
Lima $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,543 in Harlingen, TX versus $1,651 in Lima.

Harlingen, TX $2,543
Lima $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,194 in Harlingen, TX versus $2,259 in Lima.

Harlingen, TX $3,194
Lima $2,259

Living in Harlingen, TX is roughly 82% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Harlingen, TX is 40% above, Lima is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.41 $12.41

$4.64 PEN 15.95

167.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.29 $47.29

$34.34 PEN 118

37.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.10 $8.10

$7.01 PEN 24.12

15.55%

Cappuccino

$4.56 $4.56

$3.22 PEN 11.09

41.61%

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

$1.97 $1.97

$1.13 PEN 3.90

74.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$0.61 PEN 2.09

216.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.93 PEN 10.08

73.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 $4.39

$4.25 PEN 14.63

3.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-37.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.61 PEN 8.98

14.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$1.30 PEN 4.47

250.77%

Eggs

$3.51 $3.51

$2.92 PEN 10.05

20.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 $9.87

$9.54 PEN 32.82

3.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.89 $12.89

$5.71 PEN 19.66

125.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.43 $15.43

$9.47 PEN 32.58

62.94%

Apples (1kg)

$5.16 $5.16

$2.01 PEN 6.91

156.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.02 PEN 3.52

25.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.45 PEN 4.99

133.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.49 PEN 5.14

42.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$0.91 PEN 3.14

224.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$0.89 PEN 3.07

203.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 $1.75

$0.86 PEN 2.97

103.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$0.89 PEN 3.06

132.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.60 $9.60

$5.47 PEN 18.83

75.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.27 $16.27

$10.17 PEN 35.00

59.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.81 PEN 6.21

14.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$3.15 PEN 10.84

-28.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 PEN 2.28

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.89 PEN 110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.19 $7.19

$3.43 PEN 11.79

109.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-20.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.55 $24.55

$9.60 PEN 33.04

155.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-44.44%

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

$29.0K $29.0K

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

32.71%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

-15.68%

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

$164 $164

$65.8 PEN 227

148.76%

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

$37.66 $37.66

$15.26 PEN 52.5

146.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.6 $50.6

$26.87 PEN 92.5

88.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.91 PEN 113

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.2

Cinema Ticket

$12.05 $12.05

$7.12 PEN 24.49

69.24%

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

$780 $780

$309 PEN 1,064

152.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,961 $7,961

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

-62.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.8 $75.8

$52.0 PEN 179

45.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.08 $44.08

$35.69 PEN 123

23.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 $73.7

$81.8 PEN 281

-9.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 $93.5

$78.0 PEN 268

19.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$840 $840

$727 PEN 2,501

15.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$881 $881

$373 PEN 1,284

136.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,371 $1,371

$1,249 PEN 4,297

9.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 $1,021

$739 PEN 2,544

38.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,890 $1,890

$2,380 PEN 8,191

-20.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,931 $1,931

$1,365 PEN 4,697

41.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,215 $4,215

$650 PEN 2,238

548.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

8.38

-22.67%

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

Last update for Harlingen, TX: October 31, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harlingen, TX

$881 46.5%

Lima

$373 35.8% 57.6% $507

Groceries & Markets

Harlingen, TX

$364 19.2%

Lima

$228 21.9% 37.3% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harlingen, TX

$252 13.3%

Lima

$108 10.4% 57.2% $144

Eating Out

Harlingen, TX

$228 12.1%

Lima

$127 12.2% 44.4% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Harlingen, TX

$129 6.8%

Lima

$111 10.7% 13.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Harlingen, TX

$24 * 1.3%

Lima

$47 4.5% 95.5% $23

Getting Around

Harlingen, TX

$15 * 0.8%

Lima

$48 4.6% 218% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $840 in Harlingen, TX and $727 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Harlingen, TX pays about 6.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Harlingen, TX vs $34 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $228 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Harlingen, TX

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

22:02 10:02 PM

1 h ahead of Harlingen, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,829

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 = 0.891 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Harlingen, TX Lima 4,800 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Harlingen, TX
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

Harlingen, TX vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Harlingen, TX. 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 Harlingen, TX is about 6.5 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: $840 in Harlingen, TX versus $727 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $780 in Harlingen, TX versus $309 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lima – a meal for two runs $34 versus $47 in Harlingen, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Harlingen, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.