Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Idaho Falls, ID and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $2,339 in Idaho Falls, ID, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Idaho Falls, ID
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Idaho Falls, ID Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Idaho Falls, ID

🇺🇸 United States

$2,339

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,339 per month in Idaho Falls, ID vs $1,012 in Lima, rent included.

Idaho Falls, ID $2,339
Lima $1,012

A couple spends around $3,358 per month in Idaho Falls, ID vs $1,589 in Lima, rent included.

Idaho Falls, ID $3,358
Lima $1,589

A family of three spends $4,376 per month in Idaho Falls, ID vs $2,167 in Lima, rent included.

Idaho Falls, ID $4,376
Lima $2,167

Idaho Falls, ID costs about 131% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Idaho Falls, ID sits 73% above the global median, while Lima is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.68 $17.68

$4.40 PEN 15.10

301.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.9 $51.9

$35.17 PEN 121

47.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.12 $10.12

$6.89 PEN 23.65

46.88%

Cappuccino

$4.97 $4.97

$3.26 PEN 11.20

52.45%

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

$2.20 $2.20

$1.12 PEN 3.84

96.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.62 PEN 2.11

148.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.65 PEN 9.09

47.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 $6.93

$4.41 PEN 15.15

57.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 $0.71

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-56.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.56 PEN 8.78

47.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.35 PEN 4.65

118.52%

Eggs

$4.20 $4.20

$2.90 PEN 9.96

44.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.01 $12.01

$8.85 PEN 30.38

35.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.78 $6.78

$5.98 PEN 20.52

13.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 $9.69

$9.78 PEN 33.59

-0.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.05 PEN 7.02

7.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.06 PEN 3.66

16.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.35 PEN 4.64

57.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.50 PEN 5.15

36.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$0.88 PEN 3.03

84.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$0.92 PEN 3.15

175.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 $1.83

$0.89 PEN 3.07

105.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.90 PEN 3.10

115.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.02 $10.02

$5.90 PEN 20.27

69.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 $7.61

$8.52 PEN 29.26

-10.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.88 PEN 6.45

-7.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-54.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 $3.07

$0.68 PEN 2.33

351.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 $2.49

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-34.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 $2.31

$2.02 PEN 6.93

14.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.08 $25.08

$7.11 PEN 24.41

252.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-36.05%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

62.45%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

0.68%

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

$166 $166

$73.1 PEN 251

127.84%

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

$49.89 $49.89

$16.35 PEN 56.2

205.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.0 $65.0

$27.47 PEN 94.3

136.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.32 $38.32

$31.90 PEN 110

20.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$11.27 $11.27

$7.05 PEN 24.23

59.86%

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

$969 $969

$182 PEN 627

431.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

60.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.50 $42.50

$53.8 PEN 185

-20.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.50 $45.50

$34.32 PEN 118

32.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.1 $69.1

$82.8 PEN 284

-16.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.0 $96.0

$78.2 PEN 269

22.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 $1,341

$721 PEN 2,476

86.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 $1,300

$343 PEN 1,179

278.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 $2,028

$1,219 PEN 4,186

66.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,150 $2,150

$651 PEN 2,235

230.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,826 $1,826

$2,414 PEN 8,292

-24.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,895 $1,895

$1,357 PEN 4,660

39.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,390 $3,390

$648 PEN 2,226

423.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.12

8.94

-31.54%

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

Last update for Idaho Falls, ID: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Idaho Falls, ID

$1.3K 55.6%

Lima

$343 33.9% 73.6% $956

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Idaho Falls, ID

$281 12%

Lima

$117 11.6% 58.5% $164

Eating Out

Idaho Falls, ID

$280 12%

Lima

$124 12.3% 55.7% $156

Groceries & Markets

Idaho Falls, ID

$277 11.8%

Lima

$226 22.3% 18.4% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Idaho Falls, ID

$114 4.9%

Lima

$112 11.1% 1.6% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Idaho Falls, ID

$61 2.6%

Lima

$46 4.6% 24.4% $15

Getting Around

Idaho Falls, ID

$26 * 1.1%

Lima

$43 4.3% 65% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Idaho Falls, ID versus $721 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 423% higher in Idaho Falls, ID, 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 $52.0 in Idaho Falls, ID versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $226 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Idaho Falls, ID

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

11:07 11:07 AM

12:07 12:07 PM

1 h ahead of Idaho Falls, ID

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,459

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 October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

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Idaho Falls, ID Lima 7,120 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Idaho Falls, ID vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Idaho Falls, ID is pricier by about 131%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,509 per month in Idaho Falls, ID and $1,518 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,339 in Idaho Falls, ID and $1,012 in Lima. That's a gap of about 131%.

Kindergarten costs $969 per month in Idaho Falls, ID and $182 in Lima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $1,012, than in Idaho Falls, ID at $2,339. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Idaho Falls, ID 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, Idaho Falls, ID makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.