Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Independence, KS and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $2,034 in Independence, KS, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Independence, KS
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Independence, KS Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Independence, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,034

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,034 in Independence, KS versus $1,042 in Lima.

Independence, KS $2,034
Lima $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,012 in Independence, KS versus $1,651 in Lima.

Independence, KS $3,012
Lima $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,990 in Independence, KS versus $2,259 in Lima.

Independence, KS $3,990
Lima $2,259

Living in Independence, KS is roughly 95% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Independence, KS is 50% above, Lima is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.98 $19.98

$4.64 PEN 15.96

330.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.8 $74.8

$34.34 PEN 118

117.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.47 $11.47

$7.01 PEN 24.13

63.62%

Cappuccino

$5.41 $5.41

$3.22 PEN 11.09

68.01%

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

$2.71 $2.71

$1.13 PEN 3.90

139.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.61 PEN 2.09

231.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.83 $5.83

$2.93 PEN 10.08

98.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.34 $7.34

$4.25 PEN 14.64

72.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-36.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.60 $3.60

$2.61 PEN 8.98

37.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$1.30 PEN 4.47

209.23%

Eggs

$4.05 $4.05

$2.92 PEN 10.05

38.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.21 $12.21

$9.54 PEN 32.83

27.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.46 $12.46

$5.71 PEN 19.66

118.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.26 $17.26

$9.47 PEN 32.59

82.26%

Apples (1kg)

$5.16 $5.16

$2.01 PEN 6.91

156.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.02 PEN 3.52

55.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$1.45 PEN 4.99

209.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.49 PEN 5.14

183.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$0.91 PEN 3.14

196.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$0.89 PEN 3.07

216.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.86 PEN 2.97

145.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$0.89 PEN 3.06

158.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.27 $10.27

$5.47 PEN 18.84

87.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.17 PEN 35.01

48.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.81 PEN 6.22

10.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 $3.53

$3.15 PEN 10.84

12.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 $2.24

$0.66 PEN 2.28

239.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.7 $64.7

$31.89 PEN 110

102.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 $3.19

$3.43 PEN 11.80

-7.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-1.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.80 $30.80

$9.60 PEN 33.05

220.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-41.52%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

29.89%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

-9.59%

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

$201 $201

$65.8 PEN 227

205.54%

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

$57.3 $57.3

$15.26 PEN 52.5

275.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$26.87 PEN 92.5

157.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.52 $39.52

$32.91 PEN 113

20.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.3

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 $13.95

$7.12 PEN 24.50

95.93%

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

$1,389 $1,389

$309 PEN 1,064

349.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.2K $21.2K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

-0.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.6 $53.6

$52.0 PEN 179

3.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.07 $44.07

$35.69 PEN 123

23.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 $89.9

$81.8 PEN 282

9.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$78.0 PEN 268

43.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 $1,591

$727 PEN 2,502

118.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$695 $695

$373 PEN 1,284

86.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,539 $2,539

$1,249 PEN 4,298

103.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 $1,051

$739 PEN 2,544

42.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,430 $2,430

$2,380 PEN 8,193

2.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,663 $2,663

$1,365 PEN 4,698

95.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,237 $5,237

$650 PEN 2,238

705.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

8.38

-21.36%

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

Last update for Independence, KS: November 3, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Independence, KS

$695 34.2%

Lima

$373 35.8% 46.3% $322

Groceries & Markets

Independence, KS

$401 19.7%

Lima

$228 21.9% 43.1% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Independence, KS

$328 16.1%

Lima

$108 10.4% 67% $220

Eating Out

Independence, KS

$322 15.8%

Lima

$127 12.2% 60.6% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Independence, KS

$135 6.6%

Lima

$111 10.7% 17.4% $24

Getting Around

Independence, KS

$87 4.3%

Lima

$48 4.6% 44.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Independence, KS

$67 3.3%

Lima

$47 4.5% 30.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,591 in Independence, KS and $727 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Independence, KS pays about 8.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Independence, KS vs $34 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $401 vs $228 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Independence, KS

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

19:18 7:18 PM

1 h ahead of Independence, KS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,213

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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Between locations

Independence, KS Lima 5,820 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Independence, KS
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

Independence, KS vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Independence, KS. 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 Independence, KS is about 8.1 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: $1,591 in Independence, KS versus $727 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 76% higher in Independence, KS. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lima – a meal for two runs $34 versus $75 in Independence, KS. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,042 in Lima versus $2,034 in Independence, KS, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Independence, KS. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 49% less than in Independence, KS. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.