Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Crosse, WI and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $2,167 in La Crosse, WI, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in La Crosse, WI
Learn more

La Crosse, WI Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

La Crosse, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,167

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,167 per month in La Crosse, WI vs $1,042 in Lima, rent included.

La Crosse, WI $2,167
Lima $1,042

A couple spends around $3,373 per month in La Crosse, WI vs $1,651 in Lima, rent included.

La Crosse, WI $3,373
Lima $1,651

A family of three spends $4,579 per month in La Crosse, WI vs $2,259 in Lima, rent included.

La Crosse, WI $4,579
Lima $2,259

La Crosse, WI costs about 108% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

La Crosse, WI sits 60% above the global median, while Lima is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.72 $14.72

$4.64 PEN 15.95

217.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 $70.3

$34.34 PEN 118

104.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 $11.09

$7.01 PEN 24.12

58.20%

Cappuccino

$5.80 $5.80

$3.22 PEN 11.09

80.12%

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

$2.20 $2.20

$1.13 PEN 3.90

94.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 $1.14

$0.61 PEN 2.09

86.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.93 PEN 10.08

55.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 $5.84

$4.25 PEN 14.63

37.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-52.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.61 PEN 8.98

-6.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$1.30 PEN 4.47

261.54%

Eggs

$2.48 $2.48

$2.92 PEN 10.05

-15.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 $9.81

$9.54 PEN 32.82

2.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.73 $10.73

$5.71 PEN 19.66

87.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 $16.46

$9.47 PEN 32.58

73.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$2.01 PEN 6.91

145.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.02 PEN 3.52

7.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.45 PEN 4.99

119.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$1.49 PEN 5.14

244.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.91 PEN 3.14

117.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 $2.34

$0.89 PEN 3.07

162.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.86 PEN 2.97

126.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.89 PEN 3.06

93.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 $10.06

$5.47 PEN 18.83

83.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.93 $10.93

$10.17 PEN 35.00

7.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.81 PEN 6.21

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$3.15 PEN 10.84

-37.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.66 PEN 2.28

48.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.43 $35.43

$31.89 PEN 110

11.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.43 PEN 11.79

2.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-4.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.43 $45.43

$9.60 PEN 33.04

373.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-45.03%

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

$33.0K $33.0K

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

50.95%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

-14.45%

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

$207 $207

$65.8 PEN 227

214.37%

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

$53.5 $53.5

$15.26 PEN 52.5

250.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.26 $49.26

$26.87 PEN 92.5

83.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.82 $39.82

$32.91 PEN 113

21.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.10 $4.10

$20.12 PEN 69.2

-79.62%

Cinema Ticket

$12.18 $12.18

$7.12 PEN 24.49

71.07%

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

$907 $907

$309 PEN 1,064

193.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K $11.7K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

-45.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.5 $62.5

$52.0 PEN 179

20.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.3 $63.3

$35.69 PEN 123

77.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.4 $78.4

$81.8 PEN 281

-4.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$78.0 PEN 268

56.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 $761

$727 PEN 2,501

4.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$989 $989

$373 PEN 1,284

165.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,209 $2,209

$1,249 PEN 4,297

76.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,988 $1,988

$739 PEN 2,544

168.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,954 $1,954

$2,380 PEN 8,191

-17.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,989 $1,989

$1,365 PEN 4,697

45.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,092 $4,092

$650 PEN 2,238

529.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

8.38

-20.88%

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

Last update for La Crosse, WI: 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

La Crosse, WI

$989 45.7%

Lima

$373 35.8% 62.3% $616

Groceries & Markets

La Crosse, WI

$336 15.5%

Lima

$228 21.9% 32.2% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Crosse, WI

$310 14.3%

Lima

$108 10.4% 65.1% $202

Eating Out

La Crosse, WI

$268 12.4%

Lima

$127 12.2% 52.7% $142

Clothing & Footwear

La Crosse, WI

$147 6.8%

Lima

$111 10.7% 24.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

La Crosse, WI

$64 3%

Lima

$47 4.5% 26.6% $17

Getting Around

La Crosse, WI

$52 2.4%

Lima

$48 4.6% 8.6% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $761 in La Crosse, WI versus $727 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 in La Crosse, WI are about 6.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in La Crosse, WI versus $34 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $228 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 La Crosse, WI

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

01:29 1:29 AM

02:29 2:29 AM

1 h ahead of La Crosse, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,680

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

La Crosse, WI Lima 6,380 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

La Crosse, WI
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

La Crosse, WI vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,167 in La Crosse, WI, $1,042 in Lima – Lima comes out roughly 52% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,251 per month in La Crosse, WI and $1,564 in Lima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $761 in La Crosse, WI and $727 in Lima. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 48% more in La Crosse, WI, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in La Crosse, WI and $34 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 $1,042, than in La Crosse, WI at $2,167. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in La Crosse, WI 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, La Crosse, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.