Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Las Cruces, NM and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,014 a month against $2,067 in Las Cruces, NM, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Las Cruces, NM
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Las Cruces, NM Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Las Cruces, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,067

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,067 per month in Las Cruces, NM vs $1,014 in Lima, rent included.

Las Cruces, NM $2,067
Lima $1,014

A couple spends around $3,132 per month in Las Cruces, NM vs $1,613 in Lima, rent included.

Las Cruces, NM $3,132
Lima $1,613

A family of three spends $4,196 per month in Las Cruces, NM vs $2,211 in Lima, rent included.

Las Cruces, NM $4,196
Lima $2,211

Las Cruces, NM costs about 104% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Las Cruces, NM sits 53% above the global median, while Lima is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.34 $17.34

$4.42 PEN 15.19

292.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.20 $45.20

$34.56 PEN 119

30.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 $12.15

$6.80 PEN 23.37

78.68%

Cappuccino

$5.78 $5.78

$3.30 PEN 11.34

75.15%

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

$2.40 $2.40

$1.06 PEN 3.64

126.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$0.66 PEN 2.26

228.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.31 $6.31

$2.54 PEN 8.71

148.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.13 $9.13

$4.24 PEN 14.55

115.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.58 PEN 5.43

-51.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.60 $3.60

$2.61 PEN 8.97

37.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$1.34 PEN 4.60

180.60%

Eggs

$4.72 $4.72

$2.93 PEN 10.08

61.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.56 $13.56

$9.45 PEN 32.45

43.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.04 $12.04

$5.75 PEN 19.75

109.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.48 $17.48

$9.69 PEN 33.29

80.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.02 PEN 6.95

116.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.07 PEN 3.66

97.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.37 PEN 4.70

147.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$1.47 PEN 5.05

163.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.95 PEN 3.25

148.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 $2.37

$0.91 PEN 3.14

160.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.90 PEN 3.10

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$0.89 PEN 3.04

106.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.02 $11.02

$5.74 PEN 19.71

91.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 $15.10

$9.21 PEN 31.64

63.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.84 PEN 6.31

33.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.11 PEN 10.67

12.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.72 PEN 2.46

37.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.50 $38.50

$26.03 PEN 89.4

47.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 $2.35

$3.54 PEN 12.17

-33.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.32 $2.32

$2.07 PEN 7.12

12.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.75 PEN 26.62

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.71 PEN 5.86

-42.69%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$21.6K PEN 74.1K

28.67%

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

$23.9K $23.9K

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

-16.53%

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

$176 $176

$68.2 PEN 234

158.30%

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

$57.0 $57.0

$15.73 PEN 54.0

262.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.4 $87.4

$26.48 PEN 90.9

230.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 $50.2

$33.94 PEN 117

47.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.89 $10.89

$20.10 PEN 69.0

-45.82%

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 $10.09

$7.22 PEN 24.80

39.75%

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

$683 $683

$201 PEN 689

240.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.2 $58.2

$53.7 PEN 184

8.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.55 $31.55

$35.88 PEN 123

-12.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 $84.7

$83.8 PEN 288

1.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$78.8 PEN 271

29.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$966 $966

$729 PEN 2,505

32.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 $794

$349 PEN 1,197

127.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,725 $1,725

$1,186 PEN 4,073

45.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 $1,532

$696 PEN 2,391

119.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,121 $2,121

$2,360 PEN 8,105

-10.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,971 $1,971

$1,356 PEN 4,657

45.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,589 $3,589

$663 PEN 2,278

441.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

8.78

-27.56%

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

Last update for Las Cruces, NM: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Las Cruces, NM

$794 38.4%

Lima

$349 34.4% 56.1% $446

Groceries & Markets

Las Cruces, NM

$389 18.8%

Lima

$227 22.4% 41.6% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Las Cruces, NM

$320 15.5%

Lima

$110 10.9% 65.6% $210

Eating Out

Las Cruces, NM

$313 15.1%

Lima

$123 12.2% 60.5% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Las Cruces, NM

$124 6%

Lima

$113 11.2% 8.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Las Cruces, NM

$70 3.4%

Lima

$48 4.8% 31.2% $22

Getting Around

Las Cruces, NM

$56 2.7%

Lima

$43 4.2% 24.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $966 in Las Cruces, NM versus $729 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 441% higher in Las Cruces, NM, 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 $45.00 in Las Cruces, NM versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $389 vs $227 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Las Cruces, NM

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

04:15 4:15 AM

05:15 5:15 AM

1 h ahead of Las Cruces, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,385

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 22, 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 →

On the map

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Las Cruces, NM Lima 5,860 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Las Cruces, NM
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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

Las Cruces, NM vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Las Cruces, NM costs about 104% more than Lima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,101 per month in Las Cruces, NM and $1,522 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.

Kindergarten costs $683 per month in Las Cruces, NM and $201 in Lima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 71% more in Las Cruces, NM, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $1,014, than in Las Cruces, NM at $2,067. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Las Cruces, NM it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lima costs $1,014 versus $2,067 in Las Cruces, NM. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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