Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Laurel, MS and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $2,696 in Laurel, MS, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Laurel, MS
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Laurel, MS Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Laurel, MS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,696

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,696 per month in Laurel, MS vs $1,042 in Lima, rent included.

Laurel, MS $2,696
Lima $1,042

A couple spends around $3,894 per month in Laurel, MS vs $1,651 in Lima, rent included.

Laurel, MS $3,894
Lima $1,651

A family of three spends $5,092 per month in Laurel, MS vs $2,259 in Lima, rent included.

Laurel, MS $5,092
Lima $2,259

Laurel, MS costs about 159% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Laurel, MS sits 99% above the global median, while Lima is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.38 $17.38

$4.64 PEN 15.96

274.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 $61.0

$34.34 PEN 118

77.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 $8.94

$7.01 PEN 24.13

27.53%

Cappuccino

$5.85 $5.85

$3.22 PEN 11.09

81.68%

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

$2.21 $2.21

$1.13 PEN 3.90

95.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.61 PEN 2.09

291.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.93 PEN 10.08

73.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.87 $5.87

$4.25 PEN 14.64

38.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-34.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.61 PEN 8.98

14.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$1.30 PEN 4.47

270.00%

Eggs

$3.91 $3.91

$2.92 PEN 10.05

33.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 $9.42

$9.54 PEN 32.83

-1.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.31 $11.31

$5.71 PEN 19.66

98.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$9.47 PEN 32.59

68.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.01 PEN 6.91

102.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.02 PEN 3.52

30.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.11 $8.11

$1.45 PEN 4.99

459.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.49 PEN 5.14

103.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$0.91 PEN 3.14

18.68%

Onion (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$0.89 PEN 3.07

386.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 $2.74

$0.86 PEN 2.97

218.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$0.89 PEN 3.06

215.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.72 $8.72

$5.47 PEN 18.84

59.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.94 $11.94

$10.17 PEN 35.01

17.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.81 PEN 6.22

29.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.15 PEN 10.84

11.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 $2.30

$0.66 PEN 2.28

248.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.6 $60.6

$31.89 PEN 110

90.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.43 PEN 11.80

-14.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-18.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.43 $30.43

$9.60 PEN 33.05

216.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-46.20%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

22.77%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

-10.41%

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

$266 $266

$65.8 PEN 227

303.75%

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

$78.0 $78.0

$15.26 PEN 52.5

410.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.1 $73.1

$26.87 PEN 92.5

172.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.85 $45.85

$32.91 PEN 113

39.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.3

Cinema Ticket

$15.77 $15.77

$7.12 PEN 24.50

121.49%

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

$1,404 $1,404

$309 PEN 1,064

354.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K $18.4K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

-13.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 $57.9

$52.0 PEN 179

11.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.09 $38.09

$35.69 PEN 123

6.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$81.8 PEN 282

34.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 $161

$78.0 PEN 268

106.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 $1,553

$727 PEN 2,502

113.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 $1,281

$373 PEN 1,284

243.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,582 $2,582

$1,249 PEN 4,298

106.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,139 $2,139

$739 PEN 2,544

189.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,972 $2,972

$2,380 PEN 8,193

24.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,512 $2,512

$1,365 PEN 4,698

84.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 PEN 2,238

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

8.38

-20.17%

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

Last update for Laurel, MS: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Laurel, MS

$1.3K 47.5%

Lima

$373 35.8% 70.9% $908

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Laurel, MS

$417 15.5%

Lima

$108 10.4% 74.1% $309

Groceries & Markets

Laurel, MS

$383 14.2%

Lima

$228 21.9% 40.5% $155

Eating Out

Laurel, MS

$292 10.8%

Lima

$127 12.2% 56.5% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Laurel, MS

$165 6.1%

Lima

$111 10.7% 32.5% $54

Getting Around

Laurel, MS

$81 3%

Lima

$48 4.6% 40.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Laurel, MS

$77 2.9%

Lima

$47 4.5% 39.1% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,553 in Laurel, MS 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Laurel, MS versus $34 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $383 vs $228 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Laurel, MS

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

19:18 7:18 PM

1 h ahead of Laurel, MS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,540

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

Laurel, MS Lima 5,030 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Laurel, MS
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

Laurel, MS vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,696 in Laurel, MS, $1,042 in Lima – Lima comes out roughly 61% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,044 per month in Laurel, MS and $1,564 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $727 there versus $1,553 in Laurel, MS.

Kindergarten costs $1,404 per month in Laurel, MS and $309 in Lima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% more in Laurel, MS, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $1,042, than in Laurel, MS at $2,696. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Laurel, MS 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.

For expats, Lima is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 61% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.