Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Ames, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $2,152 in Ames, IA, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Ames, IA
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Ames, IA Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Ames, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Ames, IA

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lima and in Ames, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,042 in Lima versus $2,152 in Ames, IA.

Lima $1,042
Ames, IA $2,152

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,651 in Lima versus $3,214 in Ames, IA.

Lima $1,651
Ames, IA $3,214

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,259 in Lima versus $4,277 in Ames, IA.

Lima $2,259
Ames, IA $4,277

Living in Lima costs roughly 52% less than in Ames, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 23% below, Ames, IA is 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 PEN 15.95

$17.69 $17.69

-73.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.34 PEN 118

$52.7 $52.7

-34.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 PEN 24.12

$11.91 $11.91

-41.14%

Cappuccino

$3.22 PEN 11.09

$4.86 $4.86

-33.74%

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

$1.13 PEN 3.90

$2.62 $2.62

-56.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 PEN 2.09

$2.30 $2.30

-73.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 PEN 10.07

$4.05 $4.05

-27.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 PEN 14.63

$7.13 $7.13

-40.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.44

$0.90 $0.90

75.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 PEN 8.98

$3.61 $3.61

-27.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 PEN 4.46

$3.26 $3.26

-60.12%

Eggs

$2.92 PEN 10.04

$3.46 $3.46

-15.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 PEN 32.82

$10.37 $10.37

-8.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.71 PEN 19.66

$13.64 $13.64

-58.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.47 PEN 32.57

$18.55 $18.55

-48.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.91

$5.82 $5.82

-65.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 PEN 3.52

$1.86 $1.86

-45.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 PEN 4.99

$6.48 $6.48

-77.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 PEN 5.14

$5.15 $5.15

-71.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$4.29 $4.29

-78.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$4.07 $4.07

-78.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 PEN 2.97

$2.33 $2.33

-63.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.05

$2.54 $2.54

-64.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 PEN 18.83

$9.72 $9.72

-43.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 PEN 34.99

$15.93 $15.93

-36.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 PEN 6.21

$2.90 $2.90

-37.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 PEN 10.83

$5.09 $5.09

-38.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 PEN 2.28

$0.97 $0.97

-31.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.89 PEN 110

$34.51 $34.51

-7.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 PEN 11.79

$5.02 $5.02

-31.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 PEN 6.80

$1.73 $1.73

14.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.60 PEN 33.03

$23.68 $23.68

-59.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 PEN 5.89

$0.90 $0.90

90.00%

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

$21.9K PEN 75.2K

$25.5K $25.5K

-14.33%

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

$29.0K PEN 99.9K

$26.4K $26.4K

9.83%

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

$65.8 PEN 227

$183 $183

-63.98%

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

$15.26 PEN 52.5

$56.2 $56.2

-72.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.87 PEN 92.5

$69.4 $69.4

-61.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.91 PEN 113

$67.9 $67.9

-51.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.2

$19.84 $19.84

1.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 PEN 24.49

$14.93 $14.93

-52.31%

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

$309 PEN 1,063

$1,337 $1,337

-76.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

$10.2K $10.2K

108.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 PEN 179

$55.8 $55.8

-6.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.69 PEN 123

$44.45 $44.45

-19.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.8 PEN 281

$88.8 $88.8

-7.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.0 PEN 268

$108 $108

-27.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 PEN 2,501

$1,065 $1,065

-31.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 PEN 1,284

$834 $834

-55.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 PEN 4,296

$1,787 $1,787

-30.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 PEN 2,543

$1,445 $1,445

-48.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,380 PEN 8,190

$2,605 $2,605

-8.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,365 PEN 4,696

$2,115 $2,115

-35.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 PEN 2,237

$3,549 $3,549

-81.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.38

6.41

30.73%

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

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Last update for Ames, IA: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$373 35.8%

Ames, IA

$834 38.8% 124% $461

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$228 21.9%

Ames, IA

$436 20.3% 91.3% $208

Eating Out

Lima

$127 12.2%

Ames, IA

$290 13.5% 128% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$111 10.7%

Ames, IA

$134 6.2% 20.1% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$108 10.4%

Ames, IA

$308 14.3% 186% $200

Getting Around

Lima

$48 4.6%

Ames, IA

$52 2.4% 8.8% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$47 4.5%

Ames, IA

$98 4.5% 107% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $727 in Lima and $1,065 in Ames, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ames, IA pays about 5.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $34 in Lima vs $53 in Ames, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $228 vs $436 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇺🇸 Ames, IA

🕒 Local time

07:49 7:49 AM

06:49 6:49 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

66,427

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Ames, IA 6,250 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Ames, IA

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

Lima vs Ames, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Ames, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lima the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 82% lower in Lima. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $727 in Lima versus $1,065 in Ames, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lima runs roughly 8% less than in Ames, IA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $309 in Lima versus $1,337 in Ames, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,042 in Lima versus $2,152 in Ames, IA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Ames, IA. 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 52% less than in Ames, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.