Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,045 a month against $2,607 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,045

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Austin, TX

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 Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,045 in Lima versus $2,607 in Austin, TX.

Lima $1,045
Austin, TX $2,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,668 in Lima versus $4,031 in Austin, TX.

Lima $1,668
Austin, TX $4,031

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,292 in Lima versus $5,454 in Austin, TX.

Lima $2,292
Austin, TX $5,454

Living in Lima costs roughly 60% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 23% below, Austin, TX is 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.25 PEN 14.73

$20.35 $20.35

-79.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.07 PEN 122

$84.7 $84.7

-58.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 PEN 24.40

$12.12 $12.12

-41.91%

Cappuccino

$3.30 PEN 11.45

$5.65 $5.65

-41.59%

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

$1.11 PEN 3.85

$3.68 $3.68

-69.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.15

$2.36 $2.36

-73.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.64 PEN 9.16

$7.87 $7.87

-66.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.30

$8.82 $8.82

-50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 PEN 5.63

$1.14 $1.14

42.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 PEN 8.98

$3.69 $3.69

-29.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 PEN 4.57

$3.31 $3.31

-60.12%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.22

$4.15 $4.15

-28.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.59 PEN 33.25

$12.98 $12.98

-26.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.70 PEN 19.77

$13.86 $13.86

-58.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.95 PEN 34.50

$16.34 $16.34

-39.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 PEN 6.74

$4.69 $4.69

-58.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 PEN 3.57

$1.45 $1.45

-28.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 PEN 4.98

$5.11 $5.11

-71.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 PEN 5.29

$4.52 $4.52

-66.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 PEN 3.12

$3.08 $3.08

-70.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 PEN 3.09

$2.38 $2.38

-62.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 PEN 3.03

$1.80 $1.80

-51.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 PEN 3.05

$2.22 $2.22

-60.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.64 PEN 19.56

$9.97 $9.97

-43.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.56 PEN 33.15

$15.05 $15.05

-36.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.67

$2.91 $2.91

-34.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 PEN 10.94

$3.33 $3.33

-5.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 PEN 2.49

$1.22 $1.22

-40.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.28 PEN 112

$40.53 $40.53

-20.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 PEN 12.34

$2.78 $2.78

28.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 PEN 6.90

$1.65 $1.65

20.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.83 PEN 27.13

$35.39 $35.39

-77.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.71

$0.95 $0.95

73.68%

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

$21.7K PEN 75.3K

$34.2K $34.2K

-36.48%

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

$28.3K PEN 97.9K

$26.8K $26.8K

5.56%

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

$67.7 PEN 235

$223 $223

-69.65%

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

$15.71 PEN 54.5

$58.5 $58.5

-73.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.76 PEN 92.8

$71.2 $71.2

-62.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.50 PEN 113

$53.0 $53.0

-38.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 PEN 68.2

$16.75 $16.75

17.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.61

$14.06 $14.06

-47.44%

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

$309 PEN 1,071

$1,459 $1,459

-78.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 45.1K

$21.3K $21.3K

-39.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 PEN 187

$52.5 $52.5

2.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.93 PEN 125

$42.75 $42.75

-15.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 PEN 283

$86.4 $86.4

-5.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.5 PEN 276

$104 $104

-23.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 PEN 2,544

$2,112 $2,112

-65.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 PEN 1,294

$1,230 $1,230

-69.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 PEN 4,460

$3,863 $3,863

-66.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$764 PEN 2,647

$2,407 $2,407

-68.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,434 PEN 8,437

$7,426 $7,426

-67.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,359 PEN 4,709

$3,060 $3,060

-55.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$666 PEN 2,307

$5,179 $5,179

-87.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

6.82

28.74%

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

Last update for Lima: October 27, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$373 35.7%

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2% 230% $857

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$229 21.9%

Austin, TX

$410 15.7% 78.7% $181

Eating Out

Lima

$124 11.8%

Austin, TX

$348 13.4% 181% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$113 10.8%

Austin, TX

$128 4.9% 13.8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$110 10.5%

Austin, TX

$353 13.5% 220% $242

Getting Around

Lima

$49 4.7%

Austin, TX

$56 2.2% 16% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$47 4.5%

Austin, TX

$81 3.1% 71.7% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $734 in Lima and $2,112 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 7.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35 in Lima vs $85 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $229 vs $410 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

02:06 2:06 AM

01:06 1:06 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

974,447

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.289 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3.47 PEN (1 PEN = 0.289 USD). 1 EUR = 3.87 PEN (1 PEN = 0.258 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

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Between locations

Lima Austin, TX 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Austin, TX

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 Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 60% lower than in Austin, TX. 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 87% 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: $734 in Lima versus $2,112 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,045 per month in Lima versus $2,607 in Austin, TX – Lima is about 60% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Lima runs roughly 20% less than in Austin, TX. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,045 in Lima versus $2,607 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. 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 60% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.