Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Chico, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $2,515 in Chico, CA, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Chico, CA
Learn more

Chico, CA Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Chico, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,515

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Chico, CA

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 Chico, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $2,515 in Chico, CA.

Lima $1,012
Chico, CA $2,515

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $4,036 in Chico, CA.

Lima $1,589
Chico, CA $4,036

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $5,556 in Chico, CA.

Lima $2,167
Chico, CA $5,556

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 25% below, Chico, CA is 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$25.46 $25.46

-82.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$50.1 $50.1

-29.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$12.05 $12.05

-42.82%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$5.77 $5.77

-43.50%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$2.63 $2.63

-57.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$2.27 $2.27

-72.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$7.34 $7.34

-63.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$8.22 $8.22

-46.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.13 $1.13

44.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$2.99 $2.99

-14.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$3.51 $3.51

-61.54%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$4.86 $4.86

-40.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$11.12 $11.12

-20.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$12.12 $12.12

-50.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$23.12 $23.12

-57.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$5.43 $5.43

-62.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$2.35 $2.35

-54.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$3.81 $3.81

-64.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$5.64 $5.64

-73.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$5.01 $5.01

-82.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$3.10 $3.10

-70.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$2.46 $2.46

-63.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$2.56 $2.56

-64.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$8.01 $8.01

-26.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$14.92 $14.92

-42.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.75 $1.75

7.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$3.62 $3.62

-11.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$2.94 $2.94

-76.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

$34.74 $34.74

-22.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$3.22 $3.22

18.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$2.41 $2.41

-16.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$40.65 $40.65

-82.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.42 $1.42

21.13%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$36.3K $36.3K

-38.54%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$24.7K $24.7K

3.14%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$185 $185

-60.45%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$49.40 $49.40

-66.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$67.9 $67.9

-59.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$77.0 $77.0

-58.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$13.12 $13.12

-46.27%

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

$182 PEN 627

$1,837 $1,837

-90.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$37.1K $37.1K

-64.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$51.1 $51.1

5.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$31.08 $31.08

10.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$70.3 $70.3

17.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$98.8 $98.8

-20.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$1,508 $1,508

-52.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$1,123 $1,123

-69.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$2,933 $2,933

-58.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$2,590 $2,590

-74.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$3,210 $3,210

-24.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$2,919 $2,919

-53.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$3,832 $3,832

-83.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

6.28

42.36%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chico, CA: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Chico, CA

$1.1K 44.6% 227% $780

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Chico, CA

$430 17.1% 90.5% $204

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Chico, CA

$382 15.2% 208% $258

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Chico, CA

$302 12% 158% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Chico, CA

$113 4.5% 0.9% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Chico, CA

$103 4.1% 124% $57

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Chico, CA

$62 2.5% 42.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $1,508 in Chico, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chico, CA pays 491% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $50.0 in Chico, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $430 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇺🇸 Chico, CA

🕒 Local time

02:35 2:35 AM

00:35 12:35 AM

2 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

90,316

💱 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Chico, CA 7,390 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Chico, CA

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 Chico, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 149% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 491% lower in Chico, CA. 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: $721 in Lima versus $1,508 in Chico, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lima – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $50.0 in Chico, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,012 per month in Lima versus $2,515 in Chico, CA – a 149% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $2,515 in Chico, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Chico, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lima is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Chico, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 149% less than in Chico, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.