Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Decatur, AL

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $1,920 in Decatur, AL, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
92

Cost of Living Index in Decatur, AL
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Decatur, AL Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Decatur, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,920

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Decatur, AL

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 Decatur, AL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,042 per month in Lima vs $1,920 in Decatur, AL, rent included.

Lima $1,042
Decatur, AL $1,920

A couple spends around $1,651 per month in Lima vs $2,716 in Decatur, AL, rent included.

Lima $1,651
Decatur, AL $2,716

A family of three spends $2,259 per month in Lima vs $3,512 in Decatur, AL, rent included.

Lima $2,259
Decatur, AL $3,512

Lima is about 46% cheaper than Decatur, AL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lima sits 23% below the global median, while Decatur, AL is 42% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 PEN 15.95

$15.03 $15.03

-69.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.34 PEN 118

$42.37 $42.37

-18.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 PEN 24.12

$11.87 $11.87

-40.94%

Cappuccino

$3.22 PEN 11.09

$4.45 $4.45

-27.64%

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

$1.13 PEN 3.90

$1.22 $1.22

-7.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 PEN 2.09

$1.61 $1.61

-62.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 PEN 10.08

$4.95 $4.95

-40.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 PEN 14.63

$5.92 $5.92

-28.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.44

$0.52 $0.52

203.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 PEN 8.98

$3.15 $3.15

-17.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 PEN 4.47

$2.03 $2.03

-35.96%

Eggs

$2.92 PEN 10.05

$2.60 $2.60

12.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 PEN 32.82

$8.04 $8.04

18.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.71 PEN 19.66

$5.65 $5.65

1.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.47 PEN 32.58

$12.23 $12.23

-22.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.91

$2.98 $2.98

-32.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 PEN 3.52

$1.74 $1.74

-41.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 PEN 4.99

$2.64 $2.64

-45.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 PEN 5.14

$1.93 $1.93

-22.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$1.43 $1.43

-36.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.67 $1.67

-46.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 PEN 2.97

$2.64 $2.64

-67.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.06

$2.13 $2.13

-58.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 PEN 18.83

$9.25 $9.25

-40.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 PEN 35.00

$13.23 $13.23

-23.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 PEN 6.21

$1.79 $1.79

1.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 PEN 10.84

$2.17 $2.17

45.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 PEN 2.28

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.89 PEN 110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 PEN 11.79

$2.04 $2.04

68.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 PEN 6.80

$1.15 $1.15

72.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.60 PEN 33.04

$19.78 $19.78

-51.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 PEN 5.89

$1.02 $1.02

67.65%

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

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

$27.6K $27.6K

-20.92%

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

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

$27.3K $27.3K

6.26%

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

$65.8 PEN 227

$189 $189

-65.18%

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

$15.26 PEN 52.5

$85.4 $85.4

-82.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.87 PEN 92.5

$75.4 $75.4

-64.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.91 PEN 113

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.2

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 PEN 24.49

$15.27 $15.27

-53.37%

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

$309 PEN 1,064

$1,686 $1,686

-81.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

$26.9K $26.9K

-20.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 PEN 179

$47.68 $47.68

9.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.69 PEN 123

$32.48 $32.48

9.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.8 PEN 281

$81.1 $81.1

0.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.0 PEN 268

$154 $154

-49.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 PEN 2,501

$1,004 $1,004

-27.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 PEN 1,284

$859 $859

-56.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 PEN 4,297

$1,705 $1,705

-26.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 PEN 2,544

$1,344 $1,344

-44.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,380 PEN 8,191

$1,647 $1,647

44.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,365 PEN 4,697

$1,660 $1,660

-17.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 PEN 2,238

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.38

6.6

26.97%

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

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Last update for Decatur, AL: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$373 35.8%

Decatur, AL

$859 44.8% 130% $486

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$228 21.9%

Decatur, AL

$273 14.2% 19.8% $45

Eating Out

Lima

$127 12.2%

Decatur, AL

$257 13.4% 103% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$111 10.7%

Decatur, AL

$142 7.4% 27.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$108 10.4%

Decatur, AL

$350 18.2% 224% $242

Getting Around

Lima

$48 4.6%

Decatur, AL

$7.8 * 0.4% 83.7% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$47 4.5%

Decatur, AL

$31 * 1.6% 35.2% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $727 in Lima versus $1,004 in Decatur, AL. 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 $34 in Lima versus $42 in Decatur, AL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $228 vs $273 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇺🇸 Decatur, AL

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

06:50 6:50 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

77,047

💱 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 = 3.87 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 Decatur, AL 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Decatur, AL

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 Decatur, AL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Decatur, AL costs about 84% 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 $1,564 per month in Lima and $2,880 in Decatur, AL. 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 $1,004 in Decatur, AL.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Lima and $42 in Decatur, AL. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Decatur, AL, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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.