Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and El Centro, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,045 a month against $2,700 in El Centro, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 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
129

Cost of Living Index in El Centro, CA
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El Centro, CA Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,045

/mo nomad

El Centro, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,700

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,045 per month in Lima vs $2,700 in El Centro, CA, rent included.

Lima $1,045
El Centro, CA $2,700

A couple spends around $1,668 per month in Lima vs $3,848 in El Centro, CA, rent included.

Lima $1,668
El Centro, CA $3,848

A family of three spends $2,292 per month in Lima vs $4,996 in El Centro, CA, rent included.

Lima $2,292
El Centro, CA $4,996

Lima is about 61% cheaper than El Centro, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lima sits 23% below the global median, while El Centro, CA is 98% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.25 PEN 14.65

$13.62 $13.62

-68.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.07 PEN 121

$44.97 $44.97

-22.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 PEN 24.26

$11.39 $11.39

-38.19%

Cappuccino

$3.30 PEN 11.39

$4.89 $4.89

-32.52%

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

$1.11 PEN 3.83

$2.54 $2.54

-56.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.13

$1.96 $1.96

-68.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.64 PEN 9.11

$4.90 $4.90

-46.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.22

$7.95 $7.95

-44.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 PEN 5.59

$1.16 $1.16

39.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 PEN 8.93

$5.88 $5.88

-55.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 PEN 4.55

$4.37 $4.37

-69.79%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.16

$4.91 $4.91

-39.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.59 PEN 33.07

$12.67 $12.67

-24.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.70 PEN 19.66

$20.39 $20.39

-72.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.95 PEN 34.31

$13.90 $13.90

-28.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 PEN 6.70

$5.50 $5.50

-64.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 PEN 3.55

$1.70 $1.70

-39.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 PEN 4.95

$4.28 $4.28

-66.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 PEN 5.27

$6.72 $6.72

-77.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$3.64 $3.64

-75.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 PEN 3.08

$3.47 $3.47

-74.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 PEN 3.01

$2.28 $2.28

-61.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$2.31 $2.31

-61.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.64 PEN 19.46

$11.64 $11.64

-51.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.56 PEN 32.97

$14.85 $14.85

-35.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.63

$1.70 $1.70

12.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 PEN 10.88

$3.26 $3.26

-3.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 PEN 2.48

$2.26 $2.26

-68.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.28 PEN 111

$58.6 $58.6

-44.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 PEN 12.28

$4.46 $4.46

-20.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 PEN 6.86

$1.88 $1.88

5.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.83 PEN 26.99

$35.36 $35.36

-77.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.68

$1.53 $1.53

7.84%

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

$21.7K PEN 74.9K

$27.4K $27.4K

-20.73%

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

$28.3K PEN 97.4K

$26.0K $26.0K

8.75%

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

$67.7 PEN 233

$216 $216

-68.61%

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

$15.71 PEN 54.2

$72.1 $72.1

-78.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.76 PEN 92.3

$70.5 $70.5

-62.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.50 PEN 112

$34.32 $34.32

-5.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 PEN 67.8

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.47

$11.90 $11.90

-37.90%

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

$309 PEN 1,065

$1,895 $1,895

-83.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

$42.8K $42.8K

-69.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 PEN 186

$72.7 $72.7

-25.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.93 PEN 124

$40.38 $40.38

-11.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 PEN 281

$79.1 $79.1

2.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.5 PEN 274

$173 $173

-53.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 PEN 2,530

$1,401 $1,401

-47.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 PEN 1,287

$1,300 $1,300

-71.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 PEN 4,436

$2,246 $2,246

-42.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$764 PEN 2,632

$2,076 $2,076

-63.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,434 PEN 8,391

$2,709 $2,709

-10.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,359 PEN 4,683

$2,661 $2,661

-48.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$666 PEN 2,295

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

6.64

32.23%

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

Last update for Lima: October 27, 2026

Last update for El Centro, CA: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$373 35.7%

El Centro, CA

$1.3K 48.2% 248% $927

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$229 21.9%

El Centro, CA

$477 17.7% 108% $248

Eating Out

Lima

$124 11.8%

El Centro, CA

$260 9.6% 110% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$113 10.8%

El Centro, CA

$164 6.1% 45.5% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$110 10.5%

El Centro, CA

$358 13.3% 225% $248

Getting Around

Lima

$49 4.7%

El Centro, CA

$81 3% 67.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$47 4.5%

El Centro, CA

$58 2.2% 22.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $734 in Lima versus $1,401 in El Centro, CA. 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 $35 in Lima versus $45 in El Centro, CA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $477 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇺🇸 El Centro, CA

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

05:56 5:56 AM

2 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

44,322

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.261 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.261 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lima El Centro, CA 6,450 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
El Centro, 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 El Centro, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,045 in Lima, $2,700 in El Centro, CA – roughly 158% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,568 per month in Lima and $4,049 in El Centro, CA. 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 $734 there versus $1,401 in El Centro, CA.

Public transport costs about 45% less in Lima. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $309 per month in Lima and $1,895 in El Centro, CA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $1,045, than in El Centro, CA at $2,700. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in El Centro, CA 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 the 158% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.