Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and El Paso, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $2,130 in El Paso, TX, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in El Paso, TX
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El Paso, TX Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

El Paso, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $996 per month in Lima vs $2,130 in El Paso, TX, rent included.

Lima $996
El Paso, TX $2,130

A couple spends around $1,594 per month in Lima vs $3,193 in El Paso, TX, rent included.

Lima $1,594
El Paso, TX $3,193

A family of three spends $2,191 per month in Lima vs $4,257 in El Paso, TX, rent included.

Lima $2,191
El Paso, TX $4,257

Lima is about 53% cheaper than El Paso, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lima sits 26% below the global median, while El Paso, TX is 59% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.16

$18.73 $18.73

-76.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 120

$77.0 $77.0

-54.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.44

$12.19 $12.19

-43.89%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.22

$6.19 $6.19

-47.17%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.78

$2.30 $2.30

-52.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$1.54 $1.54

-57.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.85

$5.87 $5.87

-56.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.34

$6.61 $6.61

-32.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.46

$0.87 $0.87

82.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$3.01 $3.01

-14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.65

$2.45 $2.45

-44.49%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.11

$3.61 $3.61

-18.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.19

$11.94 $11.94

-23.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.91

$11.76 $11.76

-50.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.68

$13.07 $13.07

-24.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.89

$3.59 $3.59

-44.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$1.48 $1.48

-27.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$2.58 $2.58

-46.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.06

$3.56 $3.56

-58.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.30

$2.16 $2.16

-55.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$2.80 $2.80

-69.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$1.76 $1.76

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.97

$1.58 $1.58

-44.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$9.43 $9.43

-37.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.21

$9.54 $9.54

-7.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.57

$2.09 $2.09

-8.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 10.98

$4.74 $4.74

-32.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.47 $1.47

-53.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

$48.29 $48.29

-44.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.06

$1.69 $1.69

125.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

$1.39 $1.39

46.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

$27.39 $27.39

-73.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.65

$0.96 $0.96

71.88%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

$36.7K $36.7K

-39.64%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

$24.7K $24.7K

3.72%

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

$73.0 PEN 250

$163 $163

-55.06%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.7

$70.4 $70.4

-76.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.6

$68.8 $68.8

-59.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

$18.42 $18.42

79.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

$8.56 $8.56

127.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.33

$12.05 $12.05

-38.67%

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

$182 PEN 624

$579 $579

-68.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

$6,916 $6,916

92.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 180

$47.02 $47.02

11.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 117

$36.19 $36.19

-5.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 287

$102 $102

-17.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 271

$174 $174

-54.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

$1,155 $1,155

-37.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

$890 $890

-61.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

$1,738 $1,738

-31.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

$1,480 $1,480

-57.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

$1,781 $1,781

37.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

$1,746 $1,746

-21.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

$3,336 $3,336

-80.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

6.51

37.33%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for El Paso, TX: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

El Paso, TX

$890 42.3% 162% $550

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

El Paso, TX

$329 15.6% 45.3% $103

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

El Paso, TX

$319 15.1% 157% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

El Paso, TX

$302 14.3% 158% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

El Paso, TX

$162 7.7% 44% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

El Paso, TX

$43 2% 11.1% $5.3

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

El Paso, TX

$63 3% 44.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $723 in Lima versus $1,155 in El Paso, TX. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 411% higher in El Paso, TX, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Lima versus $77.0 in El Paso, TX. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $329 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇺🇸 El Paso, TX

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

04:07 4:07 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

678,815

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lima El Paso, TX 5,800 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
El Paso, 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 El Paso, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Paso, TX costs about 114% 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 $1,494 per month in Lima and $3,195 in El Paso, TX. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $996 in Lima and $2,130 in El Paso, TX. That's a gap of about 114%.

Public transport costs about 81% less in Lima. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $996, than in El Paso, TX at $2,130. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in El Paso, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lima costs $996 versus $2,130 in El Paso, TX. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Lima. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, El Paso, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.