Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Lake Charles, LA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $2,251 in Lake Charles, LA, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 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
108

Cost of Living Index in Lake Charles, LA
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Lake Charles, LA Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Lake Charles, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,251

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Lake Charles, LA

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 Lake Charles, LA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,042 per month in Lima vs $2,251 in Lake Charles, LA, rent included.

Lima $1,042
Lake Charles, LA $2,251

A couple spends around $1,651 per month in Lima vs $3,199 in Lake Charles, LA, rent included.

Lima $1,651
Lake Charles, LA $3,199

A family of three spends $2,259 per month in Lima vs $4,146 in Lake Charles, LA, rent included.

Lima $2,259
Lake Charles, LA $4,146

Lima is about 54% cheaper than Lake Charles, LA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lima sits 23% below the global median, while Lake Charles, LA is 67% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 PEN 15.95

$26.56 $26.56

-82.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.34 PEN 118

$70.1 $70.1

-51.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 PEN 24.12

$11.13 $11.13

-37.02%

Cappuccino

$3.22 PEN 11.09

$5.34 $5.34

-39.70%

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

$1.13 PEN 3.90

$1.96 $1.96

-42.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 PEN 2.09

$1.23 $1.23

-50.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 PEN 10.08

$5.06 $5.06

-42.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 PEN 14.63

$6.17 $6.17

-31.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.44

$1.38 $1.38

14.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 PEN 8.98

$4.16 $4.16

-37.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 PEN 4.47

$6.17 $6.17

-78.93%

Eggs

$2.92 PEN 10.05

$5.36 $5.36

-45.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 PEN 32.82

$15.33 $15.33

-37.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.71 PEN 19.66

$10.11 $10.11

-43.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.47 PEN 32.58

$15.42 $15.42

-38.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.91

$4.41 $4.41

-54.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 PEN 3.52

$1.28 $1.28

-20.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 PEN 4.99

$1.99 $1.99

-27.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 PEN 5.14

$5.72 $5.72

-73.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$4.44 $4.44

-79.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$2.23 $2.23

-60.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 PEN 2.97

$2.28 $2.28

-62.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.06

$2.57 $2.57

-65.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 PEN 18.83

$8.40 $8.40

-34.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 PEN 35.00

$16.61 $16.61

-38.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 PEN 6.21

$2.53 $2.53

-28.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 PEN 10.84

$3.84 $3.84

-17.97%

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

$3.44 $3.44

-0.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 PEN 6.80

$1.47 $1.47

34.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.60 PEN 33.04

$35.52 $35.52

-72.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 PEN 5.89

$0.82 $0.82

108.54%

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

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

$33.0K $33.0K

-33.68%

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

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

$27.0K $27.0K

7.56%

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

$65.8 PEN 227

$262 $262

-74.91%

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

$15.26 PEN 52.5

$70.9 $70.9

-78.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.87 PEN 92.5

$58.3 $58.3

-53.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.91 PEN 113

$31.86 $31.86

3.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.2

$14.05 $14.05

43.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 PEN 24.49

$12.09 $12.09

-41.11%

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

$309 PEN 1,064

$1,513 $1,513

-79.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

$23.8K $23.8K

-10.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 PEN 179

$25.37 $25.37

104.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.69 PEN 123

$43.29 $43.29

-17.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.8 PEN 281

$60.5 $60.5

35.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.0 PEN 268

$119 $119

-34.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 PEN 2,501

$1,026 $1,026

-29.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 PEN 1,284

$899 $899

-58.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 PEN 4,297

$1,459 $1,459

-14.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 PEN 2,544

$1,240 $1,240

-40.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,380 PEN 8,191

$1,397 $1,397

70.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,365 PEN 4,697

$1,367 $1,367

-0.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 PEN 2,238

$3,504 $3,504

-81.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.38

6.73

24.52%

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

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Last update for Lake Charles, LA: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$373 35.8%

Lake Charles, LA

$899 39.9% 141% $526

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$228 21.9%

Lake Charles, LA

$422 18.7% 84.9% $194

Eating Out

Lima

$127 12.2%

Lake Charles, LA

$360 16% 184% $233

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$111 10.7%

Lake Charles, LA

$112 5% 0.2% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$108 10.4%

Lake Charles, LA

$392 17.4% 263% $284

Getting Around

Lima

$48 4.6%

Lake Charles, LA

$11 * 0.5% 77.4% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$47 4.5%

Lake Charles, LA

$56 2.5% 18.9% $8.9

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 $1,026 in Lake Charles, LA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lake Charles, LA are about 5.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Lima versus $70 in Lake Charles, LA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $228 vs $422 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇺🇸 Lake Charles, LA

🕒 Local time

23:32 11:32 PM

22:32 10:32 PM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

84,872

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 USD = 0.891 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 = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Lake Charles, LA 5,010 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Lake Charles, LA

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 Lake Charles, LA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lake Charles, LA costs about 116% 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 $3,377 in Lake Charles, LA. 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 $1,026 in Lake Charles, LA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,042 in Lima and $2,251 in Lake Charles, LA. That makes Lima about 54% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $309 per month in Lima and $1,513 in Lake Charles, LA. 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 $1,042, than in Lake Charles, LA at $2,251. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lake Charles, LA 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.

If budget matters most, go with Lima. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lake Charles, LA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.