Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Los Angeles, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $4,259 in Los Angeles, CA, rent and utilities included – about $39,200 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
203

Cost of Living Index in Los Angeles, CA
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Los Angeles, CA Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Los Angeles, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,259

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $4,259 in Los Angeles, CA.

Lima $996
Los Angeles, CA $4,259

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $6,260 in Los Angeles, CA.

Lima $1,594
Los Angeles, CA $6,260

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $8,260 in Los Angeles, CA.

Lima $2,191
Los Angeles, CA $8,260

Living in Lima costs roughly 77% less than in Los Angeles, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 26% below, Los Angeles, CA is 218% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.21

$27.00 $27.00

-83.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 121

$122 $122

-71.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.52

$14.98 $14.98

-54.34%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.26

$5.84 $5.84

-44.01%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.80

$3.77 $3.77

-70.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.23

$2.67 $2.67

-75.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.88

$8.05 $8.05

-67.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.39

$9.84 $9.84

-54.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.48

$1.30 $1.30

22.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.89

$4.84 $4.84

-46.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.67

$4.48 $4.48

-69.64%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.14

$6.14 $6.14

-51.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.30

$11.32 $11.32

-19.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.98

$15.78 $15.78

-63.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.80

$19.94 $19.94

-50.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.92

$5.24 $5.24

-61.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.70

$2.33 $2.33

-53.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.71

$4.69 $4.69

-70.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.08

$5.65 $5.65

-73.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.32

$3.28 $3.28

-70.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.93

$2.88 $2.88

-70.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$2.10 $2.10

-58.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.98

$2.44 $2.44

-64.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.31

$12.78 $12.78

-53.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.31

$15.05 $15.05

-41.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.59

$2.96 $2.96

-35.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 11.02

$2.81 $2.81

13.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.79 $1.79

-62.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 92.0

$104 $104

-74.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.10

$3.08 $3.08

23.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.02

$1.88 $1.88

8.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.57

$31.58 $31.58

-77.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.67

$1.62 $1.62

1.85%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

$37.7K $37.7K

-41.13%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

$26.3K $26.3K

-2.53%

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

$73.0 PEN 251

$288 $288

-74.63%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.9

$77.9 $77.9

-79.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.9

$80.5 $80.5

-65.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 114

$74.2 $74.2

-55.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 67.1

$11.90 $11.90

63.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.41

$19.79 $19.79

-62.66%

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

$182 PEN 626

$1,678 $1,678

-89.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

$31.9K $31.9K

-58.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 181

$91.3 $91.3

-42.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 118

$65.7 $65.7

-47.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 288

$121 $121

-30.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 272

$206 $206

-61.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,488

$2,545 $2,545

-71.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,170

$2,443 $2,443

-86.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,074

$5,518 $5,518

-78.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,183

$4,275 $4,275

-85.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,423

$7,211 $7,211

-66.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,718

$6,930 $6,930

-80.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,245

$4,173 $4,173

-84.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

6.86

30.32%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Los Angeles, CA: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Los Angeles, CA

$2.4K 57.8% 618% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Los Angeles, CA

$467 11.1% 107% $241

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Los Angeles, CA

$417 9.9% 236% $293

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Los Angeles, CA

$446 10.6% 282% $329

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Los Angeles, CA

$218 5.2% 93.9% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Los Angeles, CA

$114 2.7% 138% $66

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Los Angeles, CA

$124 2.9% 184% $80

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $2,545 in Los Angeles, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Angeles, CA pays 539% 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 $122 in Los Angeles, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $467 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇺🇸 Los Angeles, CA

🕒 Local time

05:10 5:10 AM

03:10 3:10 AM

2 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

4,030,904

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 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 = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 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 Los Angeles, CA 6,730 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Los Angeles, 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 Los Angeles, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Los Angeles, CA differ by about 328% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $4,259 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 539% lower in Los Angeles, 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: $723 in Lima versus $2,545 in Los Angeles, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $1,678 in Los Angeles, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 106% higher in Los Angeles, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $4,259 in Los Angeles, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Los Angeles, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 328% less than in Los Angeles, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.