Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Los Gatos, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $4,903 in Los Gatos, CA, rent and utilities included – about $46,700 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
236

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

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Los Gatos, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,903

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $4,903 in Los Gatos, CA.

Lima $1,012
Los Gatos, CA $4,903

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $7,295 in Los Gatos, CA.

Lima $1,589
Los Gatos, CA $7,295

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $9,686 in Los Gatos, CA.

Lima $2,167
Los Gatos, CA $9,686

Living in Lima costs roughly 79% less than in Los Gatos, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 25% below, Los Gatos, CA is 263% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$25.15 $25.15

-82.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$98.6 $98.6

-64.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$14.88 $14.88

-53.70%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$6.50 $6.50

-49.85%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$3.04 $3.04

-63.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$2.45 $2.45

-74.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$8.07 $8.07

-67.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$8.20 $8.20

-46.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.28 $1.28

27.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$4.41 $4.41

-41.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$4.80 $4.80

-71.88%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$6.56 $6.56

-55.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$24.81 $24.81

-64.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$11.69 $11.69

-48.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$13.00 $13.00

-24.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$5.58 $5.58

-63.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$3.10 $3.10

-65.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$4.86 $4.86

-72.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$5.70 $5.70

-73.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$3.39 $3.39

-74.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$3.88 $3.88

-76.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$3.06 $3.06

-70.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$2.72 $2.72

-66.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$7.36 $7.36

-19.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$12.81 $12.81

-33.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$2.15 $2.15

-12.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$2.55 $2.55

26.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$3.97 $3.97

-4.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$4.98 $4.98

-59.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.57 $1.57

9.55%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$30.2K $30.2K

-26.13%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$26.4K $26.4K

-3.42%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$374 $374

-80.49%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$58.0 $58.0

-71.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$61.8 $61.8

-55.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$147 $147

-78.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$17.05 $17.05

-58.65%

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

$182 PEN 627

$2,282 $2,282

-92.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$24.0K $24.0K

-45.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$52.0 $52.0

3.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$39.24 $39.24

-12.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$75.1 $75.1

10.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$60.3 $60.3

29.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$3,440 $3,440

-79.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$3,222 $3,222

-89.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$6,089 $6,089

-89.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$3,511 $3,511

-31.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

6.69

33.63%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Los Gatos, CA: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Los Gatos, CA

$3.2K 65.7% 838% $2.9K

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Los Gatos, CA

$473 9.6% 109% $247

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Los Gatos, CA

$403 8.2% 225% $279

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Los Gatos, CA

$494 10.1% 323% $377

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Los Gatos, CA

$102 2.1% 9.1% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Los Gatos, CA

$181 3.7% 293% $135

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Los Gatos, CA

$29 * 0.6% 33.6% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $3,440 in Los Gatos, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $99.0 in Los Gatos, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $473 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇺🇸 Los Gatos, CA

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

14:41 2:41 PM

2 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

30,222

💱 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 October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lima Los Gatos, CA 7,210 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Lima and Los Gatos, CA differ by about 385% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $4,903 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,518 in Lima and $7,355 in Los Gatos, CA to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Lima versus $3,440 in Los Gatos, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 109% higher in Los Gatos, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,012 per month in Lima versus $4,903 in Los Gatos, CA – a 385% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $4,903 in Los Gatos, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Los Gatos, 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.

Safety-wise, Lima and Los Gatos, CA are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 385% less than in Los Gatos, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.