Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Merced, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $2,528 in Merced, CA, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Merced, CA
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Merced, CA Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Merced, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,528

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $2,528 in Merced, CA.

Lima $1,012
Merced, CA $2,528

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $3,698 in Merced, CA.

Lima $1,589
Merced, CA $3,698

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $4,868 in Merced, CA.

Lima $2,167
Merced, CA $4,868

Living in Lima costs roughly 60% less than in Merced, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 25% below, Merced, CA is 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$17.30 $17.30

-74.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$39.53 $39.53

-11.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$12.13 $12.13

-43.20%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$5.67 $5.67

-42.50%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$2.47 $2.47

-54.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.47 $1.47

-57.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$9.15 $9.15

-71.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$10.14 $10.14

-56.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.24 $1.24

31.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$4.33 $4.33

-40.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$4.18 $4.18

-67.70%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$5.69 $5.69

-49.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$19.30 $19.30

-54.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$14.22 $14.22

-57.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$21.62 $21.62

-54.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$4.45 $4.45

-53.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$2.03 $2.03

-47.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$5.41 $5.41

-75.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$5.36 $5.36

-72.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$3.49 $3.49

-74.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$2.96 $2.96

-68.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$2.44 $2.44

-63.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$2.57 $2.57

-64.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$11.89 $11.89

-50.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$15.78 $15.78

-46.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$2.42 $2.42

-22.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$3.41 $3.41

-5.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.49 $1.49

-54.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

$59.9 $59.9

-55.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$3.05 $3.05

24.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$1.66 $1.66

21.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$26.51 $26.51

-73.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.32 $1.32

30.30%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$37.3K $37.3K

-40.11%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$25.8K $25.8K

-1.02%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$237 $237

-69.23%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$29.93 $29.93

-45.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$82.7 $82.7

-66.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$32.75 $32.75

-2.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$14.11 $14.11

37.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$16.87 $16.87

-58.21%

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

$182 PEN 627

$1,851 $1,851

-90.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$40.5K $40.5K

-67.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$59.9 $59.9

-10.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$50.7 $50.7

-32.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$100.0 $100.0

-17.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$120 $120

-34.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$1,638 $1,638

-55.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$1,082 $1,082

-68.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$2,012 $2,012

-39.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$1,905 $1,905

-65.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$2,890 $2,890

-16.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$2,896 $2,896

-53.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$3,329 $3,329

-80.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

6.36

40.57%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Merced, CA: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Merced, CA

$1.1K 42.8% 215% $739

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Merced, CA

$479 19% 112% $253

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Merced, CA

$325 12.8% 162% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Merced, CA

$350 13.9% 200% $233

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Merced, CA

$149 5.9% 32.5% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Merced, CA

$66 2.6% 44.5% $20

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Merced, CA

$77 3.1% 77.5% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $1,638 in Merced, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Merced, CA pays 414% 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 $40.00 in Merced, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $479 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇺🇸 Merced, CA

🕒 Local time

10:30 10:30 AM

08:30 8:30 AM

2 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

83,316

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 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 = 0.889 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Merced, CA 7,120 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Merced, 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 Merced, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Merced, CA differ by about 150% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $2,528 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 414% lower in Merced, 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: $721 in Lima versus $1,638 in Merced, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $1,851 in Merced, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 112% higher in Merced, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $2,528 in Merced, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Merced, 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 150% less than in Merced, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.