Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Salem, OR

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $2,709 in Salem, OR, rent and utilities included – about $20,600 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
133

Cost of Living Index in Salem, OR
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Salem, OR Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Salem, OR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Salem, OR

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 Salem, OR actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $2,709 in Salem, OR.

Lima $996
Salem, OR $2,709

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $3,869 in Salem, OR.

Lima $1,594
Salem, OR $3,869

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $5,029 in Salem, OR.

Lima $2,191
Salem, OR $5,029

Living in Lima costs roughly 63% less than in Salem, OR, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 26% below, Salem, OR is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.16

$20.26 $20.26

-78.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 120

$95.5 $95.5

-63.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.44

$12.21 $12.21

-43.98%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.22

$4.56 $4.56

-28.29%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.78

$2.41 $2.41

-54.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$2.09 $2.09

-68.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.85

$4.99 $4.99

-48.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.34

$7.04 $7.04

-36.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.46

$1.12 $1.12

41.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$3.80 $3.80

-32.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.65

$4.01 $4.01

-66.08%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.11

$4.86 $4.86

-39.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.19

$14.52 $14.52

-37.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.91

$13.89 $13.89

-58.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.68

$18.41 $18.41

-46.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.89

$4.83 $4.83

-58.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$1.81 $1.81

-40.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$3.95 $3.95

-65.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.06

$3.98 $3.98

-62.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.30

$3.08 $3.08

-68.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$3.29 $3.29

-74.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$1.77 $1.77

-50.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.97

$2.11 $2.11

-58.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$13.30 $13.30

-55.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.21

$15.12 $15.12

-41.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.57

$1.69 $1.69

13.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 10.98

$3.00 $3.00

6.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$2.01 $2.01

-66.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

$45.46 $45.46

-41.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.06

$3.42 $3.42

11.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

$2.15 $2.15

-5.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

$49.81 $49.81

-85.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.65

$1.29 $1.29

27.91%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

$33.7K $33.7K

-34.18%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

$23.6K $23.6K

8.57%

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

$73.0 PEN 250

$218 $218

-66.50%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.7

$61.4 $61.4

-73.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.6

$97.6 $97.6

-71.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

$46.90 $46.90

-29.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.33

$14.88 $14.88

-50.34%

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

$182 PEN 624

$1,067 $1,067

-82.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

$16.4K $16.4K

-18.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 180

$55.4 $55.4

-5.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 117

$47.55 $47.55

-28.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 287

$83.6 $83.6

0.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 271

$78.9 $78.9

0.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

$1,520 $1,520

-52.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

$1,360 $1,360

-74.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

$2,351 $2,351

-49.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

$2,062 $2,062

-69.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

$3,015 $3,015

-18.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

$3,098 $3,098

-55.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

$3,730 $3,730

-82.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

6.59

35.66%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Salem, OR: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Salem, OR

$1.4K 49.9% 300% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Salem, OR

$416 15.3% 84% $190

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Salem, OR

$310 11.4% 150% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Salem, OR

$377 13.8% 223% $260

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Salem, OR

$119 4.4% 6.4% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Salem, OR

$77 2.8% 60.2% $29

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Salem, OR

$68 2.5% 55.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $1,520 in Salem, OR. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Salem, OR pays 472% 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 $95.0 in Salem, OR for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $416 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇺🇸 Salem, OR

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

01:22 1:22 AM

2 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

155,469

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Lima Salem, OR 7,840 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Salem, OR

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 Salem, OR: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Salem, OR differ by about 172% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $2,709 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 472% lower in Salem, OR. 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 $1,520 in Salem, OR. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $1,067 in Salem, OR. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 84% higher in Salem, OR. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $2,709 in Salem, OR, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Salem, OR. 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 172% less than in Salem, OR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.