Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Alamos, NM and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,065 in Los Alamos, NM, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. The total is higher in Los Alamos, NM despite lower rent and utilities.

52

Cost of Living Index in Los Alamos, NM
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Los Alamos, NM Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Los Alamos, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$1,065

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Los Alamos, NM and in Lima

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Los Alamos, NM and in Lima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,065 in Los Alamos, NM versus $1,012 in Lima.

Los Alamos, NM $1,065
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,652 in Los Alamos, NM versus $1,589 in Lima.

Los Alamos, NM $1,652
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,240 in Los Alamos, NM versus $2,167 in Lima.

Los Alamos, NM $2,240
Lima $2,167

Living in Los Alamos, NM is roughly 5% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Los Alamos, NM 21% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 $17.10

$4.40 PEN 15.10

288.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.29 $40.29

$35.17 PEN 121

14.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.04 $10.04

$6.89 PEN 23.65

45.72%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$3.26 PEN 11.20

51.84%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$1.12 PEN 3.84

119.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 $1.48

$0.62 PEN 2.11

138.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.94 $5.94

$2.65 PEN 9.09

124.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 $7.17

$4.41 PEN 15.15

62.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-44.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.56 PEN 8.78

-11.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.35 PEN 4.65

226.67%

Eggs

$4.03 $4.03

$2.90 PEN 9.96

38.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.61 $11.61

$8.85 PEN 30.38

31.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 $9.55

$5.98 PEN 20.52

59.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.69 $17.69

$9.78 PEN 33.59

80.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.05 PEN 7.02

134.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.06 PEN 3.66

33.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.35 PEN 4.64

111.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.50 PEN 5.15

201.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$0.88 PEN 3.03

23.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$0.92 PEN 3.15

255.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.89 PEN 3.07

121.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 $0.49

$0.90 PEN 3.10

-45.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.54 $10.54

$5.90 PEN 20.27

78.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.91 $13.91

$8.52 PEN 29.26

63.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.88 PEN 6.45

26.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.22 PEN 11.05

9.94%

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)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-7.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-2.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.94 $31.94

$7.11 PEN 24.41

349.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-45.93%

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

$30.7K $30.7K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

37.73%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

-3.90%

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

$158 $158

$73.1 PEN 251

115.70%

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

$40.32 $40.32

$16.35 PEN 56.2

146.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.6 $72.6

$27.47 PEN 94.3

164.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$13.21 $13.21

$7.05 PEN 24.23

87.38%

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

$1,490 $1,490

$182 PEN 627

716.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K $25.4K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

94.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.08 $20.08

$53.8 PEN 185

-62.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.91 $43.91

$34.32 PEN 118

27.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$82.8 PEN 284

27.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$78.2 PEN 269

53.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 $1,078

$721 PEN 2,476

49.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,930 $1,930

$1,219 PEN 4,186

58.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,277 $3,277

$2,414 PEN 8,292

35.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,380 $3,380

$1,357 PEN 4,660

149.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,229 $8,229

$648 PEN 2,226

1169.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.94

-26.51%

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

Last update for Los Alamos, NM: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Los Alamos, NM

$338 31.7%

Lima

$226 22.3% 33.1% $112

Eating Out

Los Alamos, NM

$286 26.9%

Lima

$124 12.3% 56.7% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Alamos, NM

$271 25.4%

Lima

$117 11.6% 56.8% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Los Alamos, NM

$130 12.3%

Lima

$112 11.1% 14% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Los Alamos, NM

$26 * 2.5%

Lima

$46 4.6% 74.2% $20

Getting Around

Los Alamos, NM

$13 * 1.3%

Lima

$43 4.3% 225% $30

Accommodation & Living

Los Alamos, NM

- * 0%

Lima

$343 33.9%

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 $1,078 in Los Alamos, NM and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Alamos, NM pays 1170% 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: $40.00 in Los Alamos, NM vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $338 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Alamos, NM

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

07:23 7:23 AM

1 h ahead of Los Alamos, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,179

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Los Alamos, NM Lima 6,150 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Los Alamos, NM
Lima

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

Los Alamos, NM vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Los Alamos, NM and Lima differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,065 vs $1,012 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1170% higher in Los Alamos, NM, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,078 in Los Alamos, NM versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Los Alamos, NM. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,065 per month in Los Alamos, NM versus $1,012 in Lima – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,065 in Los Alamos, NM, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Los Alamos, NM. 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 5% less than in Los Alamos, NM. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.