Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Angeles, CA and Lima

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.

203

Cost of Living Index in Los Angeles, CA
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Los Angeles, CA Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Los Angeles, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,259

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Los Angeles, CA $4,259
Lima $996

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

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

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

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

Living in Los Angeles, CA is roughly 328% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.00 $27.00

$4.42 PEN 15.21

510.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$35.04 PEN 121

248.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.98 $14.98

$6.84 PEN 23.52

119.01%

Cappuccino

$5.84 $5.84

$3.27 PEN 11.26

78.59%

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

$3.77 $3.77

$1.10 PEN 3.80

242.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$0.65 PEN 2.23

310.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.58 PEN 8.88

212.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.84 $9.84

$4.47 PEN 15.39

120.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.59 PEN 5.48

-18.24%

White Bread (500g)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.58 PEN 8.89

87.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$1.36 PEN 4.67

229.41%

Eggs

$6.14 $6.14

$2.95 PEN 10.14

108.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.32 $11.32

$9.10 PEN 31.30

24.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.78 $15.78

$5.81 PEN 19.98

171.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.94 $19.94

$9.83 PEN 33.80

102.85%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$2.01 PEN 6.92

160.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.08 PEN 3.70

115.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$1.37 PEN 4.71

242.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$1.48 PEN 5.08

281.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$0.96 PEN 3.32

241.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$0.85 PEN 2.93

238.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$0.88 PEN 3.03

138.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.87 PEN 2.98

180.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.78 $12.78

$5.90 PEN 20.31

116.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$8.81 PEN 30.31

70.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.92 PEN 6.59

54.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.20 PEN 11.02

-12.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.68 PEN 2.33

163.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 $104

$26.74 PEN 92.0

288.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.81 PEN 13.10

-19.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$2.04 PEN 7.02

-7.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.58 $31.58

$7.14 PEN 24.57

342.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-1.82%

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

$37.7K $37.7K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

69.86%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

2.60%

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

$288 $288

$73.0 PEN 251

294.21%

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

$77.9 $77.9

$16.26 PEN 55.9

379.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.5 $80.5

$27.60 PEN 94.9

191.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.2 $74.2

$33.07 PEN 114

124.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 $11.90

$19.49 PEN 67.1

-38.94%

Cinema Ticket

$19.79 $19.79

$7.39 PEN 25.41

167.79%

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

$1,678 $1,678

$182 PEN 626

821.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K $31.9K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

139.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.3 $91.3

$52.6 PEN 181

73.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.7 $65.7

$34.23 PEN 118

91.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$83.8 PEN 288

44.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$206 $206

$79.0 PEN 272

160.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,545 $2,545

$723 PEN 2,488

251.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,443 $2,443

$340 PEN 1,170

618.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,518 $5,518

$1,184 PEN 4,074

365.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,275 $4,275

$635 PEN 2,183

573.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,211 $7,211

$2,449 PEN 8,423

194.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,930 $6,930

$1,372 PEN 4,718

405.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,173 $4,173

$653 PEN 2,245

539.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

8.94

-23.27%

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

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Los Angeles, CA

$2.4K 57.8%

Lima

$340 33.6% 86.1% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Los Angeles, CA

$467 11.1%

Lima

$226 22.4% 51.6% $241

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Angeles, CA

$446 10.6%

Lima

$117 11.6% 73.8% $329

Eating Out

Los Angeles, CA

$417 9.9%

Lima

$124 12.3% 70.2% $293

Clothing & Footwear

Los Angeles, CA

$218 5.2%

Lima

$112 11.1% 48.4% $106

Getting Around

Los Angeles, CA

$124 2.9%

Lima

$43 4.3% 64.8% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Los Angeles, CA

$114 2.7%

Lima

$48 4.7% 57.9% $66

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,545 in Los Angeles, CA and $723 in Lima. 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: $122 in Los Angeles, CA vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $467 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Angeles, CA

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

00:24 12:24 AM

02:24 2:24 AM

2 h ahead of Los Angeles, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,030,904

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 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 Angeles, CA Lima 6,730 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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

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

Average pay runs 539% higher in Los Angeles, CA, 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: $2,545 in Los Angeles, CA versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,678 in Los Angeles, CA versus $182 in Lima. 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.