Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merced, CA and Lima

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.

123

Cost of Living Index in Merced, CA
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Merced, CA Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Merced, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,528

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Merced, CA is roughly 150% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 $17.30

$4.40 PEN 15.10

293.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.53 $39.53

$35.17 PEN 121

12.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.13 $12.13

$6.89 PEN 23.65

76.05%

Cappuccino

$5.67 $5.67

$3.26 PEN 11.20

73.93%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$1.12 PEN 3.84

120.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$0.62 PEN 2.11

137.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.15 $9.15

$2.65 PEN 9.09

245.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.14 $10.14

$4.41 PEN 15.15

129.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-23.93%

White Bread (500g)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.56 PEN 8.78

69.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$1.35 PEN 4.65

209.63%

Eggs

$5.69 $5.69

$2.90 PEN 9.96

96.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.30 $19.30

$8.85 PEN 30.38

118.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.22 $14.22

$5.98 PEN 20.52

137.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.62 $21.62

$9.78 PEN 33.59

121.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$2.05 PEN 7.02

117.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.06 PEN 3.66

91.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$1.35 PEN 4.64

300.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$1.50 PEN 5.15

257.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$0.88 PEN 3.03

296.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$0.92 PEN 3.15

221.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.89 PEN 3.07

174.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$0.90 PEN 3.10

185.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.89 $11.89

$5.90 PEN 20.27

101.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.78 $15.78

$8.52 PEN 29.26

85.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.88 PEN 6.45

28.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$3.22 PEN 11.05

5.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.68 PEN 2.33

119.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.9 $59.9

$26.86 PEN 92.2

122.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-19.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-17.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.51 $26.51

$7.11 PEN 24.41

272.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-23.26%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

66.98%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

1.03%

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

$237 $237

$73.1 PEN 251

224.96%

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

$29.93 $29.93

$16.35 PEN 56.2

83.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.7 $82.7

$27.47 PEN 94.3

200.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.75 $32.75

$31.90 PEN 110

2.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.11 $14.11

$19.41 PEN 66.7

-27.31%

Cinema Ticket

$16.87 $16.87

$7.05 PEN 24.23

139.29%

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

$1,851 $1,851

$182 PEN 627

914.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.5K $40.5K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

210.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 $59.9

$53.8 PEN 185

11.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 $50.7

$34.32 PEN 118

47.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 $100.0

$82.8 PEN 284

20.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$78.2 PEN 269

52.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,638 $1,638

$721 PEN 2,476

127.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,082 $1,082

$343 PEN 1,179

215.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,012 $2,012

$1,219 PEN 4,186

65.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,905 $1,905

$651 PEN 2,235

192.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,890 $2,890

$2,414 PEN 8,292

19.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,896 $2,896

$1,357 PEN 4,660

113.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,329 $3,329

$648 PEN 2,226

413.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

8.94

-28.86%

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

Last update for Merced, CA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merced, CA

$1.1K 42.8%

Lima

$343 33.9% 68.3% $739

Groceries & Markets

Merced, CA

$479 19%

Lima

$226 22.3% 52.9% $253

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merced, CA

$350 13.9%

Lima

$117 11.6% 66.6% $233

Eating Out

Merced, CA

$325 12.8%

Lima

$124 12.3% 61.8% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Merced, CA

$149 5.9%

Lima

$112 11.1% 24.5% $36

Getting Around

Merced, CA

$77 3.1%

Lima

$43 4.3% 43.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Merced, CA

$66 2.6%

Lima

$46 4.6% 30.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,638 in Merced, CA and $721 in Lima. 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: $40.00 in Merced, CA vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $479 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merced, CA

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

02:57 2:57 AM

04:57 4:57 AM

2 h ahead of Merced, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,316

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

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).

PEN to USD in detail →

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

From you

Merced, 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

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

Merced, CA and Lima differ by about 150% in total monthly costs ($2,528 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 414% higher in Merced, 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: $1,638 in Merced, CA versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,851 in Merced, 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 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.