Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Meridian, MS and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $2,675 in Meridian, MS, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Meridian, MS
Learn more

Meridian, MS Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Meridian, MS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,675

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,675 in Meridian, MS versus $1,042 in Lima.

Meridian, MS $2,675
Lima $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,974 in Meridian, MS versus $1,651 in Lima.

Meridian, MS $3,974
Lima $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,273 in Meridian, MS versus $2,259 in Lima.

Meridian, MS $5,273
Lima $2,259

Living in Meridian, MS is roughly 157% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Meridian, MS is 98% above, Lima is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.23 $26.23

$4.64 PEN 15.95

465.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 $105

$34.34 PEN 118

206.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 $10.38

$7.01 PEN 24.12

48.07%

Cappuccino

$4.08 $4.08

$3.22 PEN 11.09

26.71%

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

$2.30 $2.30

$1.13 PEN 3.90

103.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.61 PEN 2.09

245.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 $5.85

$2.93 PEN 10.08

99.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.12 $8.12

$4.25 PEN 14.63

91.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-42.41%

White Bread (500g)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.61 PEN 8.98

59.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.30 PEN 4.47

55.38%

Eggs

$3.88 $3.88

$2.92 PEN 10.05

32.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.29 $15.29

$9.54 PEN 32.82

60.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.66 $8.66

$5.71 PEN 19.66

51.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 $15.37

$9.47 PEN 32.58

62.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.01 PEN 6.91

48.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.02 PEN 3.52

4.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.45 PEN 4.99

92.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$1.49 PEN 5.14

191.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.91 PEN 3.14

117.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$0.89 PEN 3.07

253.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 $2.12

$0.86 PEN 2.97

146.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$0.89 PEN 3.06

198.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.95 $8.95

$5.47 PEN 18.83

63.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.60 $16.60

$10.17 PEN 35.00

63.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.81 PEN 6.21

42.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 $3.91

$3.15 PEN 10.84

24.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.10 $2.10

$0.66 PEN 2.28

218.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.5 $53.5

$31.89 PEN 110

67.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$3.43 PEN 11.79

4.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-26.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.67 $34.67

$9.60 PEN 33.04

261.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-46.20%

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

$33.4K $33.4K

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

52.95%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

-7.70%

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

$264 $264

$65.8 PEN 227

300.67%

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

$71.3 $71.3

$15.26 PEN 52.5

367.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.3 $74.3

$26.87 PEN 92.5

176.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.32 $42.32

$32.91 PEN 113

28.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.2

Cinema Ticket

$12.52 $12.52

$7.12 PEN 24.49

75.84%

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

$596 $596

$309 PEN 1,064

92.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K $24.1K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

12.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 $56.4

$52.0 PEN 179

8.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.70 $42.70

$35.69 PEN 123

19.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 $87.9

$81.8 PEN 281

7.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$78.0 PEN 268

52.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 $1,554

$727 PEN 2,501

113.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,264 $1,264

$373 PEN 1,284

238.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,579 $2,579

$1,249 PEN 4,297

106.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 $2,112

$739 PEN 2,544

185.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,858 $2,858

$2,380 PEN 8,191

20.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,681 $2,681

$1,365 PEN 4,697

96.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,203 $4,203

$650 PEN 2,238

546.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.73

8.38

-19.69%

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

Last update for Meridian, MS: November 3, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Meridian, MS

$1.3K 47.3%

Lima

$373 35.8% 70.5% $891

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Meridian, MS

$409 15.3%

Lima

$108 10.4% 73.6% $301

Groceries & Markets

Meridian, MS

$370 13.9%

Lima

$228 21.9% 38.4% $142

Eating Out

Meridian, MS

$353 13.2%

Lima

$127 12.2% 64% $226

Clothing & Footwear

Meridian, MS

$138 5.2%

Lima

$111 10.7% 19.2% $26

Getting Around

Meridian, MS

$73 2.7%

Lima

$48 4.6% 34.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Meridian, MS

$67 2.5%

Lima

$47 4.5% 30% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,554 in Meridian, MS and $727 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Meridian, MS pays about 6.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $105 in Meridian, MS vs $34 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $370 vs $228 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Meridian, MS

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

22:45 10:45 PM

23:45 11:45 PM

1 h ahead of Meridian, MS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,200

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 6, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Meridian, MS Lima 5,090 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Meridian, MS
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

Meridian, MS vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,675 in Meridian, MS and $1,042 in Lima, so Lima is about 61% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Meridian, MS is about 6.5 times higher, 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: $1,554 in Meridian, MS versus $727 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $596 in Meridian, MS versus $309 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Meridian, MS. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,042 in Lima versus $2,675 in Meridian, MS, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Meridian, MS. 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 61% less than in Meridian, MS. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.