Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merrillville, IN and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $2,725 in Merrillville, IN, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Merrillville, IN
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Merrillville, IN Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Merrillville, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,725

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,725 in Merrillville, IN versus $1,042 in Lima.

Merrillville, IN $2,725
Lima $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,722 in Merrillville, IN versus $1,651 in Lima.

Merrillville, IN $3,722
Lima $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,719 in Merrillville, IN versus $2,259 in Lima.

Merrillville, IN $4,719
Lima $2,259

Living in Merrillville, IN is roughly 161% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Merrillville, IN is 102% above, Lima is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.29 $15.29

$4.64 PEN 15.95

229.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 $55.2

$34.34 PEN 118

60.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 $9.14

$7.01 PEN 24.12

30.39%

Cappuccino

$1.98 $1.98

$3.22 PEN 11.09

-38.51%

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

$1.49 $1.49

$1.13 PEN 3.90

31.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$0.61 PEN 2.09

280.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.93 PEN 10.07

52.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 $6.13

$4.25 PEN 14.63

44.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-51.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.61 PEN 8.98

18.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$1.30 PEN 4.46

253.85%

Eggs

$4.61 $4.61

$2.92 PEN 10.04

57.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.23 $11.23

$9.54 PEN 32.82

17.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 $9.28

$5.71 PEN 19.66

62.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.61 $21.61

$9.47 PEN 32.57

128.19%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$2.01 PEN 6.91

198.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.02 PEN 3.52

6.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.45 PEN 4.99

213.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$1.49 PEN 5.14

267.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$0.91 PEN 3.14

309.89%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$0.89 PEN 3.07

391.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.86 PEN 2.97

176.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.89 PEN 3.05

38.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.43 $11.43

$5.47 PEN 18.83

108.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.82 $11.82

$10.17 PEN 34.99

16.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.81 PEN 6.21

11.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 $3.56

$3.15 PEN 10.83

13.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.66 PEN 2.28

168.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.1 $67.1

$31.89 PEN 110

110.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.43 PEN 11.79

48.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-8.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.04 $49.04

$9.60 PEN 33.03

410.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-42.69%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$21.9K PEN 75.2K

25.16%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$29.0K PEN 99.9K

-8.61%

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

$258 $258

$65.8 PEN 227

292.50%

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

$55.0 $55.0

$15.26 PEN 52.5

260.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 $55.2

$26.87 PEN 92.5

105.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.74 $36.74

$32.91 PEN 113

11.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.2

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 $15.02

$7.12 PEN 24.49

110.96%

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

$1,347 $1,347

$309 PEN 1,063

335.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K $15.9K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

-25.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 $54.4

$52.0 PEN 179

4.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.53 $40.53

$35.69 PEN 123

13.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$81.8 PEN 281

30.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 $93.8

$78.0 PEN 268

20.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,753 $1,753

$727 PEN 2,501

141.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,457 $1,457

$373 PEN 1,284

290.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,325 $2,325

$1,249 PEN 4,296

86.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,052 $2,052

$739 PEN 2,543

177.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,169 $3,169

$2,380 PEN 8,190

33.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,247 $2,247

$1,365 PEN 4,696

64.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 PEN 2,237

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

8.38

-20.53%

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

Last update for Merrillville, IN: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merrillville, IN

$1.5K 53.5%

Lima

$373 35.8% 74.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Merrillville, IN

$387 14.2%

Lima

$228 21.9% 41.1% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merrillville, IN

$369 13.5%

Lima

$108 10.4% 70.7% $261

Eating Out

Merrillville, IN

$223 8.2%

Lima

$127 12.2% 43.2% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Merrillville, IN

$133 4.9%

Lima

$111 10.7% 16.3% $22

Getting Around

Merrillville, IN

$88 3.2%

Lima

$48 4.6% 45.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Merrillville, IN

$67 2.5%

Lima

$47 4.5% 29.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,753 in Merrillville, IN and $727 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55 in Merrillville, IN vs $34 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $387 vs $228 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merrillville, IN

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

07:16 7:16 AM

08:16 8:16 AM

1 h ahead of Merrillville, IN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,444

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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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

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Between locations

Merrillville, IN Lima 6,050 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Merrillville, IN
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

Merrillville, IN vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,725 in Merrillville, IN and $1,042 in Lima, so Lima is about 62% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,087 in Merrillville, IN and $1,564 in Lima to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,753 in Merrillville, IN versus $727 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,347 in Merrillville, IN 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 70% higher in Merrillville, IN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,042 in Lima versus $2,725 in Merrillville, IN, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Merrillville, IN. 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 62% less than in Merrillville, IN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.