Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Missoula, MT and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,014 a month against $2,576 in Missoula, MT, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Missoula, MT
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Missoula, MT Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Missoula, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,576

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,576 in Missoula, MT versus $1,014 in Lima.

Missoula, MT $2,576
Lima $1,014

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,184 in Missoula, MT versus $1,613 in Lima.

Missoula, MT $4,184
Lima $1,613

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,793 in Missoula, MT versus $2,211 in Lima.

Missoula, MT $5,793
Lima $2,211

Living in Missoula, MT is roughly 154% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Missoula, MT is 90% above, Lima is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.75 $16.75

$4.42 PEN 15.19

278.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 $74.1

$34.56 PEN 119

114.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 $9.74

$6.80 PEN 23.37

43.24%

Cappuccino

$4.33 $4.33

$3.30 PEN 11.34

31.21%

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

$3.20 $3.20

$1.06 PEN 3.64

201.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$0.66 PEN 2.26

265.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.03 $6.03

$2.54 PEN 8.71

137.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 $6.08

$4.24 PEN 14.55

43.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.58 PEN 5.43

-29.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.35 $3.35

$2.61 PEN 8.97

28.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$1.34 PEN 4.60

269.40%

Eggs

$4.36 $4.36

$2.93 PEN 10.08

48.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.90 $24.90

$9.45 PEN 32.45

163.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.93 $9.93

$5.75 PEN 19.75

72.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.07 $19.07

$9.69 PEN 33.29

96.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.02 PEN 6.95

143.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.07 PEN 3.66

36.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.47 $6.47

$1.37 PEN 4.70

372.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$1.47 PEN 5.05

163.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$0.95 PEN 3.25

157.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$0.91 PEN 3.14

221.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 $2.48

$0.90 PEN 3.10

175.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.95 $3.95

$0.89 PEN 3.04

343.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.44 $10.44

$5.74 PEN 19.71

81.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.89 $24.89

$9.21 PEN 31.64

170.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.84 PEN 6.31

7.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 $4.37

$3.11 PEN 10.67

40.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 PEN 2.46

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.03 PEN 89.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.54 PEN 12.17

38.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.07 PEN 7.12

135.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.14 $40.14

$7.75 PEN 26.62

417.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.71 PEN 5.86

-37.43%

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

$32.8K $32.8K

$21.6K PEN 74.1K

52.00%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

-14.59%

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

$136 $136

$68.2 PEN 234

100.07%

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

$52.8 $52.8

$15.73 PEN 54.0

235.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.6 $69.6

$26.48 PEN 90.9

162.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.8 $59.8

$33.94 PEN 117

76.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.06 $22.06

$20.10 PEN 69.0

9.75%

Cinema Ticket

$13.54 $13.54

$7.22 PEN 24.80

87.53%

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

$2,026 $2,026

$201 PEN 689

909.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K $13.8K

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

6.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.2 $65.2

$53.7 PEN 184

21.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.23 $43.23

$35.88 PEN 123

20.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$83.8 PEN 288

23.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 $149

$78.8 PEN 271

89.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 $1,592

$729 PEN 2,505

118.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 $1,277

$349 PEN 1,197

266.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,091 $3,091

$1,186 PEN 4,073

160.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,856 $2,856

$696 PEN 2,391

310.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,924 $3,924

$2,360 PEN 8,105

66.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,564 $3,564

$1,356 PEN 4,657

162.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,506 $3,506

$663 PEN 2,278

428.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.84

8.78

-22.10%

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

Last update for Missoula, MT: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Missoula, MT

$1.3K 49.6%

Lima

$349 34.4% 72.7% $929

Groceries & Markets

Missoula, MT

$481 18.7%

Lima

$227 22.4% 52.8% $254

Eating Out

Missoula, MT

$280 10.9%

Lima

$123 12.2% 55.9% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Missoula, MT

$259 10%

Lima

$110 10.9% 57.3% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Missoula, MT

$162 6.3%

Lima

$113 11.2% 30.1% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Missoula, MT

$87 3.4%

Lima

$48 4.8% 44.3% $38

Getting Around

Missoula, MT

$29 * 1.1%

Lima

$43 4.2% 46.3% $14

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 $1,592 in Missoula, MT and $729 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Missoula, MT pays 429% 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: $74.0 in Missoula, MT vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $481 vs $227 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Missoula, MT

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

03:02 3:02 AM

1 h ahead of Missoula, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,489

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 22, 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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Missoula, MT Lima 7,510 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Missoula, MT
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

Missoula, MT vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Missoula, MT and Lima differ by about 154% in total monthly costs ($2,576 vs $1,014 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 429% higher in Missoula, MT, 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: $1,592 in Missoula, MT versus $729 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 112% higher in Missoula, MT. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,576 per month in Missoula, MT versus $1,014 in Lima – a 154% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,014 in Lima versus $2,576 in Missoula, MT, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Missoula, MT. 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.

Safety-wise, Missoula, MT and Lima are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 154% less than in Missoula, MT. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.