Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Modesto, CA and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $2,634 in Modesto, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Modesto, CA
Learn more

Modesto, CA Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Modesto, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,634

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,634 in Modesto, CA versus $996 in Lima.

Modesto, CA $2,634
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,994 in Modesto, CA versus $1,594 in Lima.

Modesto, CA $3,994
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,354 in Modesto, CA versus $2,191 in Lima.

Modesto, CA $5,354
Lima $2,191

Living in Modesto, CA is roughly 164% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Modesto, CA is 97% above, Lima is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.85 $14.85

$4.42 PEN 15.16

235.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.9 $78.9

$35.04 PEN 120

125.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.02 $9.02

$6.84 PEN 23.44

31.87%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$3.27 PEN 11.22

70.03%

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

$2.57 $2.57

$1.10 PEN 3.78

133.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$0.65 PEN 2.22

152.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.01 $5.01

$2.58 PEN 8.85

94.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 $7.16

$4.47 PEN 15.34

60.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.59 PEN 5.46

-30.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.58 PEN 8.86

37.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.36 PEN 4.65

210.29%

Eggs

$5.55 $5.55

$2.95 PEN 10.11

88.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.00 $13.00

$9.10 PEN 31.19

42.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.57 $13.57

$5.81 PEN 19.91

133.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.45 $19.45

$9.83 PEN 33.68

97.86%

Apples (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$2.01 PEN 6.89

168.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.08 PEN 3.69

78.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$1.37 PEN 4.70

290.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.38 $5.38

$1.48 PEN 5.06

263.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$0.96 PEN 3.30

275.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$0.85 PEN 2.92

242.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.88 PEN 3.02

177.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$0.87 PEN 2.97

182.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.69 $11.69

$5.90 PEN 20.24

98.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 $14.74

$8.81 PEN 30.20

67.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.92 PEN 6.57

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.20 PEN 10.98

2.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.68 PEN 2.33

186.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.63 $40.63

$26.74 PEN 91.7

51.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 $3.47

$3.81 PEN 13.06

-8.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.04 PEN 7.00

49.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.63 $29.63

$7.14 PEN 24.49

314.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.65 PEN 5.65

-15.15%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

63.07%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

0.34%

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

$262 $262

$73.0 PEN 250

259.17%

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

$47.75 $47.75

$16.26 PEN 55.7

193.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.4 $69.4

$27.60 PEN 94.6

151.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.66 $41.66

$33.07 PEN 113

25.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.14 $15.14

$19.49 PEN 66.8

-22.32%

Cinema Ticket

$10.81 $10.81

$7.39 PEN 25.32

46.28%

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

$1,792 $1,792

$182 PEN 624

884.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.5K $40.5K

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

204.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.10 $48.10

$52.6 PEN 180

-8.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.40 $39.40

$34.23 PEN 117

15.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.5 $94.5

$83.8 PEN 287

12.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$79.0 PEN 271

51.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,425 $1,425

$723 PEN 2,479

97.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 $1,293

$340 PEN 1,166

280.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,438 $2,438

$1,184 PEN 4,060

105.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,403 $2,403

$635 PEN 2,176

278.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,151 $3,151

$2,449 PEN 8,393

28.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,185 $3,185

$1,372 PEN 4,701

132.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,038 $4,038

$653 PEN 2,237

518.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

8.94

-31.77%

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

Last update for Modesto, CA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Modesto, CA

$1.3K 48.9%

Lima

$340 33.6% 73.7% $953

Groceries & Markets

Modesto, CA

$439 16.6%

Lima

$226 22.4% 48.5% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Modesto, CA

$380 14.3%

Lima

$117 11.6% 69.2% $263

Eating Out

Modesto, CA

$269 10.2%

Lima

$124 12.3% 53.9% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Modesto, CA

$136 5.1%

Lima

$112 11.1% 17.3% $24

Getting Around

Modesto, CA

$67 2.5%

Lima

$43 4.3% 35.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Modesto, CA

$63 2.4%

Lima

$48 4.7% 24.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,425 in Modesto, CA and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Modesto, CA pays 519% 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: $79.0 in Modesto, CA vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $439 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Modesto, CA

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

05:44 5:44 AM

07:44 7:44 AM

2 h ahead of Modesto, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

211,266

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Modesto, CA Lima 7,180 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Modesto, 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

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

Modesto, CA and Lima differ by about 164% in total monthly costs ($2,634 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 519% higher in Modesto, 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: $1,425 in Modesto, CA versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,792 in Modesto, 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 94% higher in Modesto, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $2,634 in Modesto, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Modesto, 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 164% less than in Modesto, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.