Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $49,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

245

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $5,142 in New York, NY versus $996 in Lima.

New York, NY $5,142
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,455 in New York, NY versus $1,594 in Lima.

New York, NY $7,455
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,767 in New York, NY versus $2,191 in Lima.

New York, NY $9,767
Lima $2,191

Living in New York, NY is roughly 416% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: New York, NY is 284% above, Lima is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.46 $26.46

$4.42 PEN 15.21

498.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$35.04 PEN 121

238.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.43 $14.43

$6.84 PEN 23.52

110.96%

Cappuccino

$6.55 $6.55

$3.27 PEN 11.26

100.31%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$1.10 PEN 3.80

249.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$0.65 PEN 2.23

361.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.27 $8.27

$2.58 PEN 8.88

220.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 $10.05

$4.47 PEN 15.39

124.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.59 PEN 5.48

-17.61%

White Bread (500g)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.58 PEN 8.89

89.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.16 $7.16

$1.36 PEN 4.67

426.47%

Eggs

$5.92 $5.92

$2.95 PEN 10.14

100.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 $19.06

$9.10 PEN 31.30

109.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$5.81 PEN 19.98

199.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 $18.94

$9.83 PEN 33.80

92.68%

Apples (1kg)

$6.96 $6.96

$2.01 PEN 6.92

246.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.08 PEN 3.70

92.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$1.37 PEN 4.71

345.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$1.48 PEN 5.08

369.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$0.96 PEN 3.32

314.58%

Onion (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$0.85 PEN 2.93

422.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 $2.81

$0.88 PEN 3.03

219.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$0.87 PEN 2.98

188.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.27 $19.27

$5.90 PEN 20.31

226.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.67 $19.67

$8.81 PEN 30.31

123.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.92 PEN 6.59

60.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.20 PEN 11.02

15.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.68 PEN 2.33

344.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

$26.74 PEN 92.0

421.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$3.81 PEN 13.10

-19.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.04 PEN 7.02

4.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$7.14 PEN 24.57

477.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-32.73%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

57.80%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

-1.05%

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

$217 $217

$73.0 PEN 251

197.77%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$16.26 PEN 55.9

355.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$27.60 PEN 94.9

162.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$33.07 PEN 114

264.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.9 $66.9

$19.49 PEN 67.1

243.20%

Cinema Ticket

$22.32 $22.32

$7.39 PEN 25.41

202.03%

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

$3,425 $3,425

$182 PEN 626

1781.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.2K $61.2K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

359.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 $76.3

$52.6 PEN 181

45.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 $55.5

$34.23 PEN 118

61.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$83.8 PEN 288

42.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$79.0 PEN 272

65.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,506 $4,506

$723 PEN 2,488

523.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,155 $3,155

$340 PEN 1,170

827.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,817 $8,817

$1,184 PEN 4,074

644.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,532 $5,532

$635 PEN 2,183

771.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

$2,449 PEN 8,423

691.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,754 $6,754

$1,372 PEN 4,718

392.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,290 $5,290

$653 PEN 2,245

710.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

8.94

-23.71%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 3, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2%

Lima

$340 33.6% 89.2% $2.8K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$546 11%

Lima

$226 22.4% 58.6% $320

Eating Out

New York, NY

$422 8.5%

Lima

$124 12.3% 70.6% $298

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.3%

Lima

$117 11.6% 67.9% $247

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.4%

Lima

$112 11.1% 34.6% $59

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Lima

$43 4.3% 73.7% $122

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Lima

$48 4.7% 71% $117

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $4,506 in New York, NY and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 711% 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: $119 in New York, NY vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $546 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

01:36 1:36 AM

00:36 12:36 AM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 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 →

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Between locations

New York, NY Lima 5,870 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
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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

New York, NY vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY and Lima differ by about 416% in total monthly costs ($5,142 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 711% higher in New York, NY, 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: $4,506 in New York, NY versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,425 in New York, NY 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 141% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $5,142 in New York, NY, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. 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 416% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.