Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Provo, UT and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $2,265 in Provo, UT, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Provo, UT
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Provo, UT Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Provo, UT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,265

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,265 in Provo, UT versus $1,012 in Lima.

Provo, UT $2,265
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,353 in Provo, UT versus $1,589 in Lima.

Provo, UT $3,353
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,442 in Provo, UT versus $2,167 in Lima.

Provo, UT $4,442
Lima $2,167

Living in Provo, UT is roughly 124% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Provo, UT is 68% above, Lima is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 $19.09

$4.40 PEN 15.11

333.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 $81.4

$35.17 PEN 121

131.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.18 $10.18

$6.89 PEN 23.66

47.75%

Cappuccino

$5.27 $5.27

$3.26 PEN 11.21

61.66%

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

$1.97 $1.97

$1.12 PEN 3.84

75.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$0.62 PEN 2.11

191.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 $5.03

$2.65 PEN 9.10

89.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 $7.91

$4.41 PEN 15.16

79.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.63 PEN 5.62

-39.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.56 PEN 8.78

29.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$1.35 PEN 4.65

138.52%

Eggs

$3.97 $3.97

$2.90 PEN 9.96

36.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 $8.22

$8.85 PEN 30.40

-7.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.59 $5.59

$5.98 PEN 20.53

-6.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.04 $11.04

$9.78 PEN 33.62

12.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.05 PEN 7.03

103.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.06 PEN 3.66

35.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.35 PEN 4.64

105.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.50 PEN 5.16

90.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$0.88 PEN 3.03

250.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.92 PEN 3.15

111.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.89 PEN 3.07

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.90 PEN 3.11

203.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.29 $10.29

$5.90 PEN 20.29

74.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.32 $16.32

$8.52 PEN 29.28

91.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.88 PEN 6.45

54.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-5.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

$0.68 PEN 2.34

348.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.0 $85.0

$26.86 PEN 92.3

216.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.81 PEN 13.10

-9.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.94

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.04 $13.04

$7.11 PEN 24.43

83.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-40.70%

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

$33.0K $33.0K

$22.3K PEN 76.7K

47.83%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

0.94%

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

$129 $129

$73.1 PEN 251

76.43%

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

$44.50 $44.50

$16.35 PEN 56.2

172.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.2 $62.2

$27.47 PEN 94.4

126.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.08 $22.08

$31.90 PEN 110

-30.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.26 $20.26

$19.41 PEN 66.7

4.38%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 $11.20

$7.05 PEN 24.24

58.87%

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

$920 $920

$182 PEN 627

403.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.72 $47.72

$53.8 PEN 185

-11.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$34.32 PEN 118

60.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.4 $65.4

$82.8 PEN 285

-21.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 $78.4

$78.2 PEN 269

0.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 $1,388

$721 PEN 2,478

92.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,152 $1,152

$343 PEN 1,180

235.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,862 $1,862

$1,219 PEN 4,189

52.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 $1,870

$651 PEN 2,236

187.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,395 $2,395

$2,414 PEN 8,297

-0.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,385 $2,385

$1,357 PEN 4,663

75.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,571 $3,571

$648 PEN 2,227

451.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.19

8.94

-19.57%

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

Last update for Provo, UT: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Provo, UT

$1.2K 50.9%

Lima

$343 33.9% 70.2% $808

Groceries & Markets

Provo, UT

$319 14.1%

Lima

$226 22.3% 29.1% $93

Eating Out

Provo, UT

$303 13.4%

Lima

$124 12.3% 59% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Provo, UT

$236 10.4%

Lima

$117 11.6% 50.4% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Provo, UT

$111 4.9%

Lima

$112 11.1% 1% $1.2

Getting Around

Provo, UT

$101 * 4.4%

Lima

$43 4.3% 56.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Provo, UT

$44 2%

Lima

$46 4.6% 3.4% $1.5

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 $1,388 in Provo, UT and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Provo, UT pays 451% 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: $81.0 in Provo, UT vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $319 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Provo, UT

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

06:23 6:23 AM

1 h ahead of Provo, UT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,162

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 16, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Provo, UT Lima 6,820 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Provo, UT
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

Provo, UT vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Provo, UT and Lima differ by about 124% in total monthly costs ($2,265 vs $1,012 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 451% higher in Provo, UT, 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: $1,388 in Provo, UT versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $920 in Provo, UT 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 41% higher in Provo, UT. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $2,265 in Provo, UT, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Provo, UT. 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, Provo, UT 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 124% less than in Provo, UT. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.