Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rock Island, IL and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $2,637 in Rock Island, IL, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in Rock Island, IL
Learn more

Rock Island, IL Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Rock Island, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,637

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,637 in Rock Island, IL versus $1,042 in Lima.

Rock Island, IL $2,637
Lima $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,777 in Rock Island, IL versus $1,651 in Lima.

Rock Island, IL $3,777
Lima $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,917 in Rock Island, IL versus $2,259 in Lima.

Rock Island, IL $4,917
Lima $2,259

Living in Rock Island, IL is roughly 153% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rock Island, IL is 95% above, Lima is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.94 $19.94

$4.64 PEN 15.95

329.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.2 $63.2

$34.34 PEN 118

84.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.81 $12.81

$7.01 PEN 24.12

82.74%

Cappuccino

$5.68 $5.68

$3.22 PEN 11.09

76.40%

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

$3.16 $3.16

$1.13 PEN 3.90

179.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.61 PEN 2.09

304.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.67 $6.67

$2.93 PEN 10.07

127.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.41 $7.41

$4.25 PEN 14.63

74.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-38.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.61 PEN 8.98

27.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.30 PEN 4.46

222.31%

Eggs

$3.60 $3.60

$2.92 PEN 10.04

23.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.58 $14.58

$9.54 PEN 32.82

52.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.37 $12.37

$5.71 PEN 19.66

116.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.11 $20.11

$9.47 PEN 32.57

112.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$2.01 PEN 6.91

123.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.02 PEN 3.52

53.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$1.45 PEN 4.99

230.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$1.49 PEN 5.14

206.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$0.91 PEN 3.14

201.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$0.89 PEN 3.07

226.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.86 PEN 2.97

138.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$0.89 PEN 3.05

162.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.89 $10.89

$5.47 PEN 18.83

99.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.43 $15.43

$10.17 PEN 34.99

51.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.81 PEN 6.21

44.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.15 PEN 10.83

39.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 $1.81

$0.66 PEN 2.28

174.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.3 $68.3

$31.89 PEN 110

114.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.03 $4.03

$3.43 PEN 11.79

17.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.98 PEN 6.80

2.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.71 $43.71

$9.60 PEN 33.03

355.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-38.01%

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

$31.2K $31.2K

$21.9K PEN 75.2K

42.56%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$29.0K PEN 99.9K

-10.29%

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

$267 $267

$65.8 PEN 227

305.59%

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

$45.95 $45.95

$15.26 PEN 52.5

201.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.3 $81.3

$26.87 PEN 92.5

202.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.76 $35.76

$32.91 PEN 113

8.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.2

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 $14.74

$7.12 PEN 24.49

107.02%

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

$1,593 $1,593

$309 PEN 1,063

415.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K $21.0K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

-1.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 $62.9

$52.0 PEN 179

21.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.09 $47.09

$35.69 PEN 123

31.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 $111

$81.8 PEN 281

35.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$78.0 PEN 268

54.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 $1,592

$727 PEN 2,501

119.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 $1,180

$373 PEN 1,284

216.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,924 $2,924

$1,249 PEN 4,296

134.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,876 $1,876

$739 PEN 2,543

153.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,252 $3,252

$2,380 PEN 8,190

36.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,066 $2,066

$1,365 PEN 4,696

51.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 PEN 2,237

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

8.38

-18.74%

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

Last update for Rock Island, IL: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rock Island, IL

$1.2K 44.8%

Lima

$373 35.8% 68.4% $807

Groceries & Markets

Rock Island, IL

$417 15.8%

Lima

$228 21.9% 45.3% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rock Island, IL

$394 15%

Lima

$108 10.4% 72.6% $286

Eating Out

Rock Island, IL

$337 12.8%

Lima

$127 12.2% 62.3% $210

Clothing & Footwear

Rock Island, IL

$154 5.8%

Lima

$111 10.7% 27.6% $43

Getting Around

Rock Island, IL

$90 3.4%

Lima

$48 4.6% 46.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Rock Island, IL

$65 2.5%

Lima

$47 4.5% 27.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,592 in Rock Island, IL and $727 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $63 in Rock Island, IL vs $34 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $417 vs $228 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rock Island, IL

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

08:57 8:57 AM

1 h ahead of Rock Island, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,108

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rock Island, IL Lima 6,120 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rock Island, IL
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

Rock Island, IL vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,637 in Rock Island, IL and $1,042 in Lima, so Lima is about 60% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,956 in Rock Island, IL 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: $1,592 in Rock Island, IL versus $727 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,593 in Rock Island, IL 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 83% higher in Rock Island, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,042 in Lima versus $2,637 in Rock Island, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Rock Island, IL. 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 60% less than in Rock Island, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.