Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Dimas, CA and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $2,562 in San Dimas, CA, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in San Dimas, CA
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San Dimas, CA Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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San Dimas, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,562

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,562 in San Dimas, CA versus $996 in Lima.

San Dimas, CA $2,562
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,689 in San Dimas, CA versus $1,594 in Lima.

San Dimas, CA $3,689
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,816 in San Dimas, CA versus $2,191 in Lima.

San Dimas, CA $4,816
Lima $2,191

Living in San Dimas, CA is roughly 157% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Dimas, CA is 91% above, Lima is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.15 $12.15

$4.42 PEN 15.21

174.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.7 $50.7

$35.04 PEN 121

44.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.15 $9.15

$6.84 PEN 23.53

33.77%

Cappuccino

$5.85 $5.85

$3.27 PEN 11.26

78.90%

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

$3.42 $3.42

$1.10 PEN 3.80

210.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.65 PEN 2.23

266.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.58 $7.58

$2.58 PEN 8.88

193.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.08 $8.08

$4.47 PEN 15.39

80.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.59 PEN 5.48

-34.59%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.58 PEN 8.89

55.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$1.36 PEN 4.67

256.62%

Eggs

$4.65 $4.65

$2.95 PEN 10.15

57.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 $12.87

$9.10 PEN 31.30

41.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.05 $20.05

$5.81 PEN 19.99

245.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 $15.40

$9.83 PEN 33.81

56.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.01 PEN 6.92

144.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.08 PEN 3.70

54.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$1.37 PEN 4.72

298.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.91 $5.91

$1.48 PEN 5.08

299.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$0.96 PEN 3.32

288.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$0.85 PEN 2.93

171.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.88 PEN 3.03

130.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$0.87 PEN 2.98

120.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.86 $11.86

$5.90 PEN 20.31

101.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.21 $15.21

$8.81 PEN 30.31

72.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.92 PEN 6.59

3.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 $4.26

$3.20 PEN 11.02

33.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 $2.00

$0.68 PEN 2.33

194.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 92.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 $6.21

$3.81 PEN 13.11

62.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.04 PEN 7.03

-16.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.65 $33.65

$7.14 PEN 24.58

371.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-7.88%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

64.95%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

6.96%

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

$170 $170

$73.0 PEN 251

133.09%

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

$66.2 $66.2

$16.26 PEN 56.0

307.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.5 $60.5

$27.60 PEN 95.0

119.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.71 $41.71

$33.07 PEN 114

26.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 67.1

Cinema Ticket

$14.96 $14.96

$7.39 PEN 25.42

102.44%

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

$1,917 $1,917

$182 PEN 626

953.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K $25.6K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

92.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 $58.4

$52.6 PEN 181

11.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.64 $39.64

$34.23 PEN 118

15.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.2 $93.2

$83.8 PEN 288

11.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$79.0 PEN 272

82.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,593 $1,593

$723 PEN 2,488

120.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 $1,470

$340 PEN 1,170

332.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,483 $2,483

$1,184 PEN 4,075

109.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,341 $2,341

$635 PEN 2,184

268.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,666 $2,666

$2,449 PEN 8,424

8.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 $2,437

$1,372 PEN 4,719

77.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,989 $3,989

$653 PEN 2,245

511.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

8.94

-28.52%

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

Last update for San Dimas, CA: 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

San Dimas, CA

$1.5K 53.6%

Lima

$340 33.6% 76.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

San Dimas, CA

$455 16.6%

Lima

$226 22.4% 50.3% $229

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Dimas, CA

$297 10.8%

Lima

$117 11.6% 60.6% $180

Eating Out

San Dimas, CA

$272 9.9%

Lima

$124 12.3% 54.4% $148

Clothing & Footwear

San Dimas, CA

$151 5.5%

Lima

$112 11.1% 25.7% $39

Sport & Entertainment

San Dimas, CA

$72 2.6%

Lima

$48 4.7% 33.2% $24

Getting Around

San Dimas, CA

$23 * 0.8%

Lima

$43 4.3% 91.1% $21

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 $1,593 in San Dimas, CA and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Dimas, CA pays 511% 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: $51.0 in San Dimas, CA vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $455 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Dimas, CA

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

20:41 8:41 PM

22:41 10:41 PM

2 h ahead of San Dimas, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,714

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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 12, 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

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Between locations

San Dimas, CA Lima 6,700 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

San Dimas, 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

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

San Dimas, CA and Lima differ by about 157% in total monthly costs ($2,562 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 511% higher in San Dimas, 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: $1,593 in San Dimas, CA versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 101% higher in San Dimas, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,562 per month in San Dimas, CA versus $996 in Lima – a 157% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $996 in Lima versus $2,562 in San Dimas, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in San Dimas, 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.

Safety-wise, San Dimas, CA 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 157% less than in San Dimas, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.