Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scottsdale, AZ and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $2,911 in Scottsdale, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $22,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Scottsdale, AZ
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Scottsdale, AZ Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Scottsdale, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,911

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,911 in Scottsdale, AZ versus $1,012 in Lima.

Scottsdale, AZ $2,911
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,339 in Scottsdale, AZ versus $1,589 in Lima.

Scottsdale, AZ $4,339
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,767 in Scottsdale, AZ versus $2,167 in Lima.

Scottsdale, AZ $5,767
Lima $2,167

Living in Scottsdale, AZ is roughly 188% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Scottsdale, AZ is 116% above, Lima is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.63 $19.63

$4.40 PEN 15.10

346.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.9 $85.9

$35.17 PEN 121

144.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.83 $12.83

$6.89 PEN 23.65

86.21%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$3.26 PEN 11.20

63.19%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$1.12 PEN 3.84

162.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.62 PEN 2.11

283.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 $6.10

$2.65 PEN 9.09

130.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 $7.88

$4.41 PEN 15.15

78.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-38.04%

White Bread (500g)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.56 PEN 8.78

58.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$1.35 PEN 4.65

268.15%

Eggs

$4.49 $4.49

$2.90 PEN 9.96

54.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.68 $13.68

$8.85 PEN 30.38

54.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.21 $11.21

$5.98 PEN 20.52

87.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 $17.13

$9.78 PEN 33.59

75.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.05 PEN 7.02

114.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.06 PEN 3.66

76.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$1.35 PEN 4.64

179.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$1.50 PEN 5.15

177.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$0.88 PEN 3.03

222.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$0.92 PEN 3.15

205.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 $2.12

$0.89 PEN 3.07

138.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.90 PEN 3.10

192.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.65 $10.65

$5.90 PEN 20.27

80.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 $13.49

$8.52 PEN 29.26

58.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.88 PEN 6.45

32.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.22 PEN 11.05

3.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 $2.26

$0.68 PEN 2.33

232.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.51 $42.51

$26.86 PEN 92.2

58.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 $2.77

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-27.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-33.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.81 $35.81

$7.11 PEN 24.41

403.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-30.81%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

64.26%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

-0.40%

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

$200 $200

$73.1 PEN 251

174.11%

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

$63.7 $63.7

$16.35 PEN 56.2

289.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.2 $75.2

$27.47 PEN 94.3

173.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.23 $34.23

$31.90 PEN 110

7.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.04 $10.04

$19.41 PEN 66.7

-48.27%

Cinema Ticket

$13.71 $13.71

$7.05 PEN 24.23

94.47%

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

$1,238 $1,238

$182 PEN 627

578.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K $20.2K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

54.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 $54.9

$53.8 PEN 185

2.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.13 $43.13

$34.32 PEN 118

25.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 $99.2

$82.8 PEN 284

19.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$78.2 PEN 269

69.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,387 $2,387

$721 PEN 2,476

231.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 $1,567

$343 PEN 1,179

356.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,230 $3,230

$1,219 PEN 4,186

165.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,760 $2,760

$651 PEN 2,235

324.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,759 $3,759

$2,414 PEN 8,292

55.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,744 $4,744

$1,357 PEN 4,660

249.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,671 $5,671

$648 PEN 2,226

775.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

8.94

-25.95%

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

Last update for Scottsdale, AZ: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scottsdale, AZ

$1.6K 53.8%

Lima

$343 33.9% 78.1% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Scottsdale, AZ

$406 14%

Lima

$226 22.3% 44.4% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scottsdale, AZ

$339 11.7%

Lima

$117 11.6% 65.5% $222

Eating Out

Scottsdale, AZ

$327 11.2%

Lima

$124 12.3% 62.1% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Scottsdale, AZ

$149 5.1%

Lima

$112 11.1% 24.5% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Scottsdale, AZ

$62 2.1%

Lima

$46 4.6% 25.4% $16

Getting Around

Scottsdale, AZ

$61 2.1%

Lima

$43 4.3% 28.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,387 in Scottsdale, AZ and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Scottsdale, AZ pays 775% 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: $86.0 in Scottsdale, AZ vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Scottsdale, AZ

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

14:32 2:32 PM

2 h ahead of Scottsdale, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,361

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 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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Scottsdale, AZ Lima 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Scottsdale, AZ
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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

Scottsdale, AZ vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Scottsdale, AZ and Lima differ by about 188% in total monthly costs ($2,911 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 775% higher in Scottsdale, AZ, 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: $2,387 in Scottsdale, AZ versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,238 in Scottsdale, AZ 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 80% higher in Scottsdale, AZ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $2,911 in Scottsdale, AZ, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Scottsdale, AZ. 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 188% less than in Scottsdale, AZ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.