Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $3,744 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $33,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

184

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,744

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,744 in Seattle, WA versus $996 in Lima.

Seattle, WA $3,744
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,703 in Seattle, WA versus $1,594 in Lima.

Seattle, WA $5,703
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,661 in Seattle, WA versus $2,191 in Lima.

Seattle, WA $7,661
Lima $2,191

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 276% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seattle, WA is 179% above, Lima is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.56 $24.56

$4.42 PEN 15.21

455.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.5 $99.5

$35.04 PEN 121

183.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.30 $15.30

$6.84 PEN 23.52

123.68%

Cappuccino

$6.62 $6.62

$3.27 PEN 11.26

102.45%

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

$3.25 $3.25

$1.10 PEN 3.80

195.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$0.65 PEN 2.23

378.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$2.58 PEN 8.88

201.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 $7.93

$4.47 PEN 15.39

77.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.59 PEN 5.48

-23.90%

White Bread (500g)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.58 PEN 8.89

91.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$1.36 PEN 4.67

353.68%

Eggs

$4.96 $4.96

$2.95 PEN 10.14

68.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.00 $19.00

$9.10 PEN 31.30

108.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$5.81 PEN 19.98

221.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.14 $23.14

$9.83 PEN 33.80

135.40%

Apples (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$2.01 PEN 6.92

195.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.08 PEN 3.70

79.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$1.37 PEN 4.71

278.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$1.48 PEN 5.08

342.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$0.96 PEN 3.32

277.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$0.85 PEN 2.93

271.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$0.88 PEN 3.03

230.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.87 PEN 2.98

173.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.36 $12.36

$5.90 PEN 20.31

109.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$8.81 PEN 30.31

70.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.30 $4.30

$1.92 PEN 6.59

123.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 $5.69

$3.20 PEN 11.02

77.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

$0.68 PEN 2.33

348.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 $109

$26.74 PEN 92.0

306.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$3.81 PEN 13.10

-30.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$2.04 PEN 7.02

-14.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.02 $30.02

$7.14 PEN 24.57

320.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-11.52%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

65.68%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

0.05%

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

$299 $299

$73.0 PEN 251

309.94%

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

$69.7 $69.7

$16.26 PEN 55.9

328.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.1 $90.1

$27.60 PEN 94.9

226.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.0 $80.0

$33.07 PEN 114

141.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.62 $35.62

$19.49 PEN 67.1

82.76%

Cinema Ticket

$17.33 $17.33

$7.39 PEN 25.41

134.51%

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

$2,986 $2,986

$182 PEN 626

1540.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

134.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.7 $77.7

$52.6 PEN 181

47.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 $54.9

$34.23 PEN 118

60.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$83.8 PEN 288

50.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 $165

$79.0 PEN 272

108.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$723 PEN 2,488

232.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 $1,963

$340 PEN 1,170

477.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,788 $4,788

$1,184 PEN 4,074

304.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,561 $3,561

$635 PEN 2,183

461.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,430 $7,430

$2,449 PEN 8,423

203.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 $5,010

$1,372 PEN 4,718

265.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,280 $6,280

$653 PEN 2,245

862.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

8.94

-23.38%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.6%

Lima

$340 33.6% 82.7% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$541 14.2%

Lima

$226 22.4% 58.2% $315

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$459 12.1%

Lima

$117 11.6% 74.5% $342

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$402 10.6%

Lima

$124 12.3% 69.1% $278

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$191 5%

Lima

$112 11.1% 41.1% $78

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5%

Lima

$43 4.3% 67.1% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$115 3%

Lima

$48 4.7% 58.3% $67

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,407 in Seattle, WA and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 862% 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: $99.0 in Seattle, WA vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $541 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

19:48 7:48 PM

21:48 9:48 PM

2 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

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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Seattle, WA Lima 8,000 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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

Seattle, WA vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seattle, WA and Lima differ by about 276% in total monthly costs ($3,744 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 862% higher in Seattle, WA, 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: $2,407 in Seattle, WA versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,986 in Seattle, WA 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 139% higher in Seattle, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $3,744 in Seattle, WA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. 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 276% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.