Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Louis, MO and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $2,638 in St. Louis, MO, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in St. Louis, MO
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St. Louis, MO Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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St. Louis, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,638

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,638 in St. Louis, MO versus $1,042 in Lima.

St. Louis, MO $2,638
Lima $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,840 in St. Louis, MO versus $1,651 in Lima.

St. Louis, MO $3,840
Lima $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,042 in St. Louis, MO versus $2,259 in Lima.

St. Louis, MO $5,042
Lima $2,259

Living in St. Louis, MO 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: St. Louis, MO is 95% above, Lima is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.72 $18.72

$4.64 PEN 15.95

303.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$34.34 PEN 118

121.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.18 $11.18

$7.01 PEN 24.12

59.49%

Cappuccino

$5.23 $5.23

$3.22 PEN 11.09

62.42%

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

$2.50 $2.50

$1.13 PEN 3.90

121.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.61 PEN 2.09

222.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.95 $5.95

$2.93 PEN 10.07

103.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 $7.09

$4.25 PEN 14.63

66.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-37.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 $3.49

$2.61 PEN 8.98

33.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.30 PEN 4.46

236.15%

Eggs

$4.08 $4.08

$2.92 PEN 10.04

39.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.37 $12.37

$9.54 PEN 32.82

29.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.65 $11.65

$5.71 PEN 19.66

104.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 $15.22

$9.47 PEN 32.57

60.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$2.01 PEN 6.91

142.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.02 PEN 3.52

53.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.45 PEN 4.99

197.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$1.49 PEN 5.14

209.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$0.91 PEN 3.14

214.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$0.89 PEN 3.07

208.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.86 PEN 2.97

136.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$0.89 PEN 3.05

135.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.45 $9.45

$5.47 PEN 18.83

72.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 $14.04

$10.17 PEN 34.99

38.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.81 PEN 6.21

1.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.15 PEN 10.83

6.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 $2.01

$0.66 PEN 2.28

204.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.0 $59.0

$31.89 PEN 110

84.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 $3.59

$3.43 PEN 11.79

4.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-20.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.61 $29.61

$9.60 PEN 33.03

208.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-47.95%

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

$29.8K $29.8K

$21.9K PEN 75.2K

36.19%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$29.0K PEN 99.9K

-12.23%

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

$184 $184

$65.8 PEN 227

179.80%

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

$53.0 $53.0

$15.26 PEN 52.5

247.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.7 $68.7

$26.87 PEN 92.5

155.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.51 $43.51

$32.91 PEN 113

32.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.2

Cinema Ticket

$13.76 $13.76

$7.12 PEN 24.49

93.26%

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

$1,306 $1,306

$309 PEN 1,063

322.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.4K $23.4K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

9.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$52.0 PEN 179

-1.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.43 $39.43

$35.69 PEN 123

10.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 $88.3

$81.8 PEN 281

7.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$78.0 PEN 268

42.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 $1,632

$727 PEN 2,501

124.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 $1,359

$373 PEN 1,284

264.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,666 $2,666

$1,249 PEN 4,296

113.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,206 $2,206

$739 PEN 2,543

198.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,748 $2,748

$2,380 PEN 8,190

15.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,492 $2,492

$1,365 PEN 4,696

82.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 PEN 2,237

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.38

-22.32%

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

Last update for St. Louis, MO: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Louis, MO

$1.4K 51.5%

Lima

$373 35.8% 72.6% $986

Groceries & Markets

St. Louis, MO

$385 14.6%

Lima

$228 21.9% 40.8% $157

Eating Out

St. Louis, MO

$308 11.7%

Lima

$127 12.2% 58.8% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Louis, MO

$306 11.6%

Lima

$108 10.4% 64.7% $198

Clothing & Footwear

St. Louis, MO

$130 4.9%

Lima

$111 10.7% 14.5% $19

Getting Around

St. Louis, MO

$79 3%

Lima

$48 4.6% 39.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

St. Louis, MO

$71 2.7%

Lima

$47 4.5% 33.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,632 in St. Louis, MO and $727 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $76 in St. Louis, MO vs $34 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $228 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 St. Louis, MO

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

14:44 2:44 PM

15:44 3:44 PM

1 h ahead of St. Louis, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

301,578

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 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 = 0.895 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

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St. Louis, MO Lima 5,800 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

St. Louis, MO vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,638 in St. Louis, MO 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 $3,957 in St. Louis, MO 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: $1,632 in St. Louis, MO versus $727 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,306 in St. Louis, MO 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 69% higher in St. Louis, MO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,042 in Lima versus $2,638 in St. Louis, MO, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in St. Louis, MO. 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 St. Louis, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.