Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sterling and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $2,818 in Sterling, rent and utilities included – about $21,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Sterling
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Sterling Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Sterling

🇺🇸 United States

$2,818

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,818 in Sterling versus $1,042 in Lima.

Sterling $2,818
Lima $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,310 in Sterling versus $1,651 in Lima.

Sterling $4,310
Lima $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,802 in Sterling versus $2,259 in Lima.

Sterling $5,802
Lima $2,259

Living in Sterling is roughly 170% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sterling is 108% above, Lima is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 $19.31

$4.64 PEN 15.95

316.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 $74.1

$34.34 PEN 118

115.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.39 $12.39

$7.01 PEN 24.12

76.75%

Cappuccino

$6.08 $6.08

$3.22 PEN 11.09

88.82%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$1.13 PEN 3.90

161.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$0.61 PEN 2.09

332.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 $5.65

$2.93 PEN 10.08

92.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.02 $8.02

$4.25 PEN 14.63

88.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-32.91%

White Bread (500g)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.61 PEN 8.98

54.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$1.30 PEN 4.47

304.62%

Eggs

$5.58 $5.58

$2.92 PEN 10.05

91.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 $16.94

$9.54 PEN 32.82

77.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.42 $14.42

$5.71 PEN 19.66

152.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.73 $18.73

$9.47 PEN 32.58

97.78%

Apples (1kg)

$5.64 $5.64

$2.01 PEN 6.91

180.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.02 PEN 3.52

131.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$1.45 PEN 4.99

244.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$1.49 PEN 5.14

280.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$0.91 PEN 3.14

212.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$0.89 PEN 3.07

339.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$0.86 PEN 2.97

168.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$0.89 PEN 3.06

198.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 $10.06

$5.47 PEN 18.83

83.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.73 $13.73

$10.17 PEN 35.00

35.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.81 PEN 6.21

29.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 $5.60

$3.15 PEN 10.84

77.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.89 $4.89

$0.66 PEN 2.28

640.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.89 PEN 110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 $3.95

$3.43 PEN 11.79

15.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-25.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.45 $24.45

$9.60 PEN 33.04

154.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-41.52%

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

$35.2K $35.2K

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

61.16%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

-9.99%

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

$152 $152

$65.8 PEN 227

130.26%

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

$50.8 $50.8

$15.26 PEN 52.5

232.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.3 $79.3

$26.87 PEN 92.5

195.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.55 $29.55

$32.91 PEN 113

-10.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.2

Cinema Ticket

$18.27 $18.27

$7.12 PEN 24.49

156.60%

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

$1,887 $1,887

$309 PEN 1,064

510.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K $27.9K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

30.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 $53.4

$52.0 PEN 179

2.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.51 $45.51

$35.69 PEN 123

27.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 $84.7

$81.8 PEN 281

3.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$78.0 PEN 268

36.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 $1,266

$727 PEN 2,501

74.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 $1,506

$373 PEN 1,284

303.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,003 $2,003

$1,249 PEN 4,297

60.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,849 $2,849

$739 PEN 2,544

285.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,276 $3,276

$2,380 PEN 8,191

37.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,327 $2,327

$1,365 PEN 4,697

70.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,692 $3,692

$650 PEN 2,238

467.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

8.38

-18.14%

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

Last update for Sterling: 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

Sterling

$1.5K 53.4%

Lima

$373 35.8% 75.2% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Sterling

$472 16.8%

Lima

$228 21.9% 51.7% $244

Eating Out

Sterling

$331 11.8%

Lima

$127 12.2% 61.7% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sterling

$282 10%

Lima

$108 10.4% 61.7% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Sterling

$131 4.6%

Lima

$111 10.7% 14.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Sterling

$66 2.3%

Lima

$47 4.5% 28.7% $19

Getting Around

Sterling

$31 * 1.1%

Lima

$48 4.6% 55% $17

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 $1,266 in Sterling and $727 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sterling pays about 5.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $74 in Sterling vs $34 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $472 vs $228 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sterling

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

03:44 3:44 AM

1 h ahead of Sterling

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,782

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 = 3.87 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sterling Lima 6,130 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sterling
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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

Sterling vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,818 in Sterling and $1,042 in Lima, so Lima is about 63% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Sterling is about 5.7 times higher, 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: $1,266 in Sterling versus $727 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 107% higher in Sterling. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,818 per month in Sterling versus $1,042 in Lima – Lima is about 63% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,042 in Lima versus $2,818 in Sterling, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Sterling. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Lima wins on affordability, Sterling on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.