Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surprise, AZ and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,305 in Surprise, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. The total is higher in Surprise, AZ despite lower rent and utilities.

63

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

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Surprise, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$1,305

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,305 in Surprise, AZ versus $996 in Lima.

Surprise, AZ $1,305
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,606 in Surprise, AZ versus $1,594 in Lima.

Surprise, AZ $3,606
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,906 in Surprise, AZ versus $2,191 in Lima.

Surprise, AZ $5,906
Lima $2,191

Living in Surprise, AZ is roughly 31% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Surprise, AZ 3% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.25 $20.25

$4.42 PEN 15.21

358.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.2 $84.2

$35.04 PEN 121

140.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.84 $12.84

$6.84 PEN 23.53

87.72%

Cappuccino

$6.01 $6.01

$3.27 PEN 11.26

83.79%

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

$2.65 $2.65

$1.10 PEN 3.80

140.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$0.65 PEN 2.23

278.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.20 $7.20

$2.58 PEN 8.88

179.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 $8.13

$4.47 PEN 15.39

81.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.59 PEN 5.48

-37.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.58 PEN 8.89

36.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$1.36 PEN 4.67

281.62%

Eggs

$4.73 $4.73

$2.95 PEN 10.15

60.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.40 $13.40

$9.10 PEN 31.30

47.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.30 $11.30

$5.81 PEN 19.99

94.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.80 $14.80

$9.83 PEN 33.81

50.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.01 PEN 6.92

129.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.08 PEN 3.70

79.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$1.37 PEN 4.72

183.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$1.48 PEN 5.08

184.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$0.96 PEN 3.32

165.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$0.85 PEN 2.93

238.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.88 PEN 3.03

142.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$0.87 PEN 2.98

149.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.66 $10.66

$5.90 PEN 20.31

80.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 $13.77

$8.81 PEN 30.31

56.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.92 PEN 6.59

30.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 $3.19

$3.20 PEN 11.02

-0.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 92.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.81 PEN 13.11

-26.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 $1.40

$2.04 PEN 7.03

-31.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$7.14 PEN 24.58

394.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-31.52%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

65.62%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

-1.43%

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

$197 $197

$73.0 PEN 251

169.67%

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

$62.6 $62.6

$16.26 PEN 56.0

285.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.8 $73.8

$27.60 PEN 95.0

167.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.8 $60.8

$33.07 PEN 114

83.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 67.1

Cinema Ticket

$13.16 $13.16

$7.39 PEN 25.42

78.08%

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

$1,090 $1,090

$182 PEN 626

499.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K $15.6K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

17.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 $56.0

$52.6 PEN 181

6.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$34.23 PEN 118

29.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 $99.9

$83.8 PEN 288

19.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$79.0 PEN 272

46.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,488

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,170

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,116 $2,116

$1,184 PEN 4,075

78.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,030 $3,030

$635 PEN 2,184

377.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,424

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,591 $1,591

$1,372 PEN 4,719

15.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,222 $4,222

$653 PEN 2,245

547.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.44

8.94

-27.96%

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

Last update for Surprise, AZ: October 4, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surprise, AZ

$392 29.9%

Lima

$226 22.4% 42.2% $165

Eating Out

Surprise, AZ

$345 26.4%

Lima

$124 12.3% 64.1% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surprise, AZ

$333 25.5%

Lima

$117 11.6% 64.9% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Surprise, AZ

$142 10.8%

Lima

$112 11.1% 20.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Surprise, AZ

$87 6.7%

Lima

$48 4.7% 45.1% $39

Getting Around

Surprise, AZ

$9.8 * 0.8%

Lima

$43 4.3% 343% $34

Accommodation & Living

Surprise, AZ

- * 0%

Lima

$340 33.6%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Surprise, AZ pays 547% 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: $84.0 in Surprise, AZ vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Surprise, AZ

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

02:45 2:45 AM

04:45 4:45 AM

2 h ahead of Surprise, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

143,148

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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Highest

Between locations

Surprise, AZ Lima 6,310 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Surprise, AZ
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

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

Surprise, AZ and Lima differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,305 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 547% higher in Surprise, AZ, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 73% higher in Surprise, AZ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,305 per month in Surprise, AZ versus $996 in Lima – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,305 in Surprise, AZ, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Surprise, 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 31% less than in Surprise, AZ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.