Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tempe, AZ and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $2,880 in Tempe, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $22,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

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

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Tempe, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,880

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,880 in Tempe, AZ versus $1,012 in Lima.

Tempe, AZ $2,880
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,836 in Tempe, AZ versus $1,589 in Lima.

Tempe, AZ $3,836
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,792 in Tempe, AZ versus $2,167 in Lima.

Tempe, AZ $4,792
Lima $2,167

Living in Tempe, AZ is roughly 185% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tempe, AZ is 113% above, Lima is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.77 $19.77

$4.40 PEN 15.10

349.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.6 $81.6

$35.17 PEN 121

131.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.17 $13.17

$6.89 PEN 23.65

91.15%

Cappuccino

$5.25 $5.25

$3.26 PEN 11.20

61.04%

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

$3.10 $3.10

$1.12 PEN 3.84

176.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.62 PEN 2.11

293.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.01 $6.01

$2.65 PEN 9.09

126.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 $7.17

$4.41 PEN 15.15

62.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-40.49%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.56 PEN 8.78

64.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.19 $6.19

$1.35 PEN 4.65

358.52%

Eggs

$4.68 $4.68

$2.90 PEN 9.96

61.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 $13.65

$8.85 PEN 30.38

54.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.44 $13.44

$5.98 PEN 20.52

124.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$9.78 PEN 33.59

77.71%

Apples (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$2.05 PEN 7.02

160.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.06 PEN 3.66

85.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$1.35 PEN 4.64

205.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$1.50 PEN 5.15

230.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$0.88 PEN 3.03

187.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$0.92 PEN 3.15

225.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.89 PEN 3.07

149.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.90 PEN 3.10

152.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.89 $10.89

$5.90 PEN 20.27

84.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.65 $13.65

$8.52 PEN 29.26

60.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.88 PEN 6.45

28.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-2.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.68 PEN 2.33

185.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.4 $64.4

$26.86 PEN 92.2

139.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-25.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-32.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.42 $35.42

$7.11 PEN 24.41

398.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-31.98%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

64.67%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

1.05%

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

$240 $240

$73.1 PEN 251

228.99%

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

$61.4 $61.4

$16.35 PEN 56.2

275.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.0 $78.0

$27.47 PEN 94.3

183.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 $30.16

$31.90 PEN 110

-5.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.16 $15.16

$19.41 PEN 66.7

-21.90%

Cinema Ticket

$13.80 $13.80

$7.05 PEN 24.23

95.74%

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

$1,107 $1,107

$182 PEN 627

506.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K $15.4K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

17.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.6 $62.6

$53.8 PEN 185

16.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.61 $44.61

$34.32 PEN 118

29.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.4 $98.4

$82.8 PEN 284

18.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$78.2 PEN 269

43.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,894 $1,894

$721 PEN 2,476

162.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 $1,460

$343 PEN 1,179

325.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,543 $2,543

$1,219 PEN 4,186

108.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,683 $1,683

$651 PEN 2,235

158.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,960 $3,960

$648 PEN 2,226

511.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

8.94

-27.29%

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

Last update for Tempe, 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

Tempe, AZ

$1.5K 50.7%

Lima

$343 33.9% 76.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Tempe, AZ

$431 15%

Lima

$226 22.3% 47.5% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tempe, AZ

$380 13.2%

Lima

$117 11.6% 69.2% $263

Eating Out

Tempe, AZ

$327 11.4%

Lima

$124 12.3% 62.1% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Tempe, AZ

$143 5%

Lima

$112 11.1% 21.7% $31

Getting Around

Tempe, AZ

$82 2.8%

Lima

$43 4.3% 46.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Tempe, AZ

$58 2%

Lima

$46 4.6% 20.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,894 in Tempe, AZ and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tempe, AZ pays 511% 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: $82.0 in Tempe, AZ vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $431 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Tempe, AZ

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

11:39 11:39 AM

13:39 1:39 PM

2 h ahead of Tempe, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

161,719

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Tempe, AZ Lima 6,260 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Tempe, 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

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

Tempe, AZ and Lima differ by about 185% in total monthly costs ($2,880 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 511% higher in Tempe, 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: $1,894 in Tempe, AZ versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,107 in Tempe, 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 91% higher in Tempe, AZ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $2,880 in Tempe, AZ, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Tempe, 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 185% less than in Tempe, AZ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.