Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tuscaloosa, AL and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $2,166 in Tuscaloosa, AL, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Tuscaloosa, AL
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Tuscaloosa, AL Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Tuscaloosa, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,166

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,166 in Tuscaloosa, AL versus $1,042 in Lima.

Tuscaloosa, AL $2,166
Lima $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,241 in Tuscaloosa, AL versus $1,651 in Lima.

Tuscaloosa, AL $3,241
Lima $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,315 in Tuscaloosa, AL versus $2,259 in Lima.

Tuscaloosa, AL $4,315
Lima $2,259

Living in Tuscaloosa, AL is roughly 108% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tuscaloosa, AL is 60% above, Lima is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.72 $17.72

$4.64 PEN 15.95

281.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 $73.0

$34.34 PEN 118

112.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.10 $9.10

$7.01 PEN 24.12

29.81%

Cappuccino

$5.38 $5.38

$3.22 PEN 11.09

67.08%

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

$2.36 $2.36

$1.13 PEN 3.90

108.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.61 PEN 2.09

170.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.99 $5.99

$2.93 PEN 10.07

104.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.97 $6.97

$4.25 PEN 14.63

64.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-31.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.61 PEN 8.98

38.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$1.30 PEN 4.46

206.92%

Eggs

$4.25 $4.25

$2.92 PEN 10.04

45.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.59 $12.59

$9.54 PEN 32.82

31.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.49 $14.49

$5.71 PEN 19.66

153.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 $13.07

$9.47 PEN 32.57

38.01%

Apples (1kg)

$6.52 $6.52

$2.01 PEN 6.91

224.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.02 PEN 3.52

55.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$10.81 $10.81

$1.45 PEN 4.99

645.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.93 $6.93

$1.49 PEN 5.14

365.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$0.91 PEN 3.14

210.99%

Onion (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$0.89 PEN 3.07

344.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 $2.62

$0.86 PEN 2.97

204.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$0.89 PEN 3.05

125.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.31 $8.31

$5.47 PEN 18.83

51.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.08 $17.08

$10.17 PEN 34.99

67.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.81 PEN 6.21

-1.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.15 PEN 10.83

61.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 PEN 2.28

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.89 PEN 110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.43 PEN 11.79

48.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-19.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.98 $29.98

$9.60 PEN 33.03

212.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-49.12%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$21.9K PEN 75.2K

30.07%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$29.0K PEN 99.9K

-9.62%

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

$154 $154

$65.8 PEN 227

134.16%

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

$55.2 $55.2

$15.26 PEN 52.5

261.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.6 $61.6

$26.87 PEN 92.5

129.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 $58.4

$32.91 PEN 113

77.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.41 $40.41

$20.12 PEN 69.2

100.84%

Cinema Ticket

$15.28 $15.28

$7.12 PEN 24.49

114.61%

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

$1,076 $1,076

$309 PEN 1,063

247.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K $17.4K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

-18.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.23 $41.23

$52.0 PEN 179

-20.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.87 $30.87

$35.69 PEN 123

-13.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.0 $55.0

$81.8 PEN 281

-32.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.0 $73.0

$78.0 PEN 268

-6.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 $1,238

$727 PEN 2,501

70.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$956 $956

$373 PEN 1,284

156.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,841 $2,841

$1,249 PEN 4,296

127.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,540 $1,540

$739 PEN 2,543

108.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,897 $1,897

$2,380 PEN 8,190

-20.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,880 $1,880

$1,365 PEN 4,696

37.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,429 $3,429

$650 PEN 2,237

427.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

8.38

-20.88%

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

Last update for Tuscaloosa, AL: 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

Tuscaloosa, AL

$956 44.1%

Lima

$373 35.8% 61% $583

Groceries & Markets

Tuscaloosa, AL

$454 20.9%

Lima

$228 21.9% 49.7% $226

Eating Out

Tuscaloosa, AL

$294 13.6%

Lima

$127 12.2% 56.8% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tuscaloosa, AL

$271 12.5%

Lima

$108 10.4% 60.1% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Tuscaloosa, AL

$90 4.2%

Lima

$111 10.7% 23.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Tuscaloosa, AL

$89 4.1%

Lima

$47 4.5% 47% $42

Getting Around

Tuscaloosa, AL

$13 * 0.6%

Lima

$48 4.6% 267% $35

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 $1,238 in Tuscaloosa, AL and $727 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tuscaloosa, AL pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $73 in Tuscaloosa, AL vs $34 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $454 vs $228 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Tuscaloosa, AL

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

10:34 10:34 AM

1 h ahead of Tuscaloosa, AL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

99,600

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 = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tuscaloosa, AL Lima 5,160 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tuscaloosa, AL
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

Tuscaloosa, AL vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,166 in Tuscaloosa, AL and $1,042 in Lima, so Lima is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Tuscaloosa, AL is about 5.3 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: $1,238 in Tuscaloosa, AL versus $727 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 99% higher in Tuscaloosa, AL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,166 per month in Tuscaloosa, AL versus $1,042 in Lima – Lima is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,042 in Lima versus $2,166 in Tuscaloosa, AL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Tuscaloosa, AL. 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, Tuscaloosa, AL on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.