Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yelm, WA and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $2,432 in Yelm, WA, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Yelm, WA
Learn more

Yelm, WA Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Yelm, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,432

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,432 in Yelm, WA versus $996 in Lima.

Yelm, WA $2,432
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,568 in Yelm, WA versus $1,594 in Lima.

Yelm, WA $3,568
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,705 in Yelm, WA versus $2,191 in Lima.

Yelm, WA $4,705
Lima $2,191

Living in Yelm, WA is roughly 144% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Yelm, WA is 81% above, Lima is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.90 $19.90

$4.42 PEN 15.21

350.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.2 $64.2

$35.04 PEN 121

83.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.75 $12.75

$6.84 PEN 23.53

86.40%

Cappuccino

$5.43 $5.43

$3.27 PEN 11.26

66.06%

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

$2.93 $2.93

$1.10 PEN 3.80

166.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$0.65 PEN 2.23

149.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.52 $6.52

$2.58 PEN 8.88

152.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 $7.04

$4.47 PEN 15.39

57.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.59 PEN 5.48

-29.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.58 PEN 8.89

37.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 $3.19

$1.36 PEN 4.67

134.56%

Eggs

$5.27 $5.27

$2.95 PEN 10.15

78.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.47 $9.47

$9.10 PEN 31.30

4.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.41 $10.41

$5.81 PEN 19.99

79.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.33 $13.33

$9.83 PEN 33.81

35.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$2.01 PEN 6.92

121.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.08 PEN 3.70

11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$1.37 PEN 4.72

189.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.48 PEN 5.08

36.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$0.96 PEN 3.32

63.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.85 PEN 2.93

77.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 $0.88

$0.88 PEN 3.03

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 $0.58

$0.87 PEN 2.98

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.17 $12.17

$5.90 PEN 20.31

106.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.03 $15.03

$8.81 PEN 30.31

70.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.92 PEN 6.59

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$3.20 PEN 11.02

-24.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 $1.70

$0.68 PEN 2.33

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 92.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 $1.94

$3.81 PEN 13.11

-49.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.04 PEN 7.03

-10.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.97 $14.97

$7.14 PEN 24.58

109.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-21.82%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

61.23%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

-0.70%

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

$155 $155

$73.0 PEN 251

112.03%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$16.26 PEN 56.0

336.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.3 $93.3

$27.60 PEN 95.0

237.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.16 $46.16

$33.07 PEN 114

39.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 67.1

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 $9.58

$7.39 PEN 25.42

29.63%

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

$1,458 $1,458

$182 PEN 626

700.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K $30.6K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

130.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.27 $40.27

$52.6 PEN 181

-23.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.49 $30.49

$34.23 PEN 118

-10.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.8 $88.8

$83.8 PEN 288

5.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$79.0 PEN 272

29.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,651 $1,651

$723 PEN 2,488

128.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 $1,104

$340 PEN 1,170

224.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,573 $2,573

$1,184 PEN 4,075

117.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,960 $1,960

$635 PEN 2,184

208.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,049 $3,049

$2,449 PEN 8,424

24.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,206 $2,206

$1,372 PEN 4,719

60.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,828 $8,828

$653 PEN 2,245

1252.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

8.94

-26.29%

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

Last update for Yelm, WA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yelm, WA

$1.1K 48.6%

Lima

$340 33.6% 69.2% $764

Eating Out

Yelm, WA

$327 14.4%

Lima

$124 12.3% 62.1% $203

Groceries & Markets

Yelm, WA

$321 14.1%

Lima

$226 22.4% 29.4% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yelm, WA

$319 14%

Lima

$117 11.6% 63.4% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Yelm, WA

$118 5.2%

Lima

$112 11.1% 4.8% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Yelm, WA

$65 2.9%

Lima

$48 4.7% 26.8% $17

Getting Around

Yelm, WA

$18 * 0.8%

Lima

$43 4.3% 144% $26

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 $1,651 in Yelm, WA and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yelm, WA pays 1253% 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: $64.0 in Yelm, WA vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $321 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Yelm, WA

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

13:11 1:11 PM

15:11 3:11 PM

2 h ahead of Yelm, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,617

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Yelm, WA Lima 7,970 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Yelm, WA
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

Yelm, WA vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yelm, WA and Lima differ by about 144% in total monthly costs ($2,432 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1253% higher in Yelm, WA, 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: $1,651 in Yelm, WA versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Yelm, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,432 per month in Yelm, WA versus $996 in Lima – a 144% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $996 in Lima versus $2,432 in Yelm, WA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Yelm, WA. 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.

Safety-wise, Yelm, WA and Lima are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 144% less than in Yelm, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.