Cost of living comparison
compared to
Columbia vs. Lima Cost of Living Summary
Columbia is 2.0 times more expensive than Lima.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.7 times more in Columbia
- Groceries
-
pay 71.4% more in Columbia
- Transportation
-
pay 2.4% less in Columbia
- Housing
-
pay 2.3 times more in Columbia
- Childcare
-
pay 3.9 times more in Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 57.2% more in Columbia
- Clothing
-
pay 2.5% less in Columbia
The cost of childcare, restaurants, housing, groceries, and entertainment and sports in Columbia are more expensive than in Lima. Expenses including clothing and transportation are lower in Columbia. Notably, childcare, restaurants, and housing are significantly more expensive in Columbia.
Columbia vs. Lima Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Columbia instead of Lima, you would:
pay 2.7 times more for restaurants
|
Lima
|
Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.28
PEN14.40
|
$17.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.14
PEN24.00
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.01
PEN3.38
|
$2.45
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.65
PEN2.19
|
$2.00
|
|
Lima vs. Columbia - Cost of restaurants
pay 71.4% more for groceries
|
Lima
|
Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.67
PEN8.96
|
$3.40
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.52
PEN15.19
|
$5.37
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.76
PEN19.35
|
$4.34
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.96
PEN9.96
|
$2.97
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.63
PEN8.85
|
$4.08
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.02
PEN3.41
|
$1.88
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.51
PEN1.71
|
$0.59
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.58
PEN1.94
|
$1.36
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
PEN1.89
|
$1.99
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.46
PEN1.55
|
$0.70
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.43
PEN1.46
|
$1.16
|
|
Lima vs. Columbia - Cost of groceries
pay 2.4% less for transportation
|
Lima
|
Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.20
PEN17.47
|
$2.89
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$22.85
PEN76.80
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,990.85
PEN67,198.40
|
$37,111.37
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.70
PEN72.96
|
$11.20
|
|
Lima vs. Columbia - Cost of transportation
pay 2.3 times more for housing
|
Lima
|
Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$24.99
PEN83.99
|
$59.80
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$661.42
PEN2,223.35
|
$1,025.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$374.24
PEN1,257.98
|
$783.33
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$43.53
PEN146.33
|
$139.63
|
|
Lima vs. Columbia - Cost of housing
pay 3.9 times more for childcare
|
Lima
|
Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$192.22
PEN646.14
|
$1,200.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$8,215.29
PEN27,615.34
|
$13,100.00
|
|
Lima vs. Columbia - Cost of childcare
pay 57.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
Lima
|
Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.28
PEN7.68
|
$4.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.61
PEN8.79
|
$4.60
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$5.71
PEN19.20
|
$7.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$31.13
PEN104.64
|
$27.22
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$7.14
PEN24.00
|
$14.50
|
|
Lima vs. Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.5% less for clothing
|
Lima
|
Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.07
PEN171.67
|
$50.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.74
PEN120.13
|
$33.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.99
PEN282.34
|
$79.17
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$83.70
PEN281.36
|
$87.50
|
|
Lima vs. Columbia - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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