Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Santa Cruz, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $4,316 in Santa Cruz, CA, rent and utilities included – about $39,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
211

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz, CA
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Santa Cruz, CA Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,316

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Santa Cruz, CA

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lima and in Santa Cruz, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $4,316 in Santa Cruz, CA.

Lima $996
Santa Cruz, CA $4,316

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $6,246 in Santa Cruz, CA.

Lima $1,594
Santa Cruz, CA $6,246

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $8,177 in Santa Cruz, CA.

Lima $2,191
Santa Cruz, CA $8,177

Living in Lima costs roughly 77% less than in Santa Cruz, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 26% below, Santa Cruz, CA is 222% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.21

$24.94 $24.94

-82.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 121

$99.7 $99.7

-64.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.53

$14.73 $14.73

-53.56%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.26

$5.83 $5.83

-43.91%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.80

$3.46 $3.46

-68.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.23

$2.42 $2.42

-73.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.88

$8.18 $8.18

-68.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.39

$8.04 $8.04

-44.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.48

$1.39 $1.39

14.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.89

$4.75 $4.75

-45.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.67

$7.81 $7.81

-82.59%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.15

$6.37 $6.37

-53.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.30

$26.58 $26.58

-65.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.99

$16.84 $16.84

-65.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.81

$17.62 $17.62

-44.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.92

$7.78 $7.78

-74.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.70

$2.27 $2.27

-52.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.72

$8.80 $8.80

-84.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.08

$6.61 $6.61

-77.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.32

$4.49 $4.49

-78.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.93

$3.03 $3.03

-71.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$5.10 $5.10

-82.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.98

$2.96 $2.96

-70.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.31

$11.82 $11.82

-50.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.31

$25.49 $25.49

-65.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.59

$2.17 $2.17

-11.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 11.02

$3.27 $3.27

-2.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.99 $1.99

-65.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 92.0

$64.5 $64.5

-58.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.11

$3.29 $3.29

15.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.03

$2.47 $2.47

-17.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.58

$39.30 $39.30

-81.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.67

$1.54 $1.54

7.14%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

$37.0K $37.0K

-40.15%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

$26.3K $26.3K

-2.29%

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

$73.0 PEN 251

$373 $373

-80.44%

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

$16.26 PEN 56.0

$57.8 $57.8

-71.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 95.0

$68.4 $68.4

-59.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 114

$78.0 $78.0

-57.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 67.1

$12.74 $12.74

52.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.42

$15.71 $15.71

-52.96%

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

$182 PEN 626

$2,499 $2,499

-92.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

$29.6K $29.6K

-54.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 181

$68.0 $68.0

-22.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 118

$48.64 $48.64

-29.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 288

$93.4 $93.4

-10.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 272

$158 $158

-49.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,488

$3,049 $3,049

-76.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,170

$2,524 $2,524

-86.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,075

$4,860 $4,860

-75.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,184

$4,160 $4,160

-84.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,424

$8,227 $8,227

-70.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,719

$11.3K $11.3K

-87.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,245

$5,485 $5,485

-88.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

6.47

38.18%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz, CA: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Santa Cruz, CA

$2.5K 57.6% 642% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Santa Cruz, CA

$599 13.7% 165% $373

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Santa Cruz, CA

$394 9% 218% $270

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Santa Cruz, CA

$500 11.4% 327% $383

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Santa Cruz, CA

$166 3.8% 47.4% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Santa Cruz, CA

$109 2.5% 129% $62

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Santa Cruz, CA

$88 2% 103% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $3,049 in Santa Cruz, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Cruz, CA pays 741% 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: $35.00 in Lima vs $100 in Santa Cruz, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $599 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇺🇸 Santa Cruz, CA

🕒 Local time

00:44 12:44 AM

22:44 10:44 PM

2 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

64,220

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lima Santa Cruz, CA 7,200 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Santa Cruz, CA

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

Lima vs Santa Cruz, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Santa Cruz, CA differ by about 333% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $4,316 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 741% lower in Santa Cruz, CA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $723 in Lima versus $3,049 in Santa Cruz, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $2,499 in Santa Cruz, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 165% higher in Santa Cruz, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $4,316 in Santa Cruz, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Santa Cruz, CA. 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 333% less than in Santa Cruz, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.