Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Santa Cruz

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,758 in Santa Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $1,758 in Santa Cruz.

Lima $1,012
Santa Cruz $1,758

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $2,778 in Santa Cruz.

Lima $1,589
Santa Cruz $2,778

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $3,798 in Santa Cruz.

Lima $2,167
Santa Cruz $3,798

Living in Lima costs roughly 42% less than in Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 25% below, Santa Cruz is 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.08

$12.29 ₡5,523

-64.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$62.6 ₡28.1K

-43.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.61

$10.81 ₡4,856

-36.26%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.19

$4.58 ₡2,059

-28.82%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.83

$2.20 ₡989

-49.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.90 ₡854

-67.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.08

$3.31 ₡1,489

-19.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.12

$4.36 ₡1,958

1.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.60

$2.38 ₡1,070

-31.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.76

$3.16 ₡1,422

-18.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$2.48 ₡1,113

-45.56%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.94

$3.56 ₡1,599

-18.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.33

$10.50 ₡4,717

-15.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.49

$10.51 ₡4,722

-43.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.54

$14.15 ₡6,359

-30.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.01

$5.20 ₡2,336

-60.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.65

$1.07 ₡482

-0.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.63

$4.83 ₡2,170

-72.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.14

$3.91 ₡1,758

-61.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$3.87 ₡1,741

-77.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$3.64 ₡1,636

-74.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.13 ₡508

-21.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$3.08 ₡1,383

-70.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$5.78 ₡2,596

2.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.21

$20.18 ₡9,068

-57.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.44

$2.88 ₡1,294

-34.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.03

$3.68 ₡1,654

-12.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.29 ₡581

-47.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.07

$2.50 ₡1,125

52.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.92

$1.56 ₡701

29.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.37

$8.60 ₡3,864

-17.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.90

$1.56 ₡702

10.26%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.5K

$22.1K ₡9.9M

1.14%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-26.11%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$94.5 ₡42.4K

-22.65%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.1

$35.98 ₡16.2K

-54.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.2

$59.8 ₡26.9K

-54.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 109

$71.7 ₡32.2K

-55.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.6

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.19

$6.75 ₡3,034

4.44%

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

$182 PEN 626

$978 ₡439.3K

-81.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.7K

$17.2K ₡7.7M

-24.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 184

$72.2 ₡32.4K

-25.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$56.1 ₡25.2K

-38.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$129 ₡58.0K

-35.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 268

$132 ₡59.1K

-40.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,472

$912 ₡409.8K

-20.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,177

$665 ₡298.7K

-48.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,179

$1,689 ₡759.1K

-27.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,231

$1,310 ₡588.5K

-50.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,278

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,653

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,222

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

8.62

3.71%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Santa Cruz

$665 37.8% 93.6% $321

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Santa Cruz

$400 22.8% 77% $174

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Santa Cruz

$227 12.9% 83.4% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Santa Cruz

$190 10.8% 62.8% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Santa Cruz

$175 10% 56.1% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Santa Cruz

$85 4.9% 85.2% $39

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Santa Cruz

$15 * 0.9% 64.4% $28

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 $721 in Lima and $912 in Santa Cruz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $63.0 in Santa Cruz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $400 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇨🇷 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

06:59 6:59 AM

05:59 5:59 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

1,665

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Santa Cruz 2,660 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Santa Cruz

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Santa Cruz differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $1,758 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,518 in Lima and $2,637 in Santa Cruz to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Lima versus $912 in Santa Cruz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Santa Cruz. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,012 per month in Lima versus $1,758 in Santa Cruz – a 74% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,758 in Santa Cruz, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Santa Cruz. 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, Lima and Santa Cruz 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 74% less than in Santa Cruz. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.