Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Santa Cruz do Sul

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz do Sul: $949 a month against $1,014 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $780 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz do Sul
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Santa Cruz do Sul Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,014 in Lima versus $949 in Santa Cruz do Sul.

Lima $1,014
Santa Cruz do Sul $949

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,613 in Lima versus $1,519 in Santa Cruz do Sul.

Lima $1,613
Santa Cruz do Sul $1,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,211 in Lima versus $2,089 in Santa Cruz do Sul.

Lima $2,211
Santa Cruz do Sul $2,089

Living in Lima is roughly 7% more expensive than in Santa Cruz do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Santa Cruz do Sul 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.19

$5.96 R$30.23

-25.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.56 PEN 119

$35.87 R$182

-3.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.80 PEN 23.37

$7.10 R$35.99

-4.23%

Cappuccino

$3.30 PEN 11.34

$2.24 R$11.36

47.32%

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

$1.06 PEN 3.64

$1.35 R$6.82

-21.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 PEN 2.26

$0.88 R$4.46

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 PEN 8.71

$1.74 R$8.82

45.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 PEN 14.55

$2.70 R$13.70

57.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.43

$0.88 R$4.45

79.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 PEN 8.97

$1.80 R$9.15

45.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 PEN 4.60

$1.39 R$7.07

-3.60%

Eggs

$2.93 PEN 10.08

$2.24 R$11.36

30.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.45 PEN 32.45

$8.97 R$45.45

5.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 PEN 19.75

$4.80 R$24.32

19.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 PEN 33.29

$7.87 R$39.91

23.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 PEN 6.95

$2.18 R$11.06

-7.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 PEN 3.66

$1.11 R$5.63

-3.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$1.18 R$5.99

16.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.05

$1.52 R$7.73

-3.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 PEN 3.25

$1.26 R$6.37

-24.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$1.21 R$6.12

-24.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.89 R$4.52

1.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.04

$0.87 R$4.42

2.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 PEN 19.71

$2.33 R$11.80

146.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.21 PEN 31.64

$7.22 R$36.60

27.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 PEN 6.31

$1.17 R$5.91

57.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 PEN 10.67

$1.99 R$10.11

56.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 PEN 2.46

$0.99 R$5.00

-27.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.03 PEN 89.4

$48.92 R$248

-46.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 PEN 12.17

$1.17 R$5.91

202.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 PEN 7.12

$0.92 R$4.66

125.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.75 PEN 26.62

$7.79 R$39.50

-0.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 PEN 5.86

$1.11 R$5.64

54.05%

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

$21.6K PEN 74.1K

$20.3K R$103.1K

6.14%

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

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

$33.4K R$169.4K

-14.46%

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

$68.2 PEN 234

$86.3 R$438

-21.04%

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

$15.73 PEN 54.0

$13.08 R$66.3

20.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.48 PEN 90.9

$23.04 R$117

14.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.94 PEN 117

$25.93 R$131

30.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.10 PEN 69.0

$24.49 R$124

-17.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 PEN 24.80

$7.66 R$38.85

-5.74%

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

$201 PEN 689

$288 R$1,462

-30.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

$6,499 R$32.9K

98.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 PEN 184

$49.59 R$251

8.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.88 PEN 123

$55.4 R$281

-35.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 288

$99.2 R$503

-15.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 PEN 271

$65.8 R$333

19.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 PEN 2,505

$533 R$2,702

36.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 PEN 1,197

$296 R$1,499

17.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 PEN 4,073

$927 R$4,697

28.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 PEN 2,391

$607 R$3,075

14.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,360 PEN 8,105

$1,850 R$9,380

27.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 PEN 4,657

$1,188 R$6,021

14.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 PEN 2,278

$373 R$1,889

78.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

-20.18%

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

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz do Sul: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$349 34.4%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$296 31.2% 15.2% $53

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$227 22.4%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$190 20.1% 16.3% $37

Eating Out

Lima

$123 12.2%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$119 12.5% 3.7% $4.6

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$113 11.2%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$121 12.8% 7.1% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$110 10.9%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$122 12.9% 10.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.8%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$41 4.4% 14.7% $7.1

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.2%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$59 6.2% 37% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Lima and $533 in Santa Cruz do Sul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 78% 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 $36.00 in Santa Cruz do Sul. Groceries flip the comparison at $227 vs $190, with Santa Cruz do Sul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Santa Cruz do Sul

🕒 Local time

19:17 7:17 PM

21:17 9:17 PM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

133,246

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lima Santa Cruz do Sul 3,210 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Santa Cruz do Sul

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 do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Santa Cruz do Sul differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,014 vs $949 including rent). Santa Cruz do Sul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 78% higher in Lima, 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: $729 in Lima versus $533 in Santa Cruz do Sul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Lima versus $288 in Santa Cruz do Sul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $949 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $1,014 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz do Sul but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz do Sul 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 Santa Cruz do Sul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.