Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paramaribo and Lima

For one person, living costs are similar in Paramaribo and in Lima: $984 and $996 a month, rent and utilities included.

49

Cost of Living Index in Paramaribo
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Paramaribo Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Paramaribo

🇸🇷 Suriname

$984

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $984 in Paramaribo versus $996 in Lima.

Paramaribo $984
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,657 in Paramaribo versus $1,594 in Lima.

Paramaribo $1,657
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,331 in Paramaribo versus $2,191 in Lima.

Paramaribo $2,331
Lima $2,191

Living in Paramaribo costs roughly 1% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Paramaribo 27% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.44 SRD 504

$4.42 PEN 15.16

204.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.4 SRD 1,964

$35.04 PEN 120

49.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.99 SRD 412

$6.84 PEN 23.44

60.67%

Cappuccino

$2.88 SRD 108

$3.27 PEN 11.22

-11.93%

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

$1.41 SRD 52.9

$1.10 PEN 3.78

28.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 SRD 32.91

$0.65 PEN 2.22

35.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 SRD 99.7

$2.58 PEN 8.85

3.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 SRD 146

$4.47 PEN 15.34

-12.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 SRD 68.7

$1.59 PEN 5.46

15.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 SRD 52.2

$2.58 PEN 8.86

-46.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 SRD 60.3

$1.36 PEN 4.65

18.38%

Eggs

$2.98 SRD 112

$2.95 PEN 10.11

1.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 SRD 444

$9.10 PEN 31.19

30.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.17 SRD 231

$5.81 PEN 19.91

6.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.18 SRD 381

$9.83 PEN 33.68

3.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.77 SRD 179

$2.01 PEN 6.89

137.31%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 SRD 116

$1.08 PEN 3.69

187.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.73 SRD 140

$1.37 PEN 4.70

172.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.89 SRD 221

$1.48 PEN 5.06

297.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 SRD 49.77

$0.96 PEN 3.30

38.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 SRD 75.6

$0.85 PEN 2.92

137.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 SRD 55.6

$0.88 PEN 3.02

68.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SRD 56.4

$0.87 PEN 2.97

73.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.58 SRD 209

$5.90 PEN 20.24

-5.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.80 SRD 292

$8.81 PEN 30.21

-11.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 SRD 75.0

$1.92 PEN 6.57

4.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 SRD 142

$3.20 PEN 10.98

18.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 SRD 28.90

$0.68 PEN 2.33

13.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 SRD 79.8

$3.81 PEN 13.06

-44.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 SRD 57.8

$2.04 PEN 7.00

-24.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.17 SRD 269

$7.14 PEN 24.49

0.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 SRD 44.50

$1.65 PEN 5.65

-27.88%

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

$24.6K SRD 921.2K

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

10.86%

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

$25.3K SRD 948.6K

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

-1.37%

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

$37.31 SRD 1,398

$73.0 PEN 250

-48.92%

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

$25.70 SRD 963

$16.26 PEN 55.7

58.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.67 SRD 1,149

$27.60 PEN 94.6

11.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.84 SRD 518

$33.07 PEN 113

-58.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.32 SRD 761

$19.49 PEN 66.8

4.26%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 SRD 186

$7.39 PEN 25.33

-32.88%

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

$62.3 SRD 2,335

$182 PEN 624

-65.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,739 SRD 65.2K

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

-86.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.84 SRD 1,268

$52.6 PEN 180

-35.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.87 SRD 782

$34.23 PEN 117

-39.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 SRD 2,525

$83.8 PEN 287

-19.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 SRD 3,903

$79.0 PEN 271

31.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$487 SRD 18.3K

$723 PEN 2,479

-32.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 SRD 9,855

$340 PEN 1,166

-22.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 SRD 35.6K

$1,184 PEN 4,060

-19.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 SRD 19.0K

$635 PEN 2,176

-20.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$462 SRD 17.3K

$2,449 PEN 8,394

-81.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$400 SRD 15.0K

$1,372 PEN 4,702

-70.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$279 SRD 10.5K

$653 PEN 2,237

-57.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

78.97%

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

Last update for Paramaribo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Paramaribo

$300 30%

Lima

$226 22.4% 24.4% $73

Accommodation & Living

Paramaribo

$263 26.3%

Lima

$340 33.6% 29.3% $77

Eating Out

Paramaribo

$205 20.5%

Lima

$124 12.3% 39.6% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Paramaribo

$102 10.2%

Lima

$112 11.1% 10.3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paramaribo

$94 9.4%

Lima

$117 11.6% 24.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Paramaribo

$24 2.4%

Lima

$48 4.7% 102% $24

Getting Around

Paramaribo

$13 * 1.3%

Lima

$43 4.3% 237% $31

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 $487 in Paramaribo and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 134% 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: $52.0 in Paramaribo vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $300 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇷 Paramaribo

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

02:22 2:22 AM

00:22 12:22 AM

2 h behind Paramaribo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

242,946 Capital

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Surinamese Dollar SRD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 SRD = 2.67 USD

100 SRD = 2.38 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to SRD – Surinamese Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇷 Surinamese Dollar ($)

Surinamese Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 37.47 SRD (100 SRD = 2.67 USD). 1 EUR = 42.03 SRD (100 SRD = 2.38 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

USD to SRD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Paramaribo Lima 3,130 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Paramaribo
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

Paramaribo vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Paramaribo and Lima differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($984 vs $996 including rent). Paramaribo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 134% lower in Lima. 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: $487 in Paramaribo versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lima pay roughly 32% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $984 per month in Paramaribo versus $996 in Lima – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $984 in Paramaribo versus $996 in Lima, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Paramaribo but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Paramaribo 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 Paramaribo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.