Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Cloud, MN and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $1,874 in Saint Cloud, MN, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Saint Cloud, MN
Learn more

Saint Cloud, MN Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Saint Cloud, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$1,874

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,874 in Saint Cloud, MN versus $1,042 in Lima.

Saint Cloud, MN $1,874
Lima $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,683 in Saint Cloud, MN versus $1,651 in Lima.

Saint Cloud, MN $2,683
Lima $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,493 in Saint Cloud, MN versus $2,259 in Lima.

Saint Cloud, MN $3,493
Lima $2,259

Living in Saint Cloud, MN is roughly 80% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saint Cloud, MN is 39% above, Lima is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.84 $14.84

$4.64 PEN 15.96

219.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.72 $40.72

$34.34 PEN 118

18.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 $8.35

$7.01 PEN 24.13

19.12%

Cappuccino

$4.41 $4.41

$3.22 PEN 11.09

36.96%

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

$2.91 $2.91

$1.13 PEN 3.90

157.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.61 PEN 2.09

265.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.02 $6.02

$2.93 PEN 10.08

105.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 $5.02

$4.25 PEN 14.64

18.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-41.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.61 PEN 8.98

-43.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.30 PEN 4.47

47.69%

Eggs

$3.79 $3.79

$2.92 PEN 10.05

29.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 $9.94

$9.54 PEN 32.83

4.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.54 $6.54

$5.71 PEN 19.66

14.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$9.47 PEN 32.59

106.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.01 PEN 6.91

88.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.02 PEN 3.52

3.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.45 PEN 4.99

84.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.64 $3.64

$1.49 PEN 5.14

144.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.91 PEN 3.14

124.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$0.89 PEN 3.07

225.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 $1.93

$0.86 PEN 2.97

124.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$0.89 PEN 3.06

246.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.70 $11.70

$5.47 PEN 18.84

113.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.17 PEN 35.01

48.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.81 PEN 6.22

-6.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.15 PEN 10.84

-7.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 $1.70

$0.66 PEN 2.28

157.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.8 $59.8

$31.89 PEN 110

87.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.43 PEN 11.80

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-57.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.98 $11.98

$9.60 PEN 33.05

24.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-47.95%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

35.59%

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

$23.6K $23.6K

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

-18.73%

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

$118 $118

$65.8 PEN 227

78.76%

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

$46.81 $46.81

$15.26 PEN 52.5

206.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.65 $43.65

$26.87 PEN 92.5

62.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.80 $24.80

$32.91 PEN 113

-24.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.45 $27.45

$20.12 PEN 69.3

36.43%

Cinema Ticket

$12.18 $12.18

$7.12 PEN 24.50

71.07%

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

$1,745 $1,745

$309 PEN 1,064

464.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,888 $5,888

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

-72.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 $57.2

$52.0 PEN 179

10.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 $50.1

$35.69 PEN 123

40.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.0 $73.0

$81.8 PEN 282

-10.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.2 $80.2

$78.0 PEN 268

2.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$922 $922

$727 PEN 2,502

26.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$844 $844

$373 PEN 1,284

126.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 $1,405

$1,249 PEN 4,298

12.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 $1,244

$739 PEN 2,544

68.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,006 $2,006

$2,380 PEN 8,193

-15.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 $1,753

$1,365 PEN 4,698

28.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,018 $4,018

$650 PEN 2,238

517.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

8.38

-20.76%

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

Last update for Saint Cloud, MN: November 3, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Cloud, MN

$844 45.1%

Lima

$373 35.8% 55.8% $471

Groceries & Markets

Saint Cloud, MN

$323 17.3%

Lima

$228 21.9% 29.4% $95

Eating Out

Saint Cloud, MN

$257 13.7%

Lima

$127 12.2% 50.7% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Cloud, MN

$208 11.1%

Lima

$108 10.4% 48.1% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Cloud, MN

$117 6.3%

Lima

$111 10.7% 5% $5.9

Getting Around

Saint Cloud, MN

$74 4%

Lima

$48 4.6% 35.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Cloud, MN

$49 2.6%

Lima

$47 4.5% 4.1% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $922 in Saint Cloud, MN and $727 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Cloud, MN pays about 6.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $41 in Saint Cloud, MN vs $34 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $228 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Cloud, MN

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

17:08 5:08 PM

18:08 6:08 PM

1 h ahead of Saint Cloud, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,109

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saint Cloud, MN Lima 6,630 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint Cloud, MN
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

Saint Cloud, MN vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,874 in Saint Cloud, MN and $1,042 in Lima, so Lima is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Saint Cloud, MN is about 6.2 times higher, 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: $922 in Saint Cloud, MN versus $727 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,745 in Saint Cloud, MN versus $309 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Saint Cloud, MN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 44% less than in Saint Cloud, MN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.