Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Paul, MN and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $2,434 in Saint Paul, MN, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Saint Paul, MN
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Saint Paul, MN Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Saint Paul, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,434

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,434 in Saint Paul, MN versus $1,042 in Lima.

Saint Paul, MN $2,434
Lima $1,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,649 in Saint Paul, MN versus $1,651 in Lima.

Saint Paul, MN $3,649
Lima $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,863 in Saint Paul, MN versus $2,259 in Lima.

Saint Paul, MN $4,863
Lima $2,259

Living in Saint Paul, MN is roughly 134% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saint Paul, MN is 80% above, Lima is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.59 $15.59

$4.64 PEN 15.95

235.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 $68.9

$34.34 PEN 118

100.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.97 $9.97

$7.01 PEN 24.12

42.23%

Cappuccino

$5.23 $5.23

$3.22 PEN 11.09

62.42%

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

$3.08 $3.08

$1.13 PEN 3.90

172.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$0.61 PEN 2.09

339.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.09 $6.09

$2.93 PEN 10.08

107.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.38 $7.38

$4.25 PEN 14.63

73.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-41.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.61 PEN 8.98

51.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.42 $3.42

$1.30 PEN 4.47

163.08%

Eggs

$3.11 $3.11

$2.92 PEN 10.05

6.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 $9.67

$9.54 PEN 32.82

1.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 $9.55

$5.71 PEN 19.66

67.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$9.47 PEN 32.58

38.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.01 PEN 6.91

145.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.02 PEN 3.52

13.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.24 $6.24

$1.45 PEN 4.99

330.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.49 PEN 5.14

228.19%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$0.91 PEN 3.14

330.77%

Onion (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$0.89 PEN 3.07

297.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 $2.07

$0.86 PEN 2.97

140.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$0.89 PEN 3.06

95.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.79 $12.79

$5.47 PEN 18.83

133.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.33 $14.33

$10.17 PEN 35.00

40.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.81 PEN 6.21

-3.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.15 PEN 10.84

9.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.66 PEN 2.28

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

$31.89 PEN 110

232.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 $2.53

$3.43 PEN 11.79

-26.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.98 PEN 6.80

-23.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.64 $31.64

$9.60 PEN 33.04

229.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-42.11%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

27.24%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

-8.40%

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

$231 $231

$65.8 PEN 227

250.63%

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

$50.2 $50.2

$15.26 PEN 52.5

228.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.1 $66.1

$26.87 PEN 92.5

145.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.45 $30.45

$32.91 PEN 113

-7.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.46 $8.46

$20.12 PEN 69.2

-57.95%

Cinema Ticket

$13.09 $13.09

$7.12 PEN 24.49

83.85%

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

$1,448 $1,448

$309 PEN 1,064

368.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.7K $30.7K

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

43.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.85 $41.85

$52.0 PEN 179

-19.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.04 $40.04

$35.69 PEN 123

12.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 $80.4

$81.8 PEN 281

-1.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$78.0 PEN 268

45.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,453 $1,453

$727 PEN 2,501

99.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,133 $1,133

$373 PEN 1,284

203.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,579 $2,579

$1,249 PEN 4,297

106.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,068 $2,068

$739 PEN 2,544

179.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,487 $2,487

$2,380 PEN 8,191

4.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,964 $1,964

$1,365 PEN 4,697

43.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,160 $4,160

$650 PEN 2,238

539.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

8.38

-24.70%

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

Last update for Saint Paul, MN: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Paul, MN

$1.1K 46.5%

Lima

$373 35.8% 67.1% $760

Groceries & Markets

Saint Paul, MN

$364 15%

Lima

$228 21.9% 37.4% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Paul, MN

$347 14.3%

Lima

$108 10.4% 68.9% $239

Eating Out

Saint Paul, MN

$286 11.7%

Lima

$127 12.2% 55.6% $159

Getting Around

Saint Paul, MN

$124 5.1%

Lima

$48 4.6% 61.4% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Paul, MN

$124 5.1%

Lima

$111 10.7% 10.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Paul, MN

$57 2.3%

Lima

$47 4.5% 16.7% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,453 in Saint Paul, MN and $727 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Paul, MN pays about 6.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $69 in Saint Paul, MN vs $34 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $228 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Paul, MN

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

05:53 5:53 AM

06:53 6:53 AM

1 h ahead of Saint Paul, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

285,068

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.87 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Saint Paul, MN Lima 6,540 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,434 in Saint Paul, MN and $1,042 in Lima, so Lima is about 57% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Saint Paul, MN is about 6.4 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: $1,453 in Saint Paul, MN versus $727 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,448 in Saint Paul, 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 60% higher in Saint Paul, MN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,042 in Lima versus $2,434 in Saint Paul, MN, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Saint Paul, MN. 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 57% less than in Saint Paul, MN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.