Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Rafael, CA and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $4,955 in San Rafael, CA, rent and utilities included – about $47,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

237

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael, CA
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San Rafael, CA Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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San Rafael, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,955

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,955 in San Rafael, CA versus $996 in Lima.

San Rafael, CA $4,955
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,421 in San Rafael, CA versus $1,594 in Lima.

San Rafael, CA $6,421
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,886 in San Rafael, CA versus $2,191 in Lima.

San Rafael, CA $7,886
Lima $2,191

Living in San Rafael, CA is roughly 397% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Rafael, CA is 270% above, Lima is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.06 $25.06

$4.42 PEN 15.21

466.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$35.04 PEN 121

243.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$6.84 PEN 23.53

76.46%

Cappuccino

$4.67 $4.67

$3.27 PEN 11.26

42.81%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$1.10 PEN 3.80

170.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$0.65 PEN 2.23

358.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.40 $5.40

$2.58 PEN 8.88

109.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 $6.96

$4.47 PEN 15.39

55.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.59 PEN 5.48

-5.66%

White Bread (500g)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.58 PEN 8.89

71.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$9.69 $9.69

$1.36 PEN 4.67

612.50%

Eggs

$5.52 $5.52

$2.95 PEN 10.15

87.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.55 $22.55

$9.10 PEN 31.30

147.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.37 $15.37

$5.81 PEN 19.99

164.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.20 $18.20

$9.83 PEN 33.81

85.15%

Apples (1kg)

$7.34 $7.34

$2.01 PEN 6.92

265.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.08 PEN 3.70

171.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.65 $6.65

$1.37 PEN 4.72

385.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.27 $8.27

$1.48 PEN 5.08

458.78%

Potato (1kg)

$5.78 $5.78

$0.96 PEN 3.32

502.08%

Onion (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$0.85 PEN 2.93

540.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.20 $3.20

$0.88 PEN 3.03

263.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.87 $3.87

$0.87 PEN 2.98

344.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.79 $10.79

$5.90 PEN 20.31

82.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.81 $12.81

$8.81 PEN 30.31

45.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.92 PEN 6.59

15.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.20 PEN 11.02

-3.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.68 PEN 2.33

192.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.5 $64.5

$26.74 PEN 92.0

141.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.10 $4.10

$3.81 PEN 13.11

7.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.04 PEN 7.03

110.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.62 $28.62

$7.14 PEN 24.58

300.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-12.73%

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

$32.2K $32.2K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

45.15%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

6.36%

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

$259 $259

$73.0 PEN 251

254.89%

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

$84.3 $84.3

$16.26 PEN 56.0

418.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.8 $61.8

$27.60 PEN 95.0

123.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$124 $124

$33.07 PEN 114

275.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.76 $29.76

$19.49 PEN 67.1

52.69%

Cinema Ticket

$12.97 $12.97

$7.39 PEN 25.42

75.51%

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

$2,128 $2,128

$182 PEN 626

1069.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.6K $24.6K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

84.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 $59.2

$52.6 PEN 181

12.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.66 $42.66

$34.23 PEN 118

24.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.0 $94.0

$83.8 PEN 288

12.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 $128

$79.0 PEN 272

61.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,079 $3,079

$723 PEN 2,488

325.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,143 $3,143

$340 PEN 1,170

823.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,230 $4,230

$1,184 PEN 4,075

257.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,789 $3,789

$635 PEN 2,184

496.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,545 $7,545

$2,449 PEN 8,424

208.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,372 $5,372

$1,372 PEN 4,719

291.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,047 $7,047

$653 PEN 2,245

979.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

8.94

-25.95%

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

Last update for San Rafael, CA: October 3, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Rafael, CA

$3.1K 64.5%

Lima

$340 33.6% 89.2% $2.8K

Groceries & Markets

San Rafael, CA

$572 11.7%

Lima

$226 22.4% 60.4% $346

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Rafael, CA

$405 8.3%

Lima

$117 11.6% 71.2% $288

Eating Out

San Rafael, CA

$357 7.3%

Lima

$124 12.3% 65.3% $233

Sport & Entertainment

San Rafael, CA

$150 3.1%

Lima

$48 4.7% 68.1% $102

Clothing & Footwear

San Rafael, CA

$146 3%

Lima

$112 11.1% 22.9% $33

Getting Around

San Rafael, CA

$98 2%

Lima

$43 4.3% 55.6% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,079 in San Rafael, CA and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Rafael, CA pays 980% 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: $120 in San Rafael, CA vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $572 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Rafael, CA

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

20:41 8:41 PM

22:41 10:41 PM

2 h ahead of San Rafael, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,704

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 12, 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 →

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Between locations

San Rafael, CA Lima 7,300 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

San Rafael, CA
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

San Rafael, CA vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Rafael, CA and Lima differ by about 397% in total monthly costs ($4,955 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 980% higher in San Rafael, CA, 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: $3,079 in San Rafael, CA versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,128 in San Rafael, CA versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 153% higher in San Rafael, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $4,955 in San Rafael, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in San Rafael, CA. 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, San Rafael, CA and Lima 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 397% less than in San Rafael, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.