Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Ana and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $2,018 in Santa Ana, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Santa Ana
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Santa Ana Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Santa Ana

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,018

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Santa Ana versus $1,012 in Lima.

Santa Ana $2,018
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,233 in Santa Ana versus $1,589 in Lima.

Santa Ana $3,233
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,447 in Santa Ana versus $2,167 in Lima.

Santa Ana $4,447
Lima $2,167

Living in Santa Ana is roughly 99% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Ana is 49% above, Lima is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.04 ₡5,401

$4.40 PEN 15.10

173.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 ₡28.1K

$35.17 PEN 121

77.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 ₡5,285

$6.89 PEN 23.65

70.97%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,975

$3.26 PEN 11.20

34.97%

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

$2.14 ₡959

$1.12 PEN 3.84

91.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₡613

$0.62 PEN 2.11

120.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₡1,508

$2.65 PEN 9.09

26.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 ₡1,917

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-3.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 ₡993

$1.63 PEN 5.61

35.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,400

$2.56 PEN 8.78

21.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$1.35 PEN 4.65

85.93%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,554

$2.90 PEN 9.96

19.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.87 ₡4,876

$8.85 PEN 30.38

22.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.40 ₡4,664

$5.98 PEN 20.52

73.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.19 ₡6,364

$9.78 PEN 33.59

45.09%

Apples (1kg)

$5.10 ₡2,289

$2.05 PEN 7.02

148.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡742

$1.06 PEN 3.66

55.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.65 ₡2,086

$1.35 PEN 4.64

244.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 ₡1,785

$1.50 PEN 5.15

165.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 ₡1,761

$0.88 PEN 3.03

346.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 ₡1,615

$0.92 PEN 3.15

291.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡500

$0.89 PEN 3.07

25.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ₡808

$0.90 PEN 3.10

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 ₡2,738

$5.90 PEN 20.27

3.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.77 ₡7,970

$8.52 PEN 29.26

108.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 ₡1,293

$1.88 PEN 6.45

53.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₡1,207

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-16.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,116

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-34.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-22.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.59 ₡3,852

$7.11 PEN 24.41

20.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡694

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-9.88%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

-3.20%

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

$34.6K ₡15.5M

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

35.66%

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

$93.7 ₡42.0K

$73.1 PEN 251

28.16%

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

$32.78 ₡14.7K

$16.35 PEN 56.2

100.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 ₡22.4K

$27.47 PEN 94.3

82.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$157 ₡70.4K

$31.90 PEN 110

392.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.25 ₡9,980

$19.41 PEN 66.7

14.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ₡3,490

$7.05 PEN 24.23

10.35%

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

$983 ₡440.6K

$182 PEN 627

438.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₡7.8M

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

33.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.4 ₡29.3K

$53.8 PEN 185

21.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 ₡25.1K

$34.32 PEN 118

63.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.2K

$82.8 PEN 284

53.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 ₡59.0K

$78.2 PEN 269

68.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ₡473.0K

$721 PEN 2,476

46.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₡396.9K

$343 PEN 1,179

157.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,955 ₡1.3M

$1,219 PEN 4,186

142.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,844 ₡827.1K

$651 PEN 2,235

183.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,727 ₡1.2M

$2,414 PEN 8,292

12.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,657 ₡743.2K

$1,357 PEN 4,660

22.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,402 ₡628.9K

$648 PEN 2,226

116.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.94

-3.58%

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

Last update for Santa Ana: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Ana

$885 43.9%

Lima

$343 33.9% 61.2% $542

Groceries & Markets

Santa Ana

$379 18.8%

Lima

$226 22.3% 40.4% $153

Eating Out

Santa Ana

$224 11.1%

Lima

$124 12.3% 44.6% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Ana

$176 8.7%

Lima

$117 11.6% 33.8% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Ana

$173 8.6%

Lima

$46 4.6% 73.3% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Ana

$171 8.5%

Lima

$112 11.1% 34.5% $59

Getting Around

Santa Ana

$10 * 0.5%

Lima

$43 4.3% 323% $33

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 $1,055 in Santa Ana and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Ana pays 116% 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: $63.0 in Santa Ana vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Ana

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

06:32 6:32 AM

07:32 7:32 AM

1 h ahead of Santa Ana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Ana Lima 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Ana
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

Santa Ana vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Ana and Lima differ by about 99% in total monthly costs ($2,018 vs $1,012 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 116% higher in Santa Ana, 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: $1,055 in Santa Ana versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 68% higher in Santa Ana. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,018 per month in Santa Ana versus $1,012 in Lima – a 99% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $2,018 in Santa Ana, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Santa Ana. 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, Santa Ana 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 99% less than in Santa Ana. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.