Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Clarita, CA and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $3,822 in Santa Clarita, CA, rent and utilities included – about $33,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

187

Cost of Living Index in Santa Clarita, CA
Learn more

Santa Clarita, CA Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Clarita, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,822

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,822 in Santa Clarita, CA versus $1,012 in Lima.

Santa Clarita, CA $3,822
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,089 in Santa Clarita, CA versus $1,589 in Lima.

Santa Clarita, CA $5,089
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,356 in Santa Clarita, CA versus $2,167 in Lima.

Santa Clarita, CA $6,356
Lima $2,167

Living in Santa Clarita, CA is roughly 278% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Clarita, CA is 183% above, Lima is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.96 $19.96

$4.40 PEN 15.10

353.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$35.17 PEN 121

186.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.04 $15.04

$6.89 PEN 23.65

118.29%

Cappuccino

$6.11 $6.11

$3.26 PEN 11.20

87.42%

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

$3.65 $3.65

$1.12 PEN 3.84

225.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 $2.97

$0.62 PEN 2.11

379.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.20 $8.20

$2.65 PEN 9.09

209.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.04 $9.04

$4.41 PEN 15.15

104.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-27.61%

White Bread (500g)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.56 PEN 8.78

59.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$1.35 PEN 4.65

265.93%

Eggs

$4.94 $4.94

$2.90 PEN 9.96

70.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.19 $19.19

$8.85 PEN 30.38

116.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.23 $8.23

$5.98 PEN 20.52

37.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.68 $16.68

$9.78 PEN 33.59

70.55%

Apples (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$2.05 PEN 7.02

213.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.06 PEN 3.66

92.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.35 PEN 4.64

126.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.50 PEN 5.15

102.00%

Potato (1kg)

$8.51 $8.51

$0.88 PEN 3.03

867.05%

Onion (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$0.92 PEN 3.15

427.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.60 $3.60

$0.89 PEN 3.07

304.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$0.90 PEN 3.10

201.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.48 $11.48

$5.90 PEN 20.27

94.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.76 $15.76

$8.52 PEN 29.26

84.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.88 PEN 6.45

-6.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 $4.37

$3.22 PEN 11.05

35.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 $2.55

$0.68 PEN 2.33

275.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.78 $26.78

$26.86 PEN 92.2

-0.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.85 $2.85

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-25.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.02 PEN 6.93

25.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.8 $60.8

$7.11 PEN 24.41

755.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-22.67%

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

$23.4K $23.4K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

4.81%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

2.56%

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

$229 $229

$73.1 PEN 251

213.26%

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

$55.7 $55.7

$16.35 PEN 56.2

240.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 $71.6

$27.47 PEN 94.3

160.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.08 $37.08

$31.90 PEN 110

16.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.22 $25.22

$19.41 PEN 66.7

29.93%

Cinema Ticket

$14.23 $14.23

$7.05 PEN 24.23

101.84%

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

$1,402 $1,402

$182 PEN 627

668.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.2K $37.2K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

184.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.7 $74.7

$53.8 PEN 185

38.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.07 $27.07

$34.32 PEN 118

-21.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.1 $72.1

$82.8 PEN 284

-12.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 $108

$78.2 PEN 269

38.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,850 $2,850

$721 PEN 2,476

295.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,414 $2,414

$343 PEN 1,179

602.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,759 $3,759

$1,219 PEN 4,186

208.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,152 $3,152

$651 PEN 2,235

384.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,695 $3,695

$2,414 PEN 8,292

53.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,359 $4,359

$1,357 PEN 4,660

221.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

$648 PEN 2,226

699.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

8.94

-27.40%

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

Last update for Santa Clarita, CA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Clarita, CA

$2.4K 63.2%

Lima

$343 33.9% 85.8% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Clarita, CA

$444 11.6%

Lima

$226 22.3% 49.1% $218

Eating Out

Santa Clarita, CA

$364 9.5%

Lima

$124 12.3% 65.9% $240

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Clarita, CA

$356 9.3%

Lima

$117 11.6% 67.2% $239

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Clarita, CA

$127 3.3%

Lima

$112 11.1% 11.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Clarita, CA

$66 1.7%

Lima

$46 4.6% 29.8% $20

Getting Around

Santa Clarita, CA

$52 1.4%

Lima

$43 4.3% 17.1% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,850 in Santa Clarita, CA and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Clarita, CA pays 699% 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: $101 in Santa Clarita, CA vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $444 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Clarita, CA

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

17:09 5:09 PM

19:09 7:09 PM

2 h ahead of Santa Clarita, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

182,371

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 October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 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

Santa Clarita, CA Lima 6,770 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Clarita, 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

Santa Clarita, CA vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Clarita, CA and Lima differ by about 278% in total monthly costs ($3,822 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 699% higher in Santa Clarita, 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: $2,850 in Santa Clarita, CA versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,402 in Santa Clarita, 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 96% higher in Santa Clarita, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $3,822 in Santa Clarita, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Santa Clarita, 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, Santa Clarita, 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 278% less than in Santa Clarita, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.