Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, CA and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $4,316 in Santa Cruz, CA, rent and utilities included – about $39,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

211

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz, CA
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Santa Cruz, CA Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Santa Cruz, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,316

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,316 in Santa Cruz, CA versus $996 in Lima.

Santa Cruz, CA $4,316
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,246 in Santa Cruz, CA versus $1,594 in Lima.

Santa Cruz, CA $6,246
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,177 in Santa Cruz, CA versus $2,191 in Lima.

Santa Cruz, CA $8,177
Lima $2,191

Living in Santa Cruz, CA is roughly 333% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Cruz, CA is 222% above, Lima is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.94 $24.94

$4.42 PEN 15.21

464.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.7 $99.7

$35.04 PEN 121

184.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.73 $14.73

$6.84 PEN 23.53

115.35%

Cappuccino

$5.83 $5.83

$3.27 PEN 11.26

78.29%

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

$3.46 $3.46

$1.10 PEN 3.80

214.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.65 PEN 2.23

272.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$2.58 PEN 8.88

217.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.04 $8.04

$4.47 PEN 15.39

79.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.59 PEN 5.48

-12.58%

White Bread (500g)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.58 PEN 8.89

84.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$1.36 PEN 4.67

474.26%

Eggs

$6.37 $6.37

$2.95 PEN 10.15

115.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.58 $26.58

$9.10 PEN 31.30

192.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.84 $16.84

$5.81 PEN 19.99

189.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.62 $17.62

$9.83 PEN 33.81

79.25%

Apples (1kg)

$7.78 $7.78

$2.01 PEN 6.92

287.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.08 PEN 3.70

110.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.80 $8.80

$1.37 PEN 4.72

542.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 $6.61

$1.48 PEN 5.08

346.62%

Potato (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$0.96 PEN 3.32

367.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$0.85 PEN 2.93

256.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.10 $5.10

$0.88 PEN 3.03

479.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$0.87 PEN 2.98

240.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.82 $11.82

$5.90 PEN 20.31

100.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.49 $25.49

$8.81 PEN 30.31

189.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.92 PEN 6.59

13.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$3.20 PEN 11.02

2.19%

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

141.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.81 PEN 13.11

-13.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.04 PEN 7.03

21.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.30 $39.30

$7.14 PEN 24.58

450.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-6.67%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

67.07%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

2.34%

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

$373 $373

$73.0 PEN 251

411.28%

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

$57.8 $57.8

$16.26 PEN 56.0

255.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$27.60 PEN 95.0

147.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.0 $78.0

$33.07 PEN 114

135.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.74 $12.74

$19.49 PEN 67.1

-34.63%

Cinema Ticket

$15.71 $15.71

$7.39 PEN 25.42

112.58%

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

$2,499 $2,499

$182 PEN 626

1273.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.6K $29.6K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

122.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 $68.0

$52.6 PEN 181

29.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.64 $48.64

$34.23 PEN 118

42.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 $93.4

$83.8 PEN 288

11.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 $158

$79.0 PEN 272

99.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,049 $3,049

$723 PEN 2,488

321.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,524 $2,524

$340 PEN 1,170

641.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,860 $4,860

$1,184 PEN 4,075

310.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,160 $4,160

$635 PEN 2,184

555.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,227 $8,227

$2,449 PEN 8,424

235.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K $11.3K

$1,372 PEN 4,719

727.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,485 $5,485

$653 PEN 2,245

740.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.47

8.94

-27.63%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz, 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

Santa Cruz, CA

$2.5K 57.6%

Lima

$340 33.6% 86.5% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz, CA

$599 13.7%

Lima

$226 22.4% 62.2% $373

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz, CA

$500 11.4%

Lima

$117 11.6% 76.6% $383

Eating Out

Santa Cruz, CA

$394 9%

Lima

$124 12.3% 68.5% $270

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz, CA

$166 3.8%

Lima

$112 11.1% 32.2% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz, CA

$109 2.5%

Lima

$48 4.7% 56.3% $62

Getting Around

Santa Cruz, CA

$88 2%

Lima

$43 4.3% 50.7% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,049 in Santa Cruz, CA and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Cruz, CA pays 741% 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: $100 in Santa Cruz, CA vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $599 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Cruz, CA

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

21:46 9:46 PM

23:46 11:46 PM

2 h ahead of Santa Cruz, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,220

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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Santa Cruz, CA Lima 7,200 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Santa Cruz, CA and Lima differ by about 333% in total monthly costs ($4,316 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 741% higher in Santa Cruz, 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: $3,049 in Santa Cruz, CA versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,499 in Santa Cruz, 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 165% higher in Santa Cruz, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $4,316 in Santa Cruz, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Santa Cruz, 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.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 333% less than in Santa Cruz, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.