Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz do Sul and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz do Sul: $949 a month against $1,014 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $780 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz do Sul
Learn more

Santa Cruz do Sul Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Cruz do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$949

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $949 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $1,014 in Lima.

Santa Cruz do Sul $949
Lima $1,014

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,519 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $1,613 in Lima.

Santa Cruz do Sul $1,519
Lima $1,613

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,089 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $2,211 in Lima.

Santa Cruz do Sul $2,089
Lima $2,211

Living in Santa Cruz do Sul costs roughly 6% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santa Cruz do Sul 30% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.96 R$30.23

$4.42 PEN 15.19

34.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.87 R$182

$34.56 PEN 119

3.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.10 R$35.99

$6.80 PEN 23.37

4.41%

Cappuccino

$2.24 R$11.36

$3.30 PEN 11.34

-32.12%

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

$1.35 R$6.82

$1.06 PEN 3.64

27.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R$4.46

$0.66 PEN 2.26

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.74 R$8.82

$2.54 PEN 8.71

-31.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 R$13.70

$4.24 PEN 14.55

-36.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 R$4.45

$1.58 PEN 5.43

-44.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.15

$2.61 PEN 8.97

-31.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.07

$1.34 PEN 4.60

3.73%

Eggs

$2.24 R$11.36

$2.93 PEN 10.08

-23.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.97 R$45.45

$9.45 PEN 32.45

-5.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.80 R$24.32

$5.75 PEN 19.75

-16.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.87 R$39.91

$9.69 PEN 33.29

-18.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 R$11.06

$2.02 PEN 6.95

7.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.63

$1.07 PEN 3.66

3.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.99

$1.37 PEN 4.70

-13.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$7.73

$1.47 PEN 5.05

3.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.37

$0.95 PEN 3.25

32.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.12

$0.91 PEN 3.14

32.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 R$4.52

$0.90 PEN 3.10

-1.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 R$4.42

$0.89 PEN 3.04

-2.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.33 R$11.80

$5.74 PEN 19.71

-59.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.22 R$36.60

$9.21 PEN 31.64

-21.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 R$5.91

$1.84 PEN 6.31

-36.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 R$10.11

$3.11 PEN 10.67

-36.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.72 PEN 2.46

37.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.92 R$248

$26.03 PEN 89.4

87.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$5.91

$3.54 PEN 12.17

-66.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$2.07 PEN 7.12

-55.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.79 R$39.50

$7.75 PEN 26.62

0.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 R$5.64

$1.71 PEN 5.86

-35.09%

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

$20.3K R$103.1K

$21.6K PEN 74.1K

-5.79%

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

$33.4K R$169.4K

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

16.91%

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

$86.3 R$438

$68.2 PEN 234

26.65%

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

$13.08 R$66.3

$15.73 PEN 54.0

-16.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.04 R$117

$26.48 PEN 90.9

-12.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.93 R$131

$33.94 PEN 117

-23.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.49 R$124

$20.10 PEN 69.0

21.84%

Cinema Ticket

$7.66 R$38.85

$7.22 PEN 24.80

6.09%

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

$288 R$1,462

$201 PEN 689

43.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,499 R$32.9K

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

-49.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.59 R$251

$53.7 PEN 184

-7.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 R$281

$35.88 PEN 123

54.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 R$503

$83.8 PEN 288

18.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.8 R$333

$78.8 PEN 271

-16.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 R$2,702

$729 PEN 2,505

-26.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 R$1,499

$349 PEN 1,197

-15.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 R$4,697

$1,186 PEN 4,073

-21.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 R$3,075

$696 PEN 2,391

-12.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,850 R$9,380

$2,360 PEN 8,105

-21.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,188 R$6,021

$1,356 PEN 4,657

-12.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$373 R$1,889

$663 PEN 2,278

-43.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

25.28%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz do Sul: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz do Sul

$296 31.2%

Lima

$349 34.4% 17.9% $53

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz do Sul

$190 20.1%

Lima

$227 22.4% 19.4% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz do Sul

$122 12.9%

Lima

$110 10.9% 9.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz do Sul

$121 12.8%

Lima

$113 11.2% 6.6% $8

Eating Out

Santa Cruz do Sul

$119 12.5%

Lima

$123 12.2% 3.9% $4.6

Getting Around

Santa Cruz do Sul

$59 6.2%

Lima

$43 4.2% 27% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz do Sul

$41 4.4%

Lima

$48 4.8% 17.3% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $533 in Santa Cruz do Sul and $729 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 78% 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: $36.00 in Santa Cruz do Sul vs $35.00 in Lima. Groceries flip the comparison at $190 vs $227, with Santa Cruz do Sul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santa Cruz do Sul

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

19:43 7:43 PM

17:43 5:43 PM

2 h behind Santa Cruz do Sul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,246

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz do Sul Lima 3,210 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz do Sul
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 Cruz do Sul vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz do Sul and Lima differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($949 vs $1,014 including rent). Santa Cruz do Sul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Lima. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $533 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $729 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $288 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $201 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $949 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $1,014 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz do Sul but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz do Sul 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 Santa Cruz do Sul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.