Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Fe, NM and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $2,916 in Santa Fe, NM, rent and utilities included – about $23,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Santa Fe, NM
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Santa Fe, NM Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Santa Fe, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,916

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,916 in Santa Fe, NM versus $996 in Lima.

Santa Fe, NM $2,916
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,885 in Santa Fe, NM versus $1,594 in Lima.

Santa Fe, NM $3,885
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,854 in Santa Fe, NM versus $2,191 in Lima.

Santa Fe, NM $4,854
Lima $2,191

Living in Santa Fe, NM is roughly 193% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Fe, NM is 118% above, Lima is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 $16.87

$4.42 PEN 15.21

281.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 $69.1

$35.04 PEN 121

97.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.05 $10.05

$6.84 PEN 23.53

46.93%

Cappuccino

$4.91 $4.91

$3.27 PEN 11.26

50.15%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$1.10 PEN 3.80

167.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$0.65 PEN 2.23

258.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$2.58 PEN 8.88

129.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 $6.91

$4.47 PEN 15.39

54.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.59 PEN 5.48

-42.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.58 PEN 8.89

25.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$1.36 PEN 4.67

223.53%

Eggs

$4.31 $4.31

$2.95 PEN 10.15

46.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.88 $11.88

$9.10 PEN 31.30

30.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.42 $9.42

$5.81 PEN 19.99

62.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 $16.87

$9.83 PEN 33.81

71.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$2.01 PEN 6.92

135.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.08 PEN 3.70

36.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$1.37 PEN 4.72

188.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.48 PEN 5.08

188.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$0.96 PEN 3.32

222.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.85 PEN 2.93

141.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.88 PEN 3.03

121.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$0.87 PEN 2.98

194.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.37 $10.37

$5.90 PEN 20.31

75.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.89 $15.89

$8.81 PEN 30.31

80.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.92 PEN 6.59

6.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 $3.65

$3.20 PEN 11.02

14.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 92.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.81 PEN 13.11

-7.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.04 PEN 7.03

-0.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.54 $32.54

$7.14 PEN 24.58

355.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-41.82%

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

$31.0K $31.0K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

39.71%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

-3.52%

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

$158 $158

$73.0 PEN 251

116.17%

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

$44.76 $44.76

$16.26 PEN 56.0

175.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.8 $73.8

$27.60 PEN 95.0

167.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$87.9 $87.9

$33.07 PEN 114

165.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 67.1

Cinema Ticket

$13.17 $13.17

$7.39 PEN 25.42

78.21%

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

$1,326 $1,326

$182 PEN 626

628.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K $15.2K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

13.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 $54.5

$52.6 PEN 181

3.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.46 $43.46

$34.23 PEN 118

26.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 $78.9

$83.8 PEN 288

-5.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$79.0 PEN 272

52.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,307 $2,307

$723 PEN 2,488

218.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 $1,700

$340 PEN 1,170

399.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,584 $3,584

$1,184 PEN 4,075

202.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 $2,241

$635 PEN 2,184

253.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,631 $6,631

$2,449 PEN 8,424

170.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,202 $4,202

$1,372 PEN 4,719

206.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,757 $3,757

$653 PEN 2,245

475.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.94

-26.51%

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

Last update for Santa Fe, NM: October 4, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Fe, NM

$1.7K 58.5%

Lima

$340 33.6% 80% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Fe, NM

$381 13.1%

Lima

$226 22.4% 40.6% $154

Eating Out

Santa Fe, NM

$289 9.9%

Lima

$124 12.3% 57% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Fe, NM

$276 9.5%

Lima

$117 11.6% 57.7% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Fe, NM

$134 4.6%

Lima

$112 11.1% 16% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Fe, NM

$114 3.9%

Lima

$48 4.7% 58.1% $66

Getting Around

Santa Fe, NM

$14 * 0.5%

Lima

$43 4.3% 217% $30

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 $2,307 in Santa Fe, NM and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Fe, NM pays 476% 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: $69.0 in Santa Fe, NM vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $381 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Fe, NM

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

22:46 10:46 PM

23:46 11:46 PM

1 h ahead of Santa Fe, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,505

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Fe, NM Lima 6,120 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Fe, NM
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 Fe, NM vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Fe, NM and Lima differ by about 193% in total monthly costs ($2,916 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 476% higher in Santa Fe, NM, 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: $2,307 in Santa Fe, NM versus $723 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 Fe, NM. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,916 per month in Santa Fe, NM versus $996 in Lima – a 193% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $996 in Lima versus $2,916 in Santa Fe, NM, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Santa Fe, NM. 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 193% less than in Santa Fe, NM. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.