Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Fe and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,071 in Santa Fe, rent and utilities included – about $710 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

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

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Santa Fe

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,071

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,071 in Santa Fe versus $1,012 in Lima.

Santa Fe $1,071
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,655 in Santa Fe versus $1,589 in Lima.

Santa Fe $1,655
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,239 in Santa Fe versus $2,167 in Lima.

Santa Fe $2,239
Lima $2,167

Living in Santa Fe is roughly 6% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santa Fe 21% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.93 ARS 15.1K

$4.40 PEN 15.15

125.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.60 ARS 57.0K

$35.17 PEN 121

6.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.68 ARS 19.2K

$6.89 PEN 23.73

84.03%

Cappuccino

$1.69 ARS 2,556

$3.26 PEN 11.24

-48.16%

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

$1.55 ARS 2,348

$1.12 PEN 3.85

38.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 ARS 2,020

$0.62 PEN 2.12

114.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 ARS 5,208

$2.65 PEN 9.12

29.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.99 ARS 7,572

$4.41 PEN 15.20

13.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 ARS 1,526

$1.63 PEN 5.63

-38.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ARS 2,481

$2.56 PEN 8.81

-35.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 ARS 1,572

$1.35 PEN 4.67

-22.96%

Eggs

$1.54 ARS 2,341

$2.90 PEN 9.99

-46.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.60 ARS 13.0K

$8.85 PEN 30.48

-2.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.07 ARS 9,200

$5.98 PEN 20.59

1.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.68 ARS 16.2K

$9.78 PEN 33.71

9.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,016

$2.05 PEN 7.05

-2.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 ARS 2,298

$1.06 PEN 3.67

43.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.87 ARS 1,316

$1.35 PEN 4.65

-35.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 ARS 3,602

$1.50 PEN 5.17

58.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.57 ARS 867

$0.88 PEN 3.04

-35.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ARS 955

$0.92 PEN 3.16

-31.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ARS 1,553

$0.89 PEN 3.08

14.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ARS 1,546

$0.90 PEN 3.12

13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.11 ARS 4,715

$5.90 PEN 20.34

-47.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.87 ARS 7,389

$8.52 PEN 29.36

-42.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ARS 1,861

$1.88 PEN 6.47

-34.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ARS 3,109

$3.22 PEN 11.09

-36.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 ARS 1,570

$0.68 PEN 2.34

52.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 ARS 1,538

$3.81 PEN 13.14

-73.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,479

$2.02 PEN 6.96

-51.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.50

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ARS 1,736

$1.72 PEN 5.93

-33.72%

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

$20.0K ARS 30.3M

$22.3K PEN 76.9K

-10.48%

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

$29.8K ARS 45.2M

$25.5K PEN 87.9K

16.91%

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

$60.1 ARS 91.2K

$73.1 PEN 252

-17.74%

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

$19.86 ARS 30.1K

$16.35 PEN 56.3

21.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 ARS 31.8K

$27.47 PEN 94.7

-23.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.96 ARS 51.5K

$31.90 PEN 110

6.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.9

Cinema Ticket

$4.83 ARS 7,327

$7.05 PEN 24.31

-31.49%

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

$238 ARS 361.5K

$182 PEN 629

30.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 ARS 133.7K

$53.8 PEN 185

63.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.4 ARS 91.6K

$34.32 PEN 118

76.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ARS 173.7K

$82.8 PEN 285

38.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 212.8K

$78.2 PEN 270

79.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 ARS 777.2K

$721 PEN 2,485

-28.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 ARS 545.9K

$343 PEN 1,183

4.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$931 ARS 1.4M

$1,219 PEN 4,200

-23.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$609 ARS 923.1K

$651 PEN 2,243

-6.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,321

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,676

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$847 ARS 1.3M

$648 PEN 2,233

30.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

100

8.94

1018.57%

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

Last update for Santa Fe: 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 Fe

$360 33.6%

Lima

$343 33.9% 4.6% $17

Groceries & Markets

Santa Fe

$199 18.5%

Lima

$226 22.3% 13.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Fe

$182 17%

Lima

$112 11.1% 38.2% $69

Eating Out

Santa Fe

$176 16.5%

Lima

$124 12.3% 29.7% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Fe

$101 9.4%

Lima

$117 11.6% 15.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Fe

$44 4.1%

Lima

$46 4.6% 5.5% $2.4

Getting Around

Santa Fe

$10 * 0.9%

Lima

$43 4.3% 334% $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 $513 in Santa Fe and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Fe pays 31% 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: $38.00 in Santa Fe vs $35.00 in Lima. Groceries flip the comparison at $199 vs $226, with Santa Fe cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Santa Fe

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

13:44 1:44 PM

11:44 11:44 AM

2 h behind Santa Fe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

391,164

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Fe Lima 2,750 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Santa Fe and Lima differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,071 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 31% higher in Santa Fe, 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: $513 in Santa Fe versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Santa Fe pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,071 per month in Santa Fe versus $1,012 in Lima – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,071 in Santa Fe, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Santa Fe. 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 Fe 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 6% less than in Santa Fe. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.