Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Teresa and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,541 in Santa Teresa, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Santa Teresa
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Santa Teresa Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Santa Teresa

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,541

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,541 in Santa Teresa versus $1,012 in Lima.

Santa Teresa $1,541
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,310 in Santa Teresa versus $1,589 in Lima.

Santa Teresa $2,310
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,079 in Santa Teresa versus $2,167 in Lima.

Santa Teresa $3,079
Lima $2,167

Living in Santa Teresa is roughly 52% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Teresa is 14% above, Lima is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.13 ₡4,543

$4.40 PEN 15.10

130.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.99 ₡19.3K

$35.17 PEN 121

22.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 ₡4,180

$6.89 PEN 23.65

35.27%

Cappuccino

$3.74 ₡1,677

$3.26 PEN 11.20

14.72%

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

$2.05 ₡921

$1.12 PEN 3.84

83.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ₡705

$0.62 PEN 2.11

153.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 ₡1,326

$2.65 PEN 9.09

11.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.74 ₡2,125

$4.41 PEN 15.15

7.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.07 ₡928

$1.63 PEN 5.61

26.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 ₡1,240

$2.56 PEN 8.78

7.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 ₡998

$1.35 PEN 4.65

64.44%

Eggs

$2.98 ₡1,336

$2.90 PEN 9.96

2.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.90 ₡4,441

$8.85 PEN 30.38

11.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 ₡4,082

$5.98 PEN 20.52

52.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.56 ₡6,079

$9.78 PEN 33.59

38.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.44 ₡1,991

$2.05 PEN 7.02

116.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.06 PEN 3.66

43.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 ₡1,915

$1.35 PEN 4.64

216.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 ₡1,387

$1.50 PEN 5.15

106.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 ₡1,508

$0.88 PEN 3.03

281.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 ₡1,144

$0.92 PEN 3.15

177.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₡453

$0.89 PEN 3.07

13.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 ₡1,269

$0.90 PEN 3.10

214.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.93 ₡2,211

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-16.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.94 ₡6,250

$8.52 PEN 29.26

63.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 ₡1,049

$1.88 PEN 6.45

24.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 ₡1,155

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-19.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 ₡462

$0.68 PEN 2.33

51.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 ₡802

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-53.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 ₡823

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-8.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.05 ₡3,610

$7.11 PEN 24.41

13.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₡656

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-15.12%

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

$37.6K ₡16.9M

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

68.75%

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

$32.5K ₡14.6M

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

27.34%

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

$82.4 ₡37.0K

$73.1 PEN 251

12.78%

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

$25.97 ₡11.6K

$16.35 PEN 56.2

58.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.4 ₡22.6K

$27.47 PEN 94.3

83.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.35 ₡22.1K

$31.90 PEN 110

54.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.23 ₡10.9K

$19.41 PEN 66.7

24.83%

Cinema Ticket

$9.13 ₡4,093

$7.05 PEN 24.23

29.50%

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

$575 ₡257.7K

$182 PEN 627

214.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ₡5.7M

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-2.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 ₡27.7K

$53.8 PEN 185

14.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.7 ₡23.2K

$34.32 PEN 118

50.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 ₡56.0K

$82.8 PEN 284

50.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡47.8K

$78.2 PEN 269

36.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$709 ₡317.9K

$721 PEN 2,476

-1.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 ₡271.1K

$343 PEN 1,179

76.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,421 ₡637.3K

$1,219 PEN 4,186

16.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 ₡435.2K

$651 PEN 2,235

49.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

8.94

13.76%

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

Last update for Santa Teresa: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Teresa

$604 39.2%

Lima

$343 33.9% 43.2% $261

Groceries & Markets

Santa Teresa

$347 22.5%

Lima

$226 22.3% 34.8% $121

Eating Out

Santa Teresa

$193 12.5%

Lima

$124 12.3% 35.6% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Teresa

$159 10.3%

Lima

$117 11.6% 26.4% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Teresa

$155 10.1%

Lima

$112 11.1% 27.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Teresa

$68 4.4%

Lima

$46 4.6% 31.9% $22

Getting Around

Santa Teresa

$15 * 1%

Lima

$43 4.3% 188% $28

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 $709 in Santa Teresa and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Santa Teresa vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $347 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Teresa

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

02:49 2:49 AM

03:49 3:49 AM

1 h ahead of Santa Teresa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,099

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Teresa Lima 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Santa Teresa and Lima differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($1,541 vs $1,012 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,311 in Santa Teresa and $1,518 in Lima to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $709 in Santa Teresa versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Santa Teresa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,541 per month in Santa Teresa versus $1,012 in Lima – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,541 in Santa Teresa, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Santa Teresa. 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 Teresa 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 52% less than in Santa Teresa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.