Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saratoga, CA and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,014 a month against $2,517 in Saratoga, CA, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Saratoga, CA
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Saratoga, CA Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Saratoga, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,517

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,517 in Saratoga, CA versus $1,014 in Lima.

Saratoga, CA $2,517
Lima $1,014

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,732 in Saratoga, CA versus $1,613 in Lima.

Saratoga, CA $3,732
Lima $1,613

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,947 in Saratoga, CA versus $2,211 in Lima.

Saratoga, CA $4,947
Lima $2,211

Living in Saratoga, CA is roughly 148% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saratoga, CA is 86% above, Lima is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.17 $25.17

$4.42 PEN 15.19

469.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 $110

$34.56 PEN 119

217.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.16 $13.16

$6.80 PEN 23.37

93.53%

Cappuccino

$4.98 $4.98

$3.30 PEN 11.34

50.91%

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

$1.96 $1.96

$1.06 PEN 3.64

84.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.66 PEN 2.26

48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.54 PEN 8.71

21.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 $6.08

$4.24 PEN 14.55

43.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.58 PEN 5.43

-17.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.61 PEN 8.97

29.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.34 PEN 4.60

142.54%

Eggs

$3.95 $3.95

$2.93 PEN 10.08

34.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.53 $5.53

$9.45 PEN 32.45

-41.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$5.75 PEN 19.75

-24.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 $10.87

$9.69 PEN 33.29

12.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.02 PEN 6.95

131.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.07 PEN 3.66

0.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.37 PEN 4.70

-18.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.47 PEN 5.05

121.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 $0.76

$0.95 PEN 3.25

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 $0.80

$0.91 PEN 3.14

-12.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.90 PEN 3.10

36.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.89 PEN 3.04

64.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.72 $11.72

$5.74 PEN 19.71

104.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.91 $3.91

$9.21 PEN 31.64

-57.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.84 PEN 6.31

-5.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 $4.63

$3.11 PEN 10.67

48.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.72 PEN 2.46

181.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.9 $65.9

$26.03 PEN 89.4

153.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.54 PEN 12.17

-0.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 $0.89

$2.07 PEN 7.12

-57.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.05 $26.05

$7.75 PEN 26.62

236.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.71 PEN 5.86

-13.45%

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

$21.9K $21.9K

$21.6K PEN 74.1K

1.38%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

-13.71%

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

$288 $288

$68.2 PEN 234

322.99%

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

$35.61 $35.61

$15.73 PEN 54.0

126.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.64 $29.64

$26.48 PEN 90.9

11.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.95 $40.95

$33.94 PEN 117

20.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.11 $15.11

$20.10 PEN 69.0

-24.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.96 $7.96

$7.22 PEN 24.80

10.25%

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

$1,407 $1,407

$201 PEN 689

601.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.0K $42.0K

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

225.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.80 $39.80

$53.7 PEN 184

-25.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.03 $25.03

$35.88 PEN 123

-30.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 $76.1

$83.8 PEN 288

-9.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 $152

$78.8 PEN 271

92.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$729 PEN 2,505

117.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 $1,304

$349 PEN 1,197

274.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,492 $2,492

$1,186 PEN 4,073

110.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,139 $2,139

$696 PEN 2,391

207.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,515 $2,515

$2,360 PEN 8,105

6.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,359 $2,359

$1,356 PEN 4,657

73.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,088 $8,088

$663 PEN 2,278

1119.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

-31.66%

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

Last update for Saratoga, CA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saratoga, CA

$1.3K 51.8%

Lima

$349 34.4% 73.3% $955

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saratoga, CA

$354 14%

Lima

$110 10.9% 68.8% $243

Eating Out

Saratoga, CA

$340 13.5%

Lima

$123 12.2% 63.7% $217

Groceries & Markets

Saratoga, CA

$249 9.9%

Lima

$227 22.4% 8.8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Saratoga, CA

$132 5.2%

Lima

$113 11.2% 13.8% $18

Getting Around

Saratoga, CA

$82 3.3%

Lima

$43 4.2% 47.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Saratoga, CA

$57 2.3%

Lima

$48 4.8% 14.9% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,584 in Saratoga, CA and $729 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saratoga, CA pays 1120% 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: $110 in Saratoga, CA vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $227 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saratoga, CA

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

05:12 5:12 AM

2 h ahead of Saratoga, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,153

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 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

Saratoga, CA Lima 7,220 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Saratoga, CA
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

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

Saratoga, CA and Lima differ by about 148% in total monthly costs ($2,517 vs $1,014 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1120% higher in Saratoga, 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: $1,584 in Saratoga, CA versus $729 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,407 in Saratoga, CA 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 10% higher in Saratoga, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,014 in Lima versus $2,517 in Saratoga, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Saratoga, 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.

Safety-wise, Saratoga, CA 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 148% less than in Saratoga, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.