Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $2,232 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,232 in Calgary versus $996 in Lima.

Calgary $2,232
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,363 in Calgary versus $1,594 in Lima.

Calgary $3,363
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,493 in Calgary versus $2,191 in Lima.

Calgary $4,493
Lima $2,191

Living in Calgary is roughly 124% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calgary is 67% above, Lima is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.49

$4.42 PEN 15.21

289.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 CA$101

$35.04 PEN 121

103.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$15.02

$6.84 PEN 23.52

54.39%

Cappuccino

$3.77 CA$5.37

$3.27 PEN 11.26

15.29%

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

$1.91 CA$2.72

$1.10 PEN 3.80

73.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 CA$2.62

$0.65 PEN 2.23

183.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 CA$6.92

$2.58 PEN 8.88

88.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 CA$7.90

$4.47 PEN 15.39

24.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.67

$1.59 PEN 5.48

18.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 CA$3.88

$2.58 PEN 8.89

5.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.34 CA$7.60

$1.36 PEN 4.67

292.65%

Eggs

$3.77 CA$5.36

$2.95 PEN 10.14

27.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.29 CA$16.06

$9.10 PEN 31.30

24.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.30

$5.81 PEN 19.98

97.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.26 CA$25.97

$9.83 PEN 33.80

85.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 CA$6.60

$2.01 PEN 6.92

130.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.08 PEN 3.70

33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 CA$6.01

$1.37 PEN 4.71

208.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.49

$1.48 PEN 5.08

160.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 CA$3.73

$0.96 PEN 3.32

172.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.78

$0.85 PEN 2.93

212.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.59 CA$3.68

$0.88 PEN 3.03

194.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 CA$2.18

$0.87 PEN 2.98

75.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.26 CA$20.28

$5.90 PEN 20.31

141.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 CA$21.71

$8.81 PEN 30.31

73.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 CA$3.43

$1.92 PEN 6.59

25.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.40

$3.20 PEN 11.02

-3.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$0.68 PEN 2.33

323.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.7 CA$126

$26.74 PEN 92.0

231.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.60

$3.81 PEN 13.10

-15.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.97

$2.04 PEN 7.02

-32.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 CA$37.67

$7.14 PEN 24.57

271.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.67

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-28.48%

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

$28.3K CA$40.2K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

27.49%

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

$20.7K CA$29.5K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

-19.24%

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

$159 CA$227

$73.0 PEN 251

118.04%

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

$37.61 CA$53.5

$16.26 PEN 55.9

131.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.68 CA$70.7

$27.60 PEN 94.9

80.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 CA$75.7

$33.07 PEN 114

61.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 CA$26.04

$19.49 PEN 67.1

-6.05%

Cinema Ticket

$14.08 CA$20.02

$7.39 PEN 25.41

90.53%

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

$809 CA$1,151

$182 PEN 626

344.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K CA$22.5K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

19.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 CA$83.6

$52.6 PEN 181

11.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.84 CA$55.2

$34.23 PEN 118

13.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 CA$130

$83.8 PEN 288

9.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

$79.0 PEN 272

37.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,760

$723 PEN 2,488

71.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$996 CA$1,417

$340 PEN 1,170

192.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,908 CA$2,714

$1,184 PEN 4,074

61.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 CA$2,377

$635 PEN 2,183

163.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,530 CA$5,022

$2,449 PEN 8,423

44.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,336 CA$4,745

$1,372 PEN 4,718

143.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,130 CA$4,452

$653 PEN 2,245

379.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

8.94

-49.55%

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

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$996 44.8%

Lima

$340 33.6% 65.9% $656

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$387 17.4%

Lima

$226 22.4% 41.6% $161

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Lima

$124 12.3% 53.2% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$247 11.1%

Lima

$117 11.6% 52.6% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Lima

$112 11.1% 16.3% $22

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 5%

Lima

$43 4.3% 60.6% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$81 3.7%

Lima

$48 4.7% 41.2% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,237 in Calgary and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 380% 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: $71.0 in Calgary vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $387 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

22:50 10:50 PM

23:50 11:50 PM

1 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Calgary Lima 7,880 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Calgary vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 124% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 380% higher in Calgary, 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: $1,237 in Calgary versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lima – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,232 per month in Calgary versus $996 in Lima – a 124% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $996 in Lima versus $2,232 in Calgary, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lima is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Calgary, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 124% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.