Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Courtenay and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $2,133 in Courtenay, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Courtenay
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,133
/mo nomad
Lima
🇵🇪 Peru
$1,012
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,133 per month in Courtenay vs $1,012 in Lima, rent included.

  • Courtenay $2,133
  • Lima $1,012

A couple spends around $3,026 per month in Courtenay vs $1,589 in Lima, rent included.

  • Courtenay $3,026
  • Lima $1,589

A family of three spends $3,919 per month in Courtenay vs $2,167 in Lima, rent included.

  • Courtenay $3,919
  • Lima $2,167

Courtenay costs about 111% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Courtenay sits 58% above the global median, while Lima is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Courtenay
Lima
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.75 CA$19.44
$4.40 PEN 15.10
212.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$56.6 CA$80.0
$35.17 PEN 121
60.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.05 CA$14.20
$6.89 PEN 23.65
45.86%
Cappuccino
$3.46 CA$4.89
$3.26 PEN 11.20
6.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 CA$2.86
$1.12 PEN 3.84
80.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 CA$2.32
$0.62 PEN 2.11
164.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.70 CA$8.06
$2.65 PEN 9.09
115.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.97 CA$8.43
$4.41 PEN 15.15
35.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Courtenay
Lima
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.27 CA$3.21
$1.63 PEN 5.61
39.26%
White Bread (500g)
$2.06 CA$2.91
$2.56 PEN 8.78
-19.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.04 CA$2.89
$1.35 PEN 4.65
51.11%
Eggs
$3.21 CA$4.54
$2.90 PEN 9.96
10.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.86 CA$13.94
$8.85 PEN 30.38
11.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.06 CA$12.80
$5.98 PEN 20.52
51.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.19 CA$27.12
$9.78 PEN 33.59
96.22%
Apples (1kg)
$3.16 CA$4.47
$2.05 PEN 7.02
54.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.32 CA$1.87
$1.06 PEN 3.66
24.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.29 CA$3.24
$1.35 PEN 4.64
69.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.02 CA$4.26
$1.50 PEN 5.15
101.33%
Potato (1kg)
$2.53 CA$3.58
$0.88 PEN 3.03
187.50%
Onion (1kg)
$2.09 CA$2.96
$0.92 PEN 3.15
127.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.96 CA$2.77
$0.89 PEN 3.07
120.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.67 CA$2.36
$0.90 PEN 3.10
85.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.19 CA$20.06
$5.90 PEN 20.27
140.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.45 CA$14.78
$8.52 PEN 29.26
22.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.40 CA$3.40
$1.88 PEN 6.45
27.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.51 CA$3.54
$3.22 PEN 11.05
-22.05%
🚌 Getting Around
Courtenay
Lima
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.98 CA$2.80
$0.68 PEN 2.33
191.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$42.72 CA$60.4
$26.86 PEN 92.2
59.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.67 CA$3.78
$3.81 PEN 13.09
-29.92%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.39 CA$1.96
$2.02 PEN 6.93
-31.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.48 CA$24.72
$7.11 PEN 24.41
145.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 CA$1.83
$1.72 PEN 5.91
-24.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.3K CA$28.7K
$22.3K PEN 76.6K
-9.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.9K CA$25.3K
$25.5K PEN 87.6K
-29.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Courtenay
Lima
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$135 CA$190
$73.1 PEN 251
84.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.14 CA$52.5
$16.35 PEN 56.2
127.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$63.7 CA$90.0
$27.47 PEN 94.3
131.82%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Courtenay
Lima
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.55 CA$58.7
$31.90 PEN 110
30.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$38.86 CA$54.9
$19.41 PEN 66.7
100.21%
Cinema Ticket
$10.57 CA$14.94
$7.05 PEN 24.23
49.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Courtenay
Lima
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,761 CA$2,490
$182 PEN 627
865.24%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.8K CA$16.7K
$13.0K PEN 44.8K
-9.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Courtenay
Lima
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.8 CA$78.9
$53.8 PEN 185
3.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.80 CA$61.9
$34.32 PEN 118
27.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.0 CA$107
$82.8 PEN 284
-8.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$59.3 CA$83.8
$78.2 PEN 269
-24.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Courtenay
Lima
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,238 CA$1,751
$721 PEN 2,476
71.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,109 CA$1,568
$343 PEN 1,179
222.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,010 CA$2,841
$1,219 PEN 4,186
64.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,622 CA$2,293
$651 PEN 2,235
149.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,337 CA$7,545
$2,414 PEN 8,292
121.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,357 PEN 4,660
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Courtenay
Lima
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,170 CA$4,482
$648 PEN 2,226
389.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.87
8.94
-45.53%

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

Last update for Courtenay: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Courtenay
$1.1K
Lima
$343 69% $766
Groceries & Markets
Courtenay
$322
Lima
$226 29.9% $96
Eating Out
Courtenay
$237
Lima
$124 47.6% $113
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Courtenay
$236
Lima
$117 50.4% $119
Clothing & Footwear
Courtenay
$106
Lima
$112 6.1% $6.4
Sport & Entertainment
Courtenay
$63
Lima
$46 26.6% $17
Getting Around
Courtenay
$60
Lima
$43 27.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,238 in Courtenay versus $721 in Lima. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 389% higher in Courtenay, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Courtenay versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $226 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Courtenay
🇵🇪 Lima
🕒 Local time
06:58 6:58 AM
08:58 8:58 AM
2 h ahead of Courtenay
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
25,599
9,989,369 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Courtenay Lima 8,300 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Courtenay
  • 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
Courtenay vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lima cheaper than Courtenay?
Yes – Courtenay is pricier by about 111%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,199 per month in Courtenay and $1,518 in Lima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Lima, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do food prices compare in Courtenay and in Lima?
Groceries cost about 43% more in Courtenay, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Courtenay or in Lima?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Courtenay and $35.00 in Lima. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Courtenay or in Lima?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $1,012, than in Courtenay at $2,133. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Courtenay it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Courtenay or Lima more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Lima – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Lima. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Courtenay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Courtenay vs other spots: cost of living compared

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