Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Cold Lake

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,912 in Cold Lake, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lima
🇵🇪 Peru
$1,012
/mo nomad
Cold Lake
🇨🇦 Canada
$1,912
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Cold Lake

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lima and in Cold Lake actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,012 per month in Lima vs $1,912 in Cold Lake, rent included.

  • Lima $1,012
  • Cold Lake $1,912

A couple spends around $1,589 per month in Lima vs $2,791 in Cold Lake, rent included.

  • Lima $1,589
  • Cold Lake $2,791

A family of three spends $2,167 per month in Lima vs $3,670 in Cold Lake, rent included.

  • Lima $2,167
  • Cold Lake $3,670

Lima is about 47% cheaper than Cold Lake, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lima sits 25% below the global median, while Cold Lake is 42% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lima
Cold Lake
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.40 PEN 15.10
$19.96 CA$28.21
-77.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.17 PEN 121
$57.5 CA$81.2
-38.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.89 PEN 23.65
$9.67 CA$13.68
-28.75%
Cappuccino
$3.26 PEN 11.20
$3.82 CA$5.40
-14.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 PEN 3.84
$2.26 CA$3.19
-50.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.62 PEN 2.11
$1.42 CA$2.01
-56.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 PEN 9.09
$5.57 CA$7.87
-52.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 PEN 15.15
$6.14 CA$8.68
-28.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lima
Cold Lake
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.63 PEN 5.61
$1.16 CA$1.64
40.52%
White Bread (500g)
$2.56 PEN 8.78
$2.18 CA$3.09
17.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.35 PEN 4.65
$2.87 CA$4.06
-52.96%
Eggs
$2.90 PEN 9.96
$3.07 CA$4.35
-5.54%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.85 PEN 30.38
$10.61 CA$14.99
-16.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.98 PEN 20.52
$11.16 CA$15.77
-46.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.78 PEN 33.59
$18.77 CA$26.53
-47.90%
Apples (1kg)
$2.05 PEN 7.02
$3.50 CA$4.94
-41.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.06 PEN 3.66
$1.16 CA$1.64
-8.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.35 PEN 4.64
$2.81 CA$3.97
-51.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 PEN 5.15
$2.48 CA$3.50
-39.52%
Potato (1kg)
$0.88 PEN 3.03
$2.15 CA$3.04
-59.07%
Onion (1kg)
$0.92 PEN 3.15
$1.06 CA$1.50
-13.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.89 PEN 3.07
$2.33 CA$3.30
-61.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.90 PEN 3.10
$1.75 CA$2.48
-48.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.90 PEN 20.27
$11.94 CA$16.88
-50.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.52 PEN 29.26
$11.41 CA$16.14
-25.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.88 PEN 6.45
$3.57 CA$5.05
-47.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.22 PEN 11.05
$2.85 CA$4.03
12.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Lima
Cold Lake
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.68 PEN 2.33
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.86 PEN 92.2
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.81 PEN 13.09
$2.92 CA$4.13
30.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.02 PEN 6.93
$1.38 CA$1.95
46.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.11 PEN 24.41
$20.67 CA$29.22
-65.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.72 PEN 5.91
$1.03 CA$1.45
66.99%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.3K PEN 76.6K
$28.3K CA$40.0K
-21.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.5K PEN 87.6K
$19.4K CA$27.4K
31.57%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lima
Cold Lake
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$73.1 PEN 251
$225 CA$318
-67.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.35 PEN 56.2
$43.04 CA$60.8
-62.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.47 PEN 94.3
$54.3 CA$76.7
-49.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lima
Cold Lake
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.90 PEN 110
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.41 PEN 66.7
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.05 PEN 24.23
$12.61 CA$17.82
-44.09%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lima
Cold Lake
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$182 PEN 627
$761 CA$1,075
-76.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.0K PEN 44.8K
$9,434 CA$13.3K
38.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lima
Cold Lake
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.8 PEN 185
$28.35 CA$40.08
89.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.32 PEN 118
$35.05 CA$49.55
-2.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.8 PEN 284
$51.5 CA$72.8
60.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.2 PEN 269
$85.9 CA$121
-8.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lima
Cold Lake
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 PEN 2,476
$860 CA$1,216
-16.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$343 PEN 1,179
$840 CA$1,188
-59.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,219 PEN 4,186
$1,544 CA$2,183
-21.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$651 PEN 2,235
$1,397 CA$1,975
-53.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,414 PEN 8,292
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,357 PEN 4,660
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lima
Cold Lake
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$648 PEN 2,226
$3,084 CA$4,359
-78.98%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.94
4.32
106.94%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cold Lake: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lima
$343
Cold Lake
$840 145% $497
Groceries & Markets
Lima
$226
Cold Lake
$335 48% $109
Eating Out
Lima
$124
Cold Lake
$289 133% $165
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lima
$117
Cold Lake
$322 176% $205
Clothing & Footwear
Lima
$112
Cold Lake
$90 19.4% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Lima
$46
Cold Lake
$25 * 45.2% $21
Getting Around
Lima
$43
Cold Lake
$9.8 * 77.4% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Lima versus $860 in Cold Lake. 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 376% higher in Cold Lake, 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 $35.00 in Lima versus $57.0 in Cold Lake. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $335 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇪 Lima
🇨🇦 Cold Lake
🕒 Local time
15:42 3:42 PM
14:42 2:42 PM
1 h behind Lima
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,989,369 Capital
11,595
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lima Cold Lake 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lima
  • Cold Lake

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
Lima vs Cold Lake: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cold Lake cheaper than Lima?
Yes – Cold Lake is pricier by about 89%, 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 $1,518 per month in Lima and $2,868 in Cold Lake. 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.
What are total monthly expenses in Lima and in Cold Lake?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,012 in Lima and $1,912 in Cold Lake. That's a gap of about 89%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $182 per month in Lima and $761 in Cold Lake. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Lima or in Cold Lake?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $1,012, than in Cold Lake at $1,912. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cold Lake it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Lima or Cold Lake 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, Cold Lake makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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