Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Courtenay

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.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Courtenay
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Courtenay Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Courtenay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Courtenay

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 Courtenay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Lima $1,012
Courtenay $2,133

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

Lima $1,589
Courtenay $3,026

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

Lima $2,167
Courtenay $3,919

Lima is about 53% cheaper than Courtenay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$13.75 CA$19.44

-68.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$56.6 CA$80.0

-37.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$10.05 CA$14.20

-31.44%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$3.46 CA$4.89

-5.78%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$2.02 CA$2.86

-44.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.64 CA$2.32

-62.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$5.70 CA$8.06

-53.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$5.97 CA$8.43

-26.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$2.27 CA$3.21

-28.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$2.06 CA$2.91

24.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$2.04 CA$2.89

-33.82%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$3.21 CA$4.54

-9.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$9.86 CA$13.94

-10.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$9.06 CA$12.80

-34.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$19.19 CA$27.12

-49.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$3.16 CA$4.47

-35.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.32 CA$1.87

-19.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$2.29 CA$3.24

-41.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$3.02 CA$4.26

-50.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$2.53 CA$3.58

-65.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$2.09 CA$2.96

-55.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.96 CA$2.77

-54.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.67 CA$2.36

-46.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$14.19 CA$20.06

-58.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$10.45 CA$14.78

-18.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$2.40 CA$3.40

-21.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$2.51 CA$3.54

28.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.98 CA$2.80

-65.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

$42.72 CA$60.4

-37.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$2.67 CA$3.78

42.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$1.39 CA$1.96

45.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$17.48 CA$24.72

-59.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.30 CA$1.83

32.31%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$20.3K CA$28.7K

9.96%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$17.9K CA$25.3K

42.40%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$135 CA$190

-45.77%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$37.14 CA$52.5

-55.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$63.7 CA$90.0

-56.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$41.55 CA$58.7

-23.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$38.86 CA$54.9

-50.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$10.57 CA$14.94

-33.30%

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

$182 PEN 627

$1,761 CA$2,490

-89.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$11.8K CA$16.7K

10.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$55.8 CA$78.9

-3.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$43.80 CA$61.9

-21.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$76.0 CA$107

8.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$59.3 CA$83.8

31.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$1,238 CA$1,751

-41.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$1,109 CA$1,568

-69.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$2,010 CA$2,841

-39.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$1,622 CA$2,293

-59.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$5,337 CA$7,545

-54.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$3,170 CA$4,482

-79.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

4.87

83.57%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Courtenay: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Courtenay

$1.1K 52% 223% $766

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Courtenay

$322 15.1% 42.7% $96

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Courtenay

$237 11.1% 90.9% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Courtenay

$236 11.1% 102% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Courtenay

$106 5% 5.7% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Courtenay

$63 2.9% 36.3% $17

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Courtenay

$60 2.8% 38.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Lima versus $1,238 in Courtenay. 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 $35.00 in Lima versus $57.0 in Courtenay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $322 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇨🇦 Courtenay

🕒 Local time

13:05 1:05 PM

11:05 11:05 AM

2 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

25,599

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

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).

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).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Courtenay 8,300 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Courtenay

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 Courtenay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Courtenay is pricier by about 111%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,518 per month in Lima and $3,199 in Courtenay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Lima and $57.0 in Courtenay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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.

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.

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.