Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and New Westminster

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $2,526 in New Westminster, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 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
123

Cost of Living Index in New Westminster
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New Westminster Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

New Westminster

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in New Westminster

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $2,526 in New Westminster.

Lima $1,012
New Westminster $2,526

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $3,900 in New Westminster.

Lima $1,589
New Westminster $3,900

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $5,273 in New Westminster.

Lima $2,167
New Westminster $5,273

Living in Lima costs roughly 60% less than in New Westminster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 25% below, New Westminster is 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.13

$19.28 CA$27.41

-77.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$49.65 CA$70.6

-29.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.69

$10.12 CA$14.39

-31.92%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.22

$3.47 CA$4.93

-6.05%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.85 CA$2.63

-39.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.12

$1.55 CA$2.20

-60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.11

$5.77 CA$8.21

-54.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.17

$5.63 CA$8.00

-21.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.62

$1.76 CA$2.50

-7.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.79

$2.34 CA$3.32

9.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.66

$3.45 CA$4.90

-60.87%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.97

$3.01 CA$4.28

-3.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.43

$10.80 CA$15.35

-18.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.55

$15.33 CA$21.80

-60.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.65

$26.67 CA$37.92

-63.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.04

$3.77 CA$5.37

-45.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.48 CA$2.10

-28.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$3.60 CA$5.12

-62.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.16

$3.66 CA$5.20

-59.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$2.33 CA$3.32

-62.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.16

$2.21 CA$3.15

-58.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.08

$2.33 CA$3.31

-61.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.11

$1.80 CA$2.57

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.31

$15.33 CA$21.80

-61.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.31

$10.63 CA$15.12

-19.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.46

$2.02 CA$2.87

-6.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.07

$2.72 CA$3.87

18.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.34

$2.52 CA$3.58

-73.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.4

$90.3 CA$128

-70.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.11

$2.05 CA$2.91

85.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.94

$1.72 CA$2.44

17.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.45

$22.76 CA$32.35

-68.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.92

$1.26 CA$1.79

36.51%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.7K

$23.9K CA$33.9K

-6.48%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.7K

$19.0K CA$27.0K

34.29%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$139 CA$197

-47.33%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$42.09 CA$59.9

-61.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.5

$63.0 CA$89.6

-56.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$32.42 CA$46.09

-1.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.8

$17.27 CA$24.55

12.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.27

$11.94 CA$16.97

-40.95%

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

$182 PEN 628

$758 CA$1,078

-75.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

$8,536 CA$12.1K

52.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$52.3 CA$74.3

2.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$41.77 CA$59.4

-17.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 285

$77.5 CA$110

6.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$96.6 CA$137

-19.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,481

$1,548 CA$2,201

-53.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,181

$1,319 CA$1,876

-73.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,193

$2,841 CA$4,039

-57.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,239

$2,620 CA$3,725

-75.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,306

$4,810 CA$6,839

-49.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,668

$4,025 CA$5,723

-66.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,229

$2,989 CA$4,250

-78.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

4.72

89.41%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for New Westminster: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

New Westminster

$1.3K 52.2% 284% $976

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

New Westminster

$396 15.7% 75% $170

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

New Westminster

$280 11.1% 126% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

New Westminster

$244 9.7% 109% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

New Westminster

$121 4.8% 7.6% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

New Westminster

$56 2.2% 22.3% $10

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

New Westminster

$111 4.4% 155% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $1,548 in New Westminster. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New Westminster pays 361% 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: $35.00 in Lima vs $50.0 in New Westminster for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $396 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇨🇦 New Westminster

🕒 Local time

19:34 7:34 PM

17:34 5:34 PM

2 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

58,000

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lima New Westminster 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
New Westminster

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 New Westminster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and New Westminster differ by about 150% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $2,526 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 361% lower in New Westminster. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Lima versus $1,548 in New Westminster. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $758 in New Westminster. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 75% higher in New Westminster. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $2,526 in New Westminster, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in New Westminster. 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, Lima and New Westminster 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 150% less than in New Westminster. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.