Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Saint Andrews

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $2,255 in Saint Andrews, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Saint Andrews
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Saint Andrews Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Saint Andrews

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Saint Andrews

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $2,255 in Saint Andrews.

Lima $996
Saint Andrews $2,255

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $3,245 in Saint Andrews.

Lima $1,594
Saint Andrews $3,245

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $4,234 in Saint Andrews.

Lima $2,191
Saint Andrews $4,234

Living in Lima costs roughly 56% less than in Saint Andrews, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 26% below, Saint Andrews is 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.16

$17.75 CA$25.30

-75.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 120

$63.8 CA$91.0

-45.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.44

$10.59 CA$15.10

-35.41%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.22

$3.72 CA$5.30

-12.10%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.78

$1.99 CA$2.83

-44.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$1.58 CA$2.25

-58.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.85

$5.17 CA$7.38

-50.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.34

$5.77 CA$8.22

-22.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.46

$2.04 CA$2.91

-22.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$2.46 CA$3.51

4.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.65

$3.36 CA$4.79

-59.52%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.11

$3.47 CA$4.94

-14.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.19

$9.72 CA$13.86

-6.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.91

$11.12 CA$15.85

-47.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.68

$14.72 CA$20.98

-33.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.89

$3.66 CA$5.22

-45.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$1.36 CA$1.93

-20.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$3.70 CA$5.28

-62.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.06

$3.73 CA$5.31

-60.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.30

$2.59 CA$3.70

-62.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$2.25 CA$3.21

-62.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$2.53 CA$3.61

-65.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.97

$1.57 CA$2.24

-44.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$13.96 CA$19.90

-57.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.21

$12.42 CA$17.70

-29.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.57

$2.73 CA$3.89

-29.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 10.98

$3.13 CA$4.46

2.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$2.31 CA$3.29

-70.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

$63.1 CA$90.0

-57.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.06

$2.82 CA$4.02

35.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

$1.49 CA$2.12

36.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

$23.25 CA$33.14

-69.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.65

$1.11 CA$1.59

48.65%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

$28.2K CA$40.1K

-21.25%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

$18.9K CA$26.9K

35.76%

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

$73.0 PEN 250

$138 CA$197

-47.08%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.7

$38.11 CA$54.3

-57.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.6

$55.0 CA$78.4

-49.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

$40.69 CA$58.0

-18.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

$18.31 CA$26.10

6.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.33

$10.95 CA$15.61

-32.51%

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

$182 PEN 624

$724 CA$1,033

-74.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

$13.3K CA$18.9K

0.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 180

$54.2 CA$77.2

-2.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 117

$37.35 CA$53.2

-8.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 287

$84.5 CA$120

-0.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 271

$99.9 CA$142

-20.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

$1,239 CA$1,766

-41.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

$1,151 CA$1,640

-70.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

$1,984 CA$2,829

-40.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

$1,678 CA$2,392

-62.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

$4,169 CA$5,942

-41.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

$3,576 CA$5,097

-61.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

4.64

92.67%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Saint Andrews: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Saint Andrews

$1.2K 50.7% 238% $811

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Saint Andrews

$347 15.3% 53.4% $121

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Saint Andrews

$270 11.9% 118% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Saint Andrews

$231 10.2% 97.7% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Saint Andrews

$124 5.5% 10.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Saint Andrews

$63 2.8% 30.8% $15

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Saint Andrews

$83 3.6% 89.9% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $1,239 in Saint Andrews. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $64.0 in Saint Andrews for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $347 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇨🇦 Saint Andrews

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

05:27 5:27 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lima Saint Andrews 6,430 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Saint Andrews

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 Saint Andrews: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Saint Andrews differ by about 126% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $2,255 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,494 in Lima and $3,383 in Saint Andrews to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $723 in Lima versus $1,239 in Saint Andrews. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $724 in Saint Andrews. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Saint Andrews. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $2,255 in Saint Andrews, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Saint Andrews. 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.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 126% less than in Saint Andrews. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.