Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medicine Hat and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,806 in Medicine Hat, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Medicine Hat
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Medicine Hat Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Medicine Hat

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,806

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Medicine Hat versus $1,012 in Lima.

Medicine Hat $1,806
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,707 in Medicine Hat versus $1,589 in Lima.

Medicine Hat $2,707
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,608 in Medicine Hat versus $2,167 in Lima.

Medicine Hat $3,608
Lima $2,167

Living in Medicine Hat is roughly 79% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medicine Hat is 34% above, Lima is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.42 CA$20.39

$4.40 PEN 15.10

227.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.9 CA$100

$35.17 PEN 121

101.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.84 CA$13.91

$6.89 PEN 23.65

42.82%

Cappuccino

$3.65 CA$5.16

$3.26 PEN 11.20

11.96%

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

$1.91 CA$2.70

$1.12 PEN 3.84

70.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 CA$2.46

$0.62 PEN 2.11

180.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 CA$6.88

$2.65 PEN 9.09

83.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 CA$5.39

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-13.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 CA$2.14

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-6.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 CA$2.45

$2.56 PEN 8.78

-32.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.82

$1.35 PEN 4.65

152.59%

Eggs

$3.04 CA$4.30

$2.90 PEN 9.96

4.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.36 CA$13.23

$8.85 PEN 30.38

5.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.75 CA$15.19

$5.98 PEN 20.52

79.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.84 CA$18.15

$9.78 PEN 33.59

31.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 CA$4.47

$2.05 PEN 7.02

54.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.06 PEN 3.66

36.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 CA$4.06

$1.35 PEN 4.64

112.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 CA$5.05

$1.50 PEN 5.15

138.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 CA$3.71

$0.88 PEN 3.03

198.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.07

$0.92 PEN 3.15

58.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$0.89 PEN 3.07

194.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.17

$0.90 PEN 3.10

71.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.29 CA$15.96

$5.90 PEN 20.27

91.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.62 CA$17.84

$8.52 PEN 29.26

48.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 CA$3.46

$1.88 PEN 6.45

30.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-2.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$0.68 PEN 2.33

230.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.74 CA$70.3

$26.86 PEN 92.2

85.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 CA$4.56

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-15.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 CA$1.88

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-34.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.09 CA$38.30

$7.11 PEN 24.41

281.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 CA$1.42

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-41.86%

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

$27.7K CA$39.2K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

24.21%

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

$18.5K CA$26.2K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

-27.30%

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

$163 CA$231

$73.1 PEN 251

123.21%

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

$38.36 CA$54.2

$16.35 PEN 56.2

134.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.9

$27.47 PEN 94.3

85.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 CA$75.1

$31.90 PEN 110

66.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.70 CA$50.5

$19.41 PEN 66.7

83.93%

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 CA$19.72

$7.05 PEN 24.23

97.87%

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

$782 CA$1,105

$182 PEN 627

328.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K CA$22.0K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

19.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 CA$72.0

$53.8 PEN 185

-5.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.16 CA$36.98

$34.32 PEN 118

-23.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.9 CA$94.6

$82.8 PEN 284

-19.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 CA$93.2

$78.2 PEN 269

-15.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$800 CA$1,131

$721 PEN 2,476

10.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 CA$1,073

$343 PEN 1,179

120.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,338 CA$1,891

$1,219 PEN 4,186

9.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 CA$1,733

$651 PEN 2,235

88.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,314 CA$1,858

$2,414 PEN 8,292

-45.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,905 CA$2,693

$1,357 PEN 4,660

40.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,951 CA$4,171

$648 PEN 2,226

355.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

8.94

-49.55%

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

Last update for Medicine Hat: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medicine Hat

$759 42%

Lima

$343 33.9% 54.7% $415

Groceries & Markets

Medicine Hat

$316 17.5%

Lima

$226 22.3% 28.5% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medicine Hat

$252 14%

Lima

$117 11.6% 53.7% $135

Eating Out

Medicine Hat

$235 13%

Lima

$124 12.3% 47.3% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Medicine Hat

$94 5.2%

Lima

$112 11.1% 18.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Medicine Hat

$81 4.5%

Lima

$46 4.6% 43.2% $35

Getting Around

Medicine Hat

$69 3.8%

Lima

$43 4.3% 36.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $800 in Medicine Hat and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medicine Hat pays 355% 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: $71.0 in Medicine Hat vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Medicine Hat

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

08:06 8:06 AM

1 h ahead of Medicine Hat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,997

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

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).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medicine Hat Lima 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Medicine Hat
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

Medicine Hat vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medicine Hat and Lima differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($1,806 vs $1,012 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 355% higher in Medicine Hat, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $800 in Medicine Hat versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $782 in Medicine Hat versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Medicine Hat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,806 in Medicine Hat, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Medicine Hat. 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 79% less than in Medicine Hat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.