Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,003 in Montreal versus $996 in Lima.

Montreal $2,003
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,048 in Montreal versus $1,594 in Lima.

Montreal $3,048
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,092 in Montreal versus $2,191 in Lima.

Montreal $4,092
Lima $2,191

Living in Montreal is roughly 101% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 49% above, Lima is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$4.42 PEN 15.16

336.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$35.04 PEN 120

115.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$6.84 PEN 23.44

55.41%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$3.27 PEN 11.22

20.18%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$1.10 PEN 3.78

74.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.65 PEN 2.22

127.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

$2.58 PEN 8.85

144.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

$4.47 PEN 15.34

60.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$1.59 PEN 5.46

39.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$2.58 PEN 8.86

18.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$1.36 PEN 4.65

116.18%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$2.95 PEN 10.11

19.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$9.10 PEN 31.19

44.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$5.81 PEN 19.91

93.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$9.83 PEN 33.68

40.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$2.01 PEN 6.89

69.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$1.08 PEN 3.69

33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$1.37 PEN 4.70

137.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$1.48 PEN 5.06

94.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$0.96 PEN 3.30

93.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$0.85 PEN 2.92

114.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$0.88 PEN 3.02

176.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$0.87 PEN 2.97

74.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$5.90 PEN 20.24

94.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

$8.81 PEN 30.21

17.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.92 PEN 6.57

15.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

$3.20 PEN 10.98

-11.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$0.68 PEN 2.33

279.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

$26.74 PEN 91.7

187.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$3.81 PEN 13.06

-14.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$2.04 PEN 7.00

-27.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

$7.14 PEN 24.49

362.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.65 PEN 5.65

-17.58%

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

23.68%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

-22.17%

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

$76.1 CA$109

$73.0 PEN 250

4.22%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$16.26 PEN 55.7

113.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$27.60 PEN 94.6

54.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$33.07 PEN 113

-12.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

$19.49 PEN 66.8

4.31%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$7.39 PEN 25.33

51.69%

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

$505 CA$720

$182 PEN 624

177.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

20.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$52.6 PEN 180

11.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

$34.23 PEN 117

11.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$83.8 PEN 287

10.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$79.0 PEN 271

33.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$723 PEN 2,479

71.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

$340 PEN 1,166

189.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

$1,184 PEN 4,060

77.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$635 PEN 2,176

154.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

$2,449 PEN 8,394

105.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

$1,372 PEN 4,702

179.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

$653 PEN 2,237

347.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

8.94

-50.11%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Lima

$340 33.6% 65.5% $646

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Lima

$226 22.4% 34.1% $117

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Lima

$124 12.3% 57.6% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Lima

$117 11.6% 23.8% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Lima

$112 11.1% 15.4% $20

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Lima

$43 4.3% 55.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Lima

$48 4.7% 6.8% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,240 in Montreal and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 348% 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: $75.0 in Montreal vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

23:41 11:41 PM

22:41 10:41 PM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

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).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Montreal Lima 6,410 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Montreal vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Lima differ by about 101% in total monthly costs ($2,003 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 348% higher in Montreal, 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: $1,240 in Montreal versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $505 in Montreal 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 52% higher in Montreal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Montreal. 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, Montreal and Lima 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 101% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.