Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Alberni and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,670 in Port Alberni, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Port Alberni
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Port Alberni Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Port Alberni

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,670

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,670 in Port Alberni versus $1,012 in Lima.

Port Alberni $1,670
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,790 in Port Alberni versus $1,589 in Lima.

Port Alberni $2,790
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,911 in Port Alberni versus $2,167 in Lima.

Port Alberni $3,911
Lima $2,167

Living in Port Alberni is roughly 65% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Port Alberni is 24% above, Lima is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.48 CA$24.86

$4.40 PEN 15.13

297.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 CA$87.0

$35.17 PEN 121

74.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.46 CA$14.88

$6.89 PEN 23.69

51.81%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.54

$3.26 PEN 11.22

19.33%

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

$2.04 CA$2.90

$1.12 PEN 3.84

82.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 CA$1.97

$0.62 PEN 2.12

122.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 CA$4.89

$2.65 PEN 9.11

29.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.40 CA$7.68

$4.41 PEN 15.17

22.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CA$3.04

$1.63 PEN 5.62

31.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 CA$3.24

$2.56 PEN 8.79

-10.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.73 CA$3.88

$1.35 PEN 4.66

102.22%

Eggs

$3.93 CA$5.59

$2.90 PEN 9.97

35.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.94 CA$12.71

$8.85 PEN 30.43

1.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.09 CA$5.81

$5.98 PEN 20.55

-31.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.41 CA$27.59

$9.78 PEN 33.65

98.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 CA$3.87

$2.05 PEN 7.04

33.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 CA$1.51

$1.06 PEN 3.66

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.83

$1.35 PEN 4.65

151.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.59 CA$5.10

$1.50 PEN 5.16

139.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 CA$2.94

$0.88 PEN 3.03

135.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.63

$0.92 PEN 3.16

101.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 CA$3.07

$0.89 PEN 3.08

142.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 CA$0.97

$0.90 PEN 3.11

-24.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.54 CA$14.98

$5.90 PEN 20.31

78.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.33 CA$14.69

$8.52 PEN 29.31

21.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 CA$3.56

$1.88 PEN 6.46

33.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 CA$4.07

$3.22 PEN 11.07

-11.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 CA$2.02

$0.68 PEN 2.34

108.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.09 CA$47.05

$26.86 PEN 92.4

23.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 CA$3.82

$3.81 PEN 13.11

-29.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$2.02 PEN 6.94

-22.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.01 CA$44.09

$7.11 PEN 24.45

336.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 CA$1.70

$1.72 PEN 5.92

-30.23%

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

$27.5K CA$39.2K

$22.3K PEN 76.7K

23.46%

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

$19.5K CA$27.8K

$25.5K PEN 87.7K

-23.47%

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

$81.8 CA$116

$73.1 PEN 251

12.00%

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

$36.45 CA$51.8

$16.35 PEN 56.2

122.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.0 CA$72.5

$27.47 PEN 94.5

85.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.83 CA$60.9

$31.90 PEN 110

34.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.8

Cinema Ticket

$12.16 CA$17.28

$7.05 PEN 24.27

72.48%

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

$1,087 CA$1,545

$182 PEN 628

495.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K CA$28.3K

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

52.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.2 CA$82.7

$53.8 PEN 185

8.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.34 CA$45.98

$34.32 PEN 118

-5.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 CA$136

$82.8 PEN 285

15.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.7 CA$133

$78.2 PEN 269

19.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$790 CA$1,123

$721 PEN 2,481

9.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$705 CA$1,002

$343 PEN 1,181

105.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,660 CA$2,360

$1,219 PEN 4,193

36.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 CA$2,379

$651 PEN 2,239

157.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,306

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,668

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,045 CA$4,330

$648 PEN 2,229

369.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

8.94

-52.13%

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

Last update for Port Alberni: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Alberni

$705 42.2%

Lima

$343 33.9% 51.3% $362

Groceries & Markets

Port Alberni

$293 17.6%

Lima

$226 22.3% 23% $67

Eating Out

Port Alberni

$260 15.6%

Lima

$124 12.3% 52.3% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Alberni

$169 10.1%

Lima

$117 11.6% 31% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Port Alberni

$126 7.5%

Lima

$112 11.1% 10.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Port Alberni

$67 4%

Lima

$46 4.6% 31.5% $21

Getting Around

Port Alberni

$49 3%

Lima

$43 4.3% 11.7% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $790 in Port Alberni and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port Alberni pays 370% 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: $61.0 in Port Alberni vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Port Alberni

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

18:31 6:31 PM

20:31 8:31 PM

2 h ahead of Port Alberni

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,743

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

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).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Port Alberni Lima 8,260 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Alberni
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

Port Alberni vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Alberni and Lima differ by about 65% in total monthly costs ($1,670 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 370% higher in Port Alberni, 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: $790 in Port Alberni versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,087 in Port Alberni 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 30% higher in Port Alberni. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,670 in Port Alberni, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Port Alberni. 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 65% less than in Port Alberni. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.