Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John, New Brunswick and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,934 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Saint John, New Brunswick
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Saint John, New Brunswick Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,934

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,934 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $1,012 in Lima.

Saint John, New Brunswick $1,934
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,885 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $1,589 in Lima.

Saint John, New Brunswick $2,885
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,836 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $2,167 in Lima.

Saint John, New Brunswick $3,836
Lima $2,167

Living in Saint John, New Brunswick is roughly 91% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saint John, New Brunswick is 43% above, Lima is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.31 CA$25.89

$4.40 PEN 15.10

316.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 CA$83.5

$35.17 PEN 121

67.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 CA$14.75

$6.89 PEN 23.65

51.38%

Cappuccino

$3.00 CA$4.25

$3.26 PEN 11.20

-7.98%

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

$1.69 CA$2.39

$1.12 PEN 3.84

50.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 CA$1.50

$0.62 PEN 2.11

70.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 CA$6.26

$2.65 PEN 9.09

67.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 CA$7.08

$4.41 PEN 15.15

13.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CA$3.07

$1.63 PEN 5.61

33.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.77

$2.56 PEN 8.78

4.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$1.35 PEN 4.65

131.11%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.88

$2.90 PEN 9.96

18.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.17 CA$18.61

$8.85 PEN 30.38

48.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 CA$16.56

$5.98 PEN 20.52

95.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 CA$18.06

$9.78 PEN 33.59

30.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 CA$6.77

$2.05 PEN 7.02

133.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$1.06 PEN 3.66

38.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.18 CA$5.91

$1.35 PEN 4.64

209.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 CA$5.51

$1.50 PEN 5.15

160.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 CA$2.83

$0.88 PEN 3.03

127.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 CA$3.11

$0.92 PEN 3.15

139.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.49

$0.89 PEN 3.07

177.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 CA$1.99

$0.90 PEN 3.10

56.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.92 CA$19.67

$5.90 PEN 20.27

135.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.90 CA$13.99

$8.52 PEN 29.26

16.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$1.88 PEN 6.45

-4.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 CA$3.00

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-34.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 CA$2.92

$0.68 PEN 2.33

202.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.0 CA$79.2

$26.86 PEN 92.2

108.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 CA$4.13

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-23.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 CA$1.50

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-47.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.34 CA$24.52

$7.11 PEN 24.41

143.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.76

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-27.33%

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

$24.3K CA$34.4K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

9.06%

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

$18.8K CA$26.6K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

-26.30%

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

$120 CA$169

$73.1 PEN 251

63.54%

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

$41.55 CA$58.7

$16.35 PEN 56.2

154.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.7 CA$91.4

$27.47 PEN 94.3

135.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 CA$73.9

$31.90 PEN 110

63.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.03 CA$49.52

$19.41 PEN 66.7

80.47%

Cinema Ticket

$12.78 CA$18.07

$7.05 PEN 24.23

81.28%

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

$378 CA$534

$182 PEN 627

107.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K CA$15.7K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-14.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.34 CA$68.3

$53.8 PEN 185

-10.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.16 CA$49.71

$34.32 PEN 118

2.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$145

$82.8 PEN 284

24.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$150

$78.2 PEN 269

35.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$990 CA$1,400

$721 PEN 2,476

37.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 CA$1,158

$343 PEN 1,179

138.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,610 CA$2,277

$1,219 PEN 4,186

32.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 CA$1,843

$651 PEN 2,235

100.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,018 CA$2,854

$2,414 PEN 8,292

-16.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,093 CA$2,959

$1,357 PEN 4,660

54.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,402 CA$3,396

$648 PEN 2,226

270.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.69

8.94

-47.54%

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

Last update for Saint John, New Brunswick: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint John, New Brunswick

$819 42.4%

Lima

$343 33.9% 58.1% $475

Groceries & Markets

Saint John, New Brunswick

$350 18.1%

Lima

$226 22.3% 35.5% $124

Eating Out

Saint John, New Brunswick

$257 13.3%

Lima

$124 12.3% 51.8% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint John, New Brunswick

$226 11.7%

Lima

$117 11.6% 48.2% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Saint John, New Brunswick

$131 6.8%

Lima

$112 11.1% 14.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Saint John, New Brunswick

$78 4%

Lima

$46 4.6% 40.9% $32

Getting Around

Saint John, New Brunswick

$73 3.8%

Lima

$43 4.3% 40% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $990 in Saint John, New Brunswick and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint John, New Brunswick pays 271% 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: $59.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Saint John, New Brunswick

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

16:51 4:51 PM

14:51 2:51 PM

2 h behind Saint John, New Brunswick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,063

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 →

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Saint John, New Brunswick Lima 6,470 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint John, New Brunswick
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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

Saint John, New Brunswick vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint John, New Brunswick and Lima differ by about 91% in total monthly costs ($1,934 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 271% higher in Saint John, New Brunswick, 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: $990 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $378 in Saint John, New Brunswick 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 55% higher in Saint John, New Brunswick. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,934 in Saint John, New Brunswick, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Saint John, New Brunswick. 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 91% less than in Saint John, New Brunswick. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.