Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Squamish, BC and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $2,634 in Squamish, BC, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Squamish, BC
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Squamish, BC Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Squamish, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,634

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,634 in Squamish, BC versus $1,012 in Lima.

Squamish, BC $2,634
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,904 in Squamish, BC versus $1,589 in Lima.

Squamish, BC $3,904
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,175 in Squamish, BC versus $2,167 in Lima.

Squamish, BC $5,175
Lima $2,167

Living in Squamish, BC is roughly 160% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Squamish, BC is 95% above, Lima is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.19 CA$23.02

$4.40 PEN 15.13

267.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.77 CA$69.3

$35.17 PEN 121

38.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.01 CA$14.23

$6.89 PEN 23.69

45.28%

Cappuccino

$3.94 CA$5.60

$3.26 PEN 11.22

20.86%

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

$1.79 CA$2.54

$1.12 PEN 3.84

59.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.09

$0.62 PEN 2.12

137.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 CA$7.92

$2.65 PEN 9.11

110.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 CA$8.00

$4.41 PEN 15.17

27.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 CA$2.50

$1.63 PEN 5.62

7.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 CA$2.99

$2.56 PEN 8.79

-17.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.92

$1.35 PEN 4.66

156.30%

Eggs

$3.08 CA$4.39

$2.90 PEN 9.97

6.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.38 CA$17.60

$8.85 PEN 30.43

39.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.93 CA$21.23

$5.98 PEN 20.55

149.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 CA$27.24

$9.78 PEN 33.65

95.91%

Apples (1kg)

$5.31 CA$7.55

$2.05 PEN 7.04

159.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 CA$1.65

$1.06 PEN 3.66

9.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.97

$1.35 PEN 4.65

262.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.93

$1.50 PEN 5.16

131.33%

Potato (1kg)

$4.16 CA$5.91

$0.88 PEN 3.03

372.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 CA$3.51

$0.92 PEN 3.16

168.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 CA$3.49

$0.89 PEN 3.08

176.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$0.90 PEN 3.11

106.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.86 CA$21.12

$5.90 PEN 20.31

151.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.58 CA$15.04

$8.52 PEN 29.31

24.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 CA$4.03

$1.88 PEN 6.46

50.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 CA$5.01

$3.22 PEN 11.07

9.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 CA$2.03

$0.68 PEN 2.34

110.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.87 CA$42.46

$26.86 PEN 92.4

11.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 CA$5.12

$3.81 PEN 13.11

-5.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.96

$2.02 PEN 6.94

-31.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.89 CA$35.38

$7.11 PEN 24.45

250.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.61

$1.72 PEN 5.92

-34.30%

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

$26.2K CA$37.2K

$22.3K PEN 76.7K

17.23%

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

$18.6K CA$26.4K

$25.5K PEN 87.7K

-27.10%

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

$116 CA$166

$73.1 PEN 251

59.38%

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

$42.93 CA$61.0

$16.35 PEN 56.2

162.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.6 CA$89.0

$27.47 PEN 94.5

127.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$72.6

$31.90 PEN 110

59.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.8

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 CA$16.24

$7.05 PEN 24.27

61.99%

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

$1,084 CA$1,541

$182 PEN 628

494.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,273 CA$11.8K

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

-36.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 CA$73.2

$53.8 PEN 185

-4.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.42 CA$57.5

$34.32 PEN 118

17.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 CA$113

$82.8 PEN 285

-4.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 CA$135

$78.2 PEN 269

21.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 CA$2,225

$721 PEN 2,481

117.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 CA$2,157

$343 PEN 1,181

341.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,188 CA$4,532

$1,219 PEN 4,193

161.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,719 CA$3,865

$651 PEN 2,239

317.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,931 CA$8,433

$2,414 PEN 8,306

145.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,668

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,077 CA$4,376

$648 PEN 2,229

374.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

8.94

-47.20%

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

Last update for Squamish, BC: 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

Squamish, BC

$1.5K 57.6%

Lima

$343 33.9% 77.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Squamish, BC

$396 15.1%

Lima

$226 22.3% 43% $170

Eating Out

Squamish, BC

$259 9.8%

Lima

$124 12.3% 52.1% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Squamish, BC

$222 8.4%

Lima

$117 11.6% 47.3% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Squamish, BC

$120 4.5%

Lima

$112 11.1% 6.3% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Squamish, BC

$74 2.8%

Lima

$46 4.6% 37.7% $28

Getting Around

Squamish, BC

$46 1.8%

Lima

$43 4.3% 5.6% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,565 in Squamish, BC and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Squamish, BC pays 375% 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: $49.00 in Squamish, BC vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $396 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Squamish, BC

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

16:58 4:58 PM

18:58 6:58 PM

2 h ahead of Squamish, BC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,512

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 14, 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 14, 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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Squamish, BC Lima 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Squamish, BC
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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

Squamish, BC vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Squamish, BC and Lima differ by about 160% in total monthly costs ($2,634 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 375% higher in Squamish, BC, 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: $1,565 in Squamish, BC versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,084 in Squamish, BC 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 75% higher in Squamish, BC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $2,634 in Squamish, BC, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Squamish, BC. 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 160% less than in Squamish, BC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.