Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $2,024 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
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St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,024

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,024 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador versus $996 in Lima.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $2,024
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,089 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador versus $1,594 in Lima.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $3,089
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,154 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador versus $2,191 in Lima.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $4,154
Lima $2,191

Living in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador is roughly 103% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador is 51% above, Lima is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.33 CA$24.66

$4.42 PEN 15.21

292.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.9

$35.04 PEN 121

100.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.74 CA$16.70

$6.84 PEN 23.52

71.64%

Cappuccino

$4.07 CA$5.79

$3.27 PEN 11.26

24.46%

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

$2.58 CA$3.66

$1.10 PEN 3.80

134.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 CA$3.04

$0.65 PEN 2.23

229.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.98 CA$7.08

$2.58 PEN 8.88

93.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 CA$7.44

$4.47 PEN 15.39

17.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 CA$4.29

$1.59 PEN 5.48

89.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 CA$4.27

$2.58 PEN 8.89

16.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.14 CA$5.90

$1.36 PEN 4.67

204.41%

Eggs

$3.79 CA$5.39

$2.95 PEN 10.14

28.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.44 CA$16.27

$9.10 PEN 31.30

25.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.05 CA$18.56

$5.81 PEN 19.98

124.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.78 CA$16.76

$9.83 PEN 33.80

19.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 CA$6.71

$2.01 PEN 6.92

134.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.91 CA$4.14

$1.08 PEN 3.70

169.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.78 CA$6.80

$1.37 PEN 4.71

248.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.17

$1.48 PEN 5.08

98.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.76

$0.96 PEN 3.32

175.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 CA$3.08

$0.85 PEN 2.93

155.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 CA$3.89

$0.88 PEN 3.03

211.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 CA$2.80

$0.87 PEN 2.98

126.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.42 CA$19.09

$5.90 PEN 20.31

127.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.45 CA$21.98

$8.81 PEN 30.31

75.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.09 CA$5.81

$1.92 PEN 6.59

113.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 CA$5.95

$3.20 PEN 11.02

30.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 CA$2.54

$0.68 PEN 2.33

161.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.4 CA$77.3

$26.74 PEN 92.0

103.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 CA$4.36

$3.81 PEN 13.10

-19.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 CA$2.52

$2.04 PEN 7.02

-13.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.99 CA$41.23

$7.14 PEN 24.57

306.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.90

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-19.39%

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

$27.5K CA$39.1K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

24.04%

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

$21.5K CA$30.6K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

-16.25%

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

$177 CA$252

$73.0 PEN 251

142.57%

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

$40.72 CA$57.9

$16.26 PEN 55.9

150.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.4 CA$107

$27.60 PEN 94.9

173.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.0 CA$93.8

$33.07 PEN 114

99.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.35 CA$26.10

$19.49 PEN 67.1

-5.85%

Cinema Ticket

$10.47 CA$14.89

$7.39 PEN 25.41

41.68%

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

$530 CA$754

$182 PEN 626

191.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,977 CA$14.2K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

-25.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 CA$92.9

$52.6 PEN 181

24.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.72 CA$70.7

$34.23 PEN 118

45.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 CA$111

$83.8 PEN 288

-7.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.3 CA$133

$79.0 PEN 272

18.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$975 CA$1,387

$723 PEN 2,488

34.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 CA$1,124

$340 PEN 1,170

132.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,541 CA$2,192

$1,184 PEN 4,074

30.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 CA$1,947

$635 PEN 2,183

115.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,973 CA$2,807

$2,449 PEN 8,423

-19.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,531 CA$2,177

$1,372 PEN 4,718

11.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,734 CA$3,889

$653 PEN 2,245

318.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

8.94

-48.88%

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

Last update for St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador: October 4, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$790 38.4%

Lima

$340 33.6% 57% $450

Groceries & Markets

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$408 19.8%

Lima

$226 22.4% 44.6% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$293 14.3%

Lima

$117 11.6% 60.1% $176

Eating Out

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$277 13.5%

Lima

$124 12.3% 55.2% $153

Clothing & Footwear

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$129 6.3%

Lima

$112 11.1% 12.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$87 4.2%

Lima

$48 4.7% 44.9% $39

Getting Around

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$73 3.6%

Lima

$43 4.3% 40.8% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $975 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador pays 319% 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: $70.0 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $408 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

22:56 10:56 PM

20:26 8:26 PM

2 h 30 min behind St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,525

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 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

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Lima 7,050 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
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

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and Lima differ by about 103% in total monthly costs ($2,024 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 319% higher in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, 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: $975 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador 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 80% higher in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $2,024 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. 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 103% less than in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.