For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $2,236 in Surrey, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Surrey and in Lima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,236 in Surrey versus $996 in Lima.
Surrey $2,236
Lima $996
Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,522 in Surrey versus $1,594 in Lima.
Surrey $3,522
Lima $1,594
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,808 in Surrey versus $2,191 in Lima.
Surrey $4,808
Lima $2,191
🌍
Living in Surrey is roughly 124% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.
📊
The two cities straddle the global median: Surrey is 67% above, Lima is 26% below.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Surrey
Lima
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.87CA$25.42
$4.42PEN 15.21
304.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.2CA$78.5
$35.04PEN 121
57.48%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$10.26CA$14.59
$6.84PEN 23.52
50.00%
Cappuccino
$3.63CA$5.17
$3.27PEN 11.26
11.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11CA$3.00
$1.10PEN 3.80
91.82%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57CA$2.23
$0.65PEN 2.23
141.54%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$5.65CA$8.03
$2.58PEN 8.88
118.99%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$5.95CA$8.46
$4.47PEN 15.39
33.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Surrey
Lima
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$2.40CA$3.41
$1.59PEN 5.48
50.94%
White Bread(500g)
$2.04CA$2.90
$2.58PEN 8.89
-20.93%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$3.57CA$5.08
$1.36PEN 4.67
162.50%
Eggs
$3.23CA$4.60
$2.95PEN 10.14
9.49%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$9.63CA$13.70
$9.10PEN 31.30
5.82%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$10.29CA$14.63
$5.81PEN 19.98
77.11%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$19.56CA$27.83
$9.83PEN 33.80
98.98%
Apples(1kg)
$3.14CA$4.47
$2.01PEN 6.92
56.22%
Banana(1kg)
$1.31CA$1.86
$1.08PEN 3.70
21.30%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.94CA$4.19
$1.37PEN 4.71
114.60%
Tomato(1kg)
$2.95CA$4.19
$1.48PEN 5.08
99.32%
Potato(1kg)
$2.54CA$3.61
$0.96PEN 3.32
164.58%
Onion(1kg)
$2.05CA$2.91
$0.85PEN 2.93
141.18%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.98CA$2.81
$0.88PEN 3.03
125.00%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$1.80CA$2.55
$0.87PEN 2.98
106.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$13.93CA$19.82
$5.90PEN 20.31
136.10%
Wine(Bottle)
$14.12CA$20.08
$8.81PEN 30.31
60.27%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$2.46CA$3.50
$1.92PEN 6.59
28.13%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.05CA$4.34
$3.20PEN 11.02
-4.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Surrey
Lima
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$2.67CA$3.80
$0.68PEN 2.33
292.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$106CA$150
$26.74PEN 92.0
294.65%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$2.57CA$3.65
$3.81PEN 13.10
-32.55%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$1.49CA$2.12
$2.04PEN 7.02
-26.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$27.20CA$38.69
$7.14PEN 24.57
280.95%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.31CA$1.86
$1.65PEN 5.67
-20.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.8KCA$39.5K
$22.2KPEN 76.3K
25.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.5KCA$26.3K
$25.7KPEN 88.3K
-28.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Surrey
Lima
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$185CA$263
$73.0PEN 251
152.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.28CA$51.6
$16.26PEN 55.9
123.12%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$63.2CA$89.9
$27.60PEN 94.9
128.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Surrey
Lima
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$34.52CA$49.10
$33.07PEN 114
4.38%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.21CA$35.85
$19.49PEN 67.1
29.35%
Cinema Ticket
$12.70CA$18.06
$7.39PEN 25.41
71.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Surrey
Lima
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$832CA$1,183
$182PEN 626
357.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$11.9KCA$16.9K
$13.3KPEN 45.8K
-10.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Surrey
Lima
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.2CA$78.5
$52.6PEN 181
5.00%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$60.3CA$85.7
$34.23PEN 118
76.04%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$96.4CA$137
$83.8PEN 288
15.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.2CA$125
$79.0PEN 272
11.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Surrey
Lima
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,327CA$1,887
$723PEN 2,488
83.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,050CA$1,494
$340PEN 1,170
208.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$2,676CA$3,807
$1,184PEN 4,074
125.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$2,085CA$2,965
$635PEN 2,183
228.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$9,553CA$13.6K
$2,449PEN 8,423
290.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$8,388CA$11.9K
$1,372PEN 4,718
511.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Surrey
Lima
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$2,988CA$4,251
$653PEN 2,245
357.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
4.87
8.94
-45.53%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Surrey: October 5, 2026
Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Surrey
$1.1K 46.1%
Lima
$340 33.6% ↓ 67.6%$710
🛒Groceries & Markets
Surrey
$348 15.3%
Lima
$226 22.4% ↓ 35.1%$122
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Surrey
$284 12.5%
Lima
$117 11.6% ↓ 58.9%$167
🍽Eating Out
Surrey
$272 12%
Lima
$124 12.3% ↓ 54.4%$148
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Surrey
$135 5.9%
Lima
$112 11.1% ↓ 16.8%$23
🚌Getting Around
Surrey
$126 5.6%
Lima
$43 4.3% ↓ 65.6%$83
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Surrey
$60 2.6%
Lima
$48 4.7% ↓ 20.1%$12
🏠Accommodation & Living
Surrey
$2.1K 44.1%
Lima
$635 29.5% ↓ 69.6%$1.4K
🛒Groceries & Markets
Surrey
$797 16.9%
Lima
$517 24% ↓ 35.1%$280
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Surrey
$320 6.8%
Lima
$133 6.2% ↓ 58.5%$187
🍽Eating Out
Surrey
$827 17.5%
Lima
$417 19.3% ↓ 49.6%$411
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Surrey
$300 6.3%
Lima
$250 11.6% ↓ 16.8%$50
🚌Getting Around
Surrey
$258 5.5%
Lima
$88 4.1% ↓ 65.7%$170
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Surrey
$145 3.1%
Lima
$115 5.4% ↓ 20.6%$30
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,327 in Surrey and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Surrey pays 358% 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: $55.0 in Surrey vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.
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
Surrey vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Surrey and in Lima?
Surrey and Lima differ by about 124% in total monthly costs ($2,236 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Surrey or Lima?
Average pay runs 358% higher in Surrey, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Surrey and in Lima?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,327 in Surrey versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Surrey and Lima?
Childcare runs $832 in Surrey versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Surrey. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $996 in Lima versus $2,236 in Surrey, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Surrey. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Surrey and Lima?
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.
Where should expats move: Surrey or Lima?
Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 124% less than in Surrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.