Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney, NS and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,595 in Sydney, NS, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sydney, NS
Learn more

Sydney, NS Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Sydney, NS

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,595

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,595 in Sydney, NS versus $1,012 in Lima.

Sydney, NS $1,595
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,519 in Sydney, NS versus $1,589 in Lima.

Sydney, NS $2,519
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,443 in Sydney, NS versus $2,167 in Lima.

Sydney, NS $3,443
Lima $2,167

Living in Sydney, NS is roughly 58% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney, NS is 18% above, Lima is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 CA$15.57

$4.40 PEN 15.10

150.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.5 CA$89.7

$35.17 PEN 121

80.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.36 CA$10.40

$6.89 PEN 23.65

6.82%

Cappuccino

$2.84 CA$4.02

$3.26 PEN 11.20

-12.88%

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

$2.29 CA$3.23

$1.12 PEN 3.84

104.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 CA$2.91

$0.62 PEN 2.11

232.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 CA$3.16

$1.63 PEN 5.61

37.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$2.56 PEN 8.78

-3.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 CA$3.41

$1.35 PEN 4.65

78.52%

Eggs

$3.19 CA$4.50

$2.90 PEN 9.96

10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.29 CA$8.89

$8.85 PEN 30.38

-28.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 CA$11.36

$5.98 PEN 20.52

34.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.06 CA$18.47

$9.78 PEN 33.59

33.54%

Apples (1kg)

$7.04 CA$9.96

$2.05 PEN 7.02

243.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$1.06 PEN 3.66

12.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 CA$2.02

$1.50 PEN 5.15

-4.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 CA$1.10

$0.88 PEN 3.03

-11.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 CA$2.76

$0.92 PEN 3.15

111.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$6.41 CA$9.06

$0.89 PEN 3.07

620.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.79 CA$25.15

$5.90 PEN 20.27

201.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.21 CA$5.96

$3.22 PEN 11.05

30.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 CA$1.53

$0.68 PEN 2.33

58.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.58 CA$67.3

$26.86 PEN 92.2

77.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.10 CA$5.80

$3.81 PEN 13.09

7.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.66

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-31.98%

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

$25.6K CA$36.2K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

14.78%

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

$19.0K CA$26.9K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

-25.39%

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

$88.1 CA$124

$73.1 PEN 251

20.51%

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

$34.80 CA$49.20

$16.35 PEN 56.2

112.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.5 CA$104

$27.47 PEN 94.3

167.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.87 CA$67.7

$31.90 PEN 110

50.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.40 CA$4.80

$19.41 PEN 66.7

-82.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.93 CA$9.80

$7.05 PEN 24.23

-1.70%

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

$698 CA$987

$182 PEN 627

282.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 CA$95.6

$53.8 PEN 185

25.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.2 CA$93.6

$34.32 PEN 118

92.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 CA$140

$82.8 PEN 284

19.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$149

$78.2 PEN 269

34.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 CA$1,273

$721 PEN 2,476

24.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 CA$1,002

$343 PEN 1,179

106.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,770 CA$2,503

$1,219 PEN 4,186

45.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 CA$1,932

$651 PEN 2,235

110.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,501 CA$3,536

$648 PEN 2,226

285.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.8

8.94

-35.12%

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

Last update for Sydney, NS: 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

Sydney, NS

$709 44.5%

Lima

$343 33.9% 51.6% $366

Groceries & Markets

Sydney, NS

$258 * 16.2%

Lima

$226 22.3% 12.3% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney, NS

$196 12.3%

Lima

$117 11.6% 40.5% $79

Eating Out

Sydney, NS

$162 * 10.1%

Lima

$124 12.3% 23.3% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney, NS

$152 9.5%

Lima

$112 11.1% 26.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney, NS

$62 3.9%

Lima

$46 4.6% 25.5% $16

Getting Around

Sydney, NS

$56 * 3.5%

Lima

$43 4.3% 22.4% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Sydney, NS and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney, NS pays 286% 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: $63.0 in Sydney, NS vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Sydney, NS

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

15:15 3:15 PM

13:15 1:15 PM

2 h behind Sydney, NS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,960

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney, NS Lima 6,690 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney, NS
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

Sydney, NS vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney, NS and Lima differ by about 58% in total monthly costs ($1,595 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 286% higher in Sydney, NS, 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: $900 in Sydney, NS versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Sydney, NS 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 14% higher in Sydney, NS. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,595 in Sydney, NS, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Sydney, NS. 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 58% less than in Sydney, NS. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.