Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and La Merced

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $558 a month against $2,683 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $25,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
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La Merced Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,683

/mo nomad

La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$558

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in La Merced

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Vancouver and in La Merced actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,683 per month in Vancouver vs $558 in La Merced, rent included.

Vancouver $2,683
La Merced $558

A couple spends around $3,963 per month in Vancouver vs $910 in La Merced, rent included.

Vancouver $3,963
La Merced $910

A family of three spends $5,244 per month in Vancouver vs $1,263 in La Merced, rent included.

Vancouver $5,244
La Merced $1,263

Vancouver costs about 381% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Vancouver sits 98% above the global median, while La Merced is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.10 CA$25.37

$4.38 PEN 15.06

313.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 CA$99.5

$34.86 PEN 120

103.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 CA$14.81

$7.01 PEN 24.13

50.78%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.56

$3.18 PEN 10.94

24.84%

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

$2.07 CA$2.90

$1.08 PEN 3.71

91.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 CA$2.59

$0.65 PEN 2.24

184.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 CA$7.95

$2.57 PEN 8.84

120.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.61 CA$9.27

$4.29 PEN 14.78

54.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CA$3.02

$1.58 PEN 5.43

36.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 CA$3.62

$2.07 PEN 7.13

24.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 CA$6.02

$1.28 PEN 4.42

235.94%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.74

$2.35 PEN 8.09

74.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.12 CA$16.98

$7.33 PEN 25.23

65.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 CA$18.62

$5.78 PEN 19.89

129.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.11 CA$28.19

$8.68 PEN 29.87

131.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 CA$5.56

$0.92 PEN 3.16

330.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 CA$2.00

$0.45 PEN 1.56

217.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.20

$0.30 PEN 1.03

1136.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.50

$0.71 PEN 2.45

452.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 CA$4.02

$0.28 PEN 0.96

925.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.17

$0.45 PEN 1.55

562.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$0.60 PEN 2.07

335.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.29

$0.87 PEN 3.01

87.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.94 CA$22.35

$5.63 PEN 19.38

183.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$19.97

$7.33 PEN 25.24

94.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.54

$1.90 PEN 6.55

32.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 CA$4.03

$3.08 PEN 10.58

-6.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 CA$3.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.4 CA$118

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 CA$3.85

$3.43 PEN 11.82

-20.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 CA$2.28

$2.07 PEN 7.12

-21.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.90 CA$44.71

$7.64 PEN 26.31

317.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.64 PEN 5.64

-10.98%

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

$26.7K CA$37.4K

$21.7K PEN 74.8K

22.80%

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

$21.0K CA$29.5K

$28.9K PEN 99.6K

-27.34%

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

$88.2 CA$124

$66.7 PEN 229

32.39%

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

$36.72 CA$51.5

$15.80 PEN 54.4

132.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.81 CA$69.8

$27.06 PEN 93.1

84.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.34 CA$63.6

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.13 CA$17.00

Cinema Ticket

$12.55 CA$17.59

$7.14 PEN 24.57

75.77%

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

$1,055 CA$1,479

$318 PEN 1,093

232.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.5K CA$39.9K

$12.7K PEN 43.5K

125.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$79.1

$53.3 PEN 183

5.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.37 CA$48.18

$35.12 PEN 121

-2.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$126

$83.7 PEN 288

7.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 CA$132

$79.1 PEN 272

19.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 CA$2,436

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 CA$2,143

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,107 CA$4,355

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 CA$3,570

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,540 CA$12.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,328 CA$8,870

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,770 CA$5,284

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.24

8.78

-51.71%

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

Last update for Vancouver: November 2, 2026

Last update for La Merced: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

La Merced

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$398 14.9%

La Merced

$185 33.1% 53.5% $213

Eating Out

Vancouver

$281 10.5%

La Merced

$123 22% 56.4% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$175 6.5%

La Merced

$110 19.6% 37.3% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.6%

La Merced

$113 20.3% 8.6% $11

Getting Around

Vancouver

$106 3.9%

La Merced

$14 * 2.5% 86.9% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$70 2.6%

La Merced

$14 * 2.6% 79.7% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Vancouver versus $35 in La Merced. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $398 vs $185 – making La Merced the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇵🇪 La Merced

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

01:22 1:22 AM

2 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

8,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 6, 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

Vancouver La Merced 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
La Merced

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

Vancouver vs La Merced: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver costs about 381% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,024 per month in Vancouver and $837 in La Merced. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,683 in Vancouver and $558 in La Merced. That makes La Merced about 79% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,055 per month in Vancouver and $318 in La Merced. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in La Merced, where all-in costs run around $558, than in Vancouver at $2,683. In La Merced it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vancouver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. La Merced has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $558 in La Merced to $2,683 in Vancouver. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.