Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yellowknife and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $2,924 in Yellowknife, rent and utilities included – about $23,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

143

Cost of Living Index in Yellowknife
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Yellowknife Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

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Yellowknife

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,924

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,924 in Yellowknife versus $996 in Lima.

Yellowknife $2,924
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,087 in Yellowknife versus $1,594 in Lima.

Yellowknife $4,087
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,250 in Yellowknife versus $2,191 in Lima.

Yellowknife $5,250
Lima $2,191

Living in Yellowknife is roughly 194% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Yellowknife is 118% above, Lima is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.40 CA$27.65

$4.42 PEN 15.16

338.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 CA$119

$35.04 PEN 120

137.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.39 CA$11.97

$6.84 PEN 23.44

22.66%

Cappuccino

$4.39 CA$6.25

$3.27 PEN 11.22

34.25%

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

$2.39 CA$3.41

$1.10 PEN 3.78

117.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 CA$2.89

$0.65 PEN 2.22

212.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.43 CA$9.17

$2.58 PEN 8.85

149.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 CA$9.91

$4.47 PEN 15.34

55.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.75 CA$3.92

$1.59 PEN 5.46

72.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 CA$3.77

$2.58 PEN 8.86

2.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.75 CA$6.77

$1.36 PEN 4.65

249.26%

Eggs

$3.15 CA$4.49

$2.95 PEN 10.11

6.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.97 CA$9.94

$9.10 PEN 31.19

-23.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.66 CA$22.33

$5.81 PEN 19.91

169.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.51 CA$22.11

$9.83 PEN 33.68

57.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 CA$6.85

$2.01 PEN 6.89

139.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 CA$2.16

$1.08 PEN 3.69

39.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.06 CA$7.22

$1.37 PEN 4.70

269.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.17 CA$10.22

$1.48 PEN 5.06

384.46%

Potato (1kg)

$4.53 CA$6.46

$0.96 PEN 3.30

371.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.16

$0.85 PEN 2.92

325.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.45 CA$4.92

$0.88 PEN 3.02

292.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 CA$1.49

$0.87 PEN 2.97

19.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.52 CA$24.97

$5.90 PEN 20.24

196.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.30 CA$20.38

$8.81 PEN 30.21

62.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.14 CA$5.90

$1.92 PEN 6.57

115.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 CA$9.02

$3.20 PEN 10.98

97.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.13 CA$3.04

$0.68 PEN 2.33

213.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.8 CA$75.3

$26.74 PEN 91.7

97.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 CA$4.47

$3.81 PEN 13.06

-17.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 CA$1.95

$2.04 PEN 7.00

-32.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 CA$1.86

$1.65 PEN 5.65

-20.61%

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

$24.2K CA$34.5K

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

9.21%

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

$18.8K CA$26.8K

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

-26.64%

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

$355 CA$506

$73.0 PEN 250

385.79%

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

$57.5 CA$81.9

$16.26 PEN 55.7

253.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$99.7 CA$142

$27.60 PEN 94.6

261.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.1 CA$103

$33.07 PEN 113

117.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

Cinema Ticket

$9.54 CA$13.60

$7.39 PEN 25.33

29.09%

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

$593 CA$845

$182 PEN 624

225.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 CA$88.3

$52.6 PEN 180

17.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.78 CA$49.57

$34.23 PEN 117

1.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 CA$142

$83.8 PEN 287

18.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 CA$162

$79.0 PEN 271

44.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,389 CA$1,980

$723 PEN 2,479

92.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 CA$1,968

$340 PEN 1,166

305.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,101 CA$2,995

$1,184 PEN 4,060

77.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,059 CA$2,935

$635 PEN 2,176

224.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,977 CA$4,244

$2,449 PEN 8,394

21.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,819 CA$4,018

$1,372 PEN 4,702

105.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,989 CA$5,685

$653 PEN 2,237

511.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

8.94

-40.49%

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

Last update for Yellowknife: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yellowknife

$1.4K 47.3%

Lima

$340 33.6% 75.4% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yellowknife

$512 17.5%

Lima

$117 11.6% 77.2% $395

Groceries & Markets

Yellowknife

$430 14.7%

Lima

$226 22.4% 47.3% $203

Eating Out

Yellowknife

$297 10.2%

Lima

$124 12.3% 58.2% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Yellowknife

$140 4.8%

Lima

$112 11.1% 19.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Yellowknife

$91 3.1%

Lima

$48 4.7% 47.5% $43

Getting Around

Yellowknife

$71 2.4%

Lima

$43 4.3% 39% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,389 in Yellowknife and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yellowknife pays 511% 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: $83.0 in Yellowknife vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $430 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Yellowknife

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

00:03 12:03 AM

1 h ahead of Yellowknife

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,234

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Yellowknife Lima 8,890 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Yellowknife
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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

Yellowknife vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yellowknife and Lima differ by about 194% in total monthly costs ($2,924 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 511% higher in Yellowknife, 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: $1,389 in Yellowknife versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $593 in Yellowknife 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 90% higher in Yellowknife. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $2,924 in Yellowknife, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Yellowknife. 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 194% less than in Yellowknife. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.