Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arequipa and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Arequipa: $696 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$696

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arequipa and in Austin, TX

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

A single person spends $696 per month in Arequipa vs $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent included.

Arequipa $696
Austin, TX $2,689

A couple spends around $1,094 per month in Arequipa vs $4,112 in Austin, TX, rent included.

Arequipa $1,094
Austin, TX $4,112

A family of three spends $1,492 per month in Arequipa vs $5,534 in Austin, TX, rent included.

Arequipa $1,492
Austin, TX $5,534

Arequipa is about 74% cheaper than Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Arequipa sits 49% below the global median, while Austin, TX is 99% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.39 PEN 11.67

$21.34 $21.34

-84.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.99 PEN 89.5

$87.9 $87.9

-70.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 PEN 19.71

$12.44 $12.44

-53.94%

Cappuccino

$2.50 PEN 8.61

$5.60 $5.60

-55.36%

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

$0.82 PEN 2.81

$3.65 $3.65

-77.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 PEN 1.32

$2.39 $2.39

-84.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 PEN 7.04

$7.82 $7.82

-73.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 PEN 9.99

$8.75 $8.75

-66.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 PEN 4.36

$1.12 $1.12

13.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 PEN 4.84

$3.62 $3.62

-61.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 PEN 5.19

$3.50 $3.50

-56.86%

Eggs

$2.34 PEN 8.04

$4.45 $4.45

-47.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.26 PEN 21.55

$13.18 $13.18

-52.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.40 PEN 15.15

$13.94 $13.94

-68.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.17 PEN 24.67

$16.46 $16.46

-56.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 PEN 5.90

$4.73 $4.73

-63.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 PEN 4.25

$1.50 $1.50

-17.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.14 PEN 3.91

$4.64 $4.64

-75.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.00 PEN 3.43

$4.52 $4.52

-77.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 PEN 2.14

$2.55 $2.55

-75.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 PEN 2.30

$2.39 $2.39

-71.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 PEN 1.77

$1.84 $1.84

-72.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 PEN 2.62

$2.13 $2.13

-64.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 PEN 17.68

$10.05 $10.05

-48.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.95 PEN 17.04

$14.88 $14.88

-66.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 PEN 9.15

$2.82 $2.82

-5.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 PEN 7.69

$3.29 $3.29

-32.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.96

$1.23 $1.23

-77.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 PEN 6.77

$2.68 $2.68

-26.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 PEN 7.06

$1.63 $1.63

25.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.72 PEN 43.77

$35.20 $35.20

-63.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.45

$0.98 $0.98

61.22%

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

$19.0K PEN 65.2K

$34.4K $34.4K

-44.85%

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

$25.3K PEN 87.2K

$26.8K $26.8K

-5.56%

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

$23.50 PEN 80.9

$252 $252

-90.68%

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

$10.28 PEN 35.37

$59.8 $59.8

-82.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.79 PEN 78.4

$69.7 $69.7

-67.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.35 PEN 83.8

$60.4 $60.4

-59.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.77 PEN 26.73

$18.14 $18.14

-57.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.03 PEN 24.19

$13.75 $13.75

-48.87%

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

$73.9 PEN 254

$1,458 $1,458

-94.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,686 PEN 23.0K

$26.6K $26.6K

-74.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.91 PEN 165

$52.6 $52.6

-8.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.78 PEN 88.7

$45.76 $45.76

-43.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.6 PEN 226

$85.5 $85.5

-23.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.3 PEN 201

$106 $106

-44.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$348 PEN 1,199

$2,195 $2,195

-84.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$231 PEN 796

$1,269 $1,269

-81.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 PEN 2,473

$4,000 $4,000

-82.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 PEN 1,414

$2,406 $2,406

-82.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,915 PEN 6,589

$7,381 $7,381

-74.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$973 PEN 3,348

$2,964 $2,964

-67.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$605 PEN 2,082

$5,043 $5,043

-88.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

119.94%

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

Last update for Arequipa: November 3, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arequipa

$231 33.3%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2% 448% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Arequipa

$172 24.7%

Austin, TX

$407 15.2% 137% $235

Eating Out

Arequipa

$95 13.7%

Austin, TX

$356 13.2% 274% $261

Clothing & Footwear

Arequipa

$89 12.8%

Austin, TX

$130 4.9% 46.6% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arequipa

$57 8.1%

Austin, TX

$382 14.2% 575% $325

Sport & Entertainment

Arequipa

$38 5.5%

Austin, TX

$88 3.3% 129% $49

Getting Around

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9%

Austin, TX

$57 2.1% 329% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $348 in Arequipa versus $2,195 in Austin, TX. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Austin, TX are about 8.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Arequipa versus $88 in Austin, TX. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $172 vs $407 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

02:46 2:46 AM

01:46 1:46 AM

1 h behind Arequipa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,062

974,447

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.87 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arequipa Austin, TX 5,900 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Arequipa
Austin, TX

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

Arequipa vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX costs about 287% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,044 per month in Arequipa and $4,034 in Austin, TX. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arequipa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $348 there versus $2,195 in Austin, TX.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Arequipa and $88 in Austin, TX. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 137% more in Austin, TX, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Arequipa, where all-in costs run around $696, than in Austin, TX at $2,689. In Arequipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Austin, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Arequipa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Arequipa. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Austin, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.