Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arequipa and Bandung

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandung: $628 a month against $709 in Arequipa, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
Learn more

Arequipa Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Bandung
Learn more

Bandung Living Index

Jump to prices

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$709

/mo nomad

Bandung

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arequipa and in Bandung

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 Bandung actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $709 per month in Arequipa vs $628 in Bandung, rent included.

Arequipa $709
Bandung $628

A couple spends around $1,117 per month in Arequipa vs $929 in Bandung, rent included.

Arequipa $1,117
Bandung $929

A family of three spends $1,524 per month in Arequipa vs $1,230 in Bandung, rent included.

Arequipa $1,524
Bandung $1,230

Arequipa costs about 13% more than Bandung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Arequipa and Bandung are more affordable than the global median – Arequipa 48% lower, Bandung 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 PEN 11.87

$1.42 Rp 25.6K

143.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.89 PEN 95.8

$13.68 Rp 246.2K

103.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 PEN 20.37

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

83.59%

Cappuccino

$2.42 PEN 8.31

$1.48 Rp 26.6K

63.51%

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

$0.81 PEN 2.78

$0.43 Rp 7,689

88.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 PEN 1.33

$0.24 Rp 4,341

62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.09 PEN 7.16

$3.10 Rp 55.9K

-32.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 PEN 14.68

$3.06 Rp 55.2K

39.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 PEN 4.61

$1.07 Rp 19.3K

25.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 PEN 4.66

$0.99 Rp 17.7K

37.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 PEN 4.99

$0.85 Rp 15.2K

70.59%

Eggs

$2.29 PEN 7.85

$1.45 Rp 26.2K

57.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.25 PEN 21.47

$7.08 Rp 127.4K

-11.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 PEN 15.75

$2.83 Rp 51.0K

62.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.33 PEN 25.16

$7.77 Rp 139.8K

-5.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 PEN 6.03

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

-22.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 PEN 4.05

$1.06 Rp 19.0K

11.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 PEN 3.88

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

-22.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 PEN 3.41

$0.95 Rp 17.0K

4.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 PEN 2.29

$1.08 Rp 19.5K

-37.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 PEN 2.31

$1.91 Rp 34.5K

-64.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 PEN 1.91

$0.64 Rp 11.5K

-12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 PEN 2.60

$0.42 Rp 7,573

80.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.13 PEN 17.62

$2.61 Rp 47.0K

96.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.18 PEN 17.80

$22.34 Rp 402.1K

-76.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 PEN 9.17

$1.89 Rp 34.1K

41.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 PEN 7.90

$3.24 Rp 58.3K

-29.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.95

$0.29 Rp 5,256

-3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.57 Rp 172.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 PEN 6.92

$0.82 Rp 14.7K

146.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 PEN 6.92

$0.51 Rp 9,203

294.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.01 PEN 44.68

$2.22 Rp 40.0K

486.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 PEN 5.28

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

81.18%

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

$18.9K PEN 65.0K

$20.7K Rp 373.4M

-8.76%

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

$25.1K PEN 86.3K

$31.6K Rp 569.6M

-20.56%

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

$23.36 PEN 80.2

$33.38 Rp 600.8K

-30.02%

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

$10.26 PEN 35.24

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

134.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.44 PEN 80.5

$19.09 Rp 343.7K

22.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.08 PEN 86.1

$18.35 Rp 330.3K

36.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.00 PEN 27.47

$5.99 Rp 107.9K

33.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.35 PEN 25.24

$2.73 Rp 49.2K

169.23%

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

$75.3 PEN 258

$91.7 Rp 1.7M

-17.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,598 PEN 22.7K

$8,172 Rp 147.1M

-19.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.74 PEN 164

$38.74 Rp 697.3K

23.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.42 PEN 90.7

$31.83 Rp 572.9K

-17.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 PEN 232

$76.6 Rp 1.4M

-11.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.5 PEN 198

$71.4 Rp 1.3M

-19.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$347 PEN 1,192

$216 Rp 3.9M

60.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 PEN 813

$180 Rp 3.2M

31.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 PEN 2,471

$380 Rp 6.8M

89.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 PEN 1,439

$265 Rp 4.8M

58.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,963 PEN 6,740

$726 Rp 13.1M

170.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$989 PEN 3,397

$301 Rp 5.4M

229.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$619 PEN 2,125

$279 Rp 5.0M

121.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.38

31.81%

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

Last update for Arequipa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bandung: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arequipa

$237 33.4%

Bandung

$180 28.6% 24% $57

Groceries & Markets

Arequipa

$174 24.5%

Bandung

$192 30.6% 10.5% $18

Eating Out

Arequipa

$98 13.9%

Bandung

$63 10.1% 35.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Arequipa

$90 12.7%

Bandung

$98 15.7% 9.7% $8.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arequipa

$57 8.1%

Bandung

$57 9.1% 0.4% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Arequipa

$40 5.6%

Bandung

$24 3.8% 40.1% $16

Getting Around

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9%

Bandung

$14 2.3% 6.9% $0.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $347 in Arequipa versus $216 in Bandung. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 122% higher in Arequipa, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Arequipa versus $14.00 in Bandung. Groceries tell a different story – $174 in Arequipa vs $192 in Bandung – so Arequipa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🇮🇩 Bandung

🕒 Local time

15:51 3:51 PM

03:51 3:51 AM

12 h ahead of Arequipa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,062

2,390,120

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arequipa Bandung 17,420 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Arequipa
Bandung

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 Bandung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arequipa costs about 13% more than Bandung, 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 $1,063 per month in Arequipa and $942 in Bandung. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bandung, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Arequipa and $14.00 in Bandung. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Arequipa – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $709 in Arequipa and $628 in Bandung, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bandung costs $628 versus $709 in Arequipa. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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