Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arequipa and Cerro de Pasco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco: $548 a month against $696 in Arequipa, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Arequipa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Cerro de Pasco
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Cerro de Pasco Living Index

Jump to prices

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$696

/mo nomad

Cerro de Pasco

🇵🇪 Peru

$548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arequipa and in Cerro de Pasco

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 Cerro de Pasco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $696 per month in Arequipa vs $548 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Arequipa $696
Cerro de Pasco $548

A couple spends around $1,094 per month in Arequipa vs $883 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Arequipa $1,094
Cerro de Pasco $883

A family of three spends $1,492 per month in Arequipa vs $1,218 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Arequipa $1,492
Cerro de Pasco $1,218

Arequipa costs about 27% more than Cerro de Pasco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Arequipa and Cerro de Pasco are more affordable than the global median – Arequipa 49% lower, Cerro de Pasco 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.39 PEN 11.70

$2.98 PEN 10.27

13.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.99 PEN 89.7

$28.85 PEN 99.5

-9.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 PEN 19.75

$6.77 PEN 23.37

-15.36%

Cappuccino

$2.50 PEN 8.63

$1.99 PEN 6.87

25.63%

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

$0.82 PEN 2.81

$0.75 PEN 2.58

9.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 PEN 1.33

$0.45 PEN 1.56

-15.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 PEN 7.05

$2.66 PEN 9.17

-23.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 PEN 10.01

$4.31 PEN 14.86

-32.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 PEN 4.37

$1.54 PEN 5.33

-17.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 PEN 4.85

$2.36 PEN 8.13

-40.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 PEN 5.20

$1.25 PEN 4.31

20.80%

Eggs

$2.34 PEN 8.06

$2.38 PEN 8.22

-1.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.26 PEN 21.60

$9.08 PEN 31.33

-31.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.40 PEN 15.18

$5.71 PEN 19.71

-22.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.17 PEN 24.72

$8.33 PEN 28.73

-13.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 PEN 5.91

$2.04 PEN 7.03

-16.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 PEN 4.26

$0.74 PEN 2.56

67.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.14 PEN 3.92

$0.45 PEN 1.56

153.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.00 PEN 3.44

$1.14 PEN 3.94

-12.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 PEN 2.15

$0.75 PEN 2.58

-17.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 PEN 2.31

$0.50 PEN 1.74

34.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 PEN 1.77

$0.90 PEN 3.11

-43.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 PEN 2.62

$0.89 PEN 3.06

-14.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 PEN 17.73

$5.69 PEN 19.63

-9.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.95 PEN 17.08

$7.43 PEN 25.63

-33.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 PEN 9.18

$1.91 PEN 6.60

39.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 PEN 7.71

$2.67 PEN 9.21

-16.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.96

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 PEN 6.79

$3.44 PEN 11.87

-42.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 PEN 7.08

$2.01 PEN 6.94

1.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.72 PEN 43.87

$7.69 PEN 26.52

65.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.46

$1.72 PEN 5.92

-8.14%

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

$19.0K PEN 65.4K

$21.9K PEN 75.5K

-13.41%

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

$25.3K PEN 87.4K

$29.0K PEN 100.2K

-12.80%

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

$23.50 PEN 81.1

$67.5 PEN 233

-65.19%

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

$10.28 PEN 35.46

$15.47 PEN 53.4

-33.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.79 PEN 78.6

$26.37 PEN 91.0

-13.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.35 PEN 84.0

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.77 PEN 26.80

Cinema Ticket

$7.03 PEN 24.25

$7.04 PEN 24.28

-0.14%

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

$73.9 PEN 255

$308 PEN 1,063

-76.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,686 PEN 23.1K

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

-48.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.91 PEN 165

$53.1 PEN 183

-9.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.78 PEN 88.9

$35.10 PEN 121

-26.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.6 PEN 226

$83.6 PEN 288

-21.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.3 PEN 201

$78.9 PEN 272

-26.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$348 PEN 1,201

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$231 PEN 798

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 PEN 2,479

$412 PEN 1,421

74.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 PEN 1,417

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,915 PEN 6,605

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$973 PEN 3,356

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$605 PEN 2,087

$470 PEN 1,620

28.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

70.84%

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

Last update for Arequipa: November 3, 2026

Last update for Cerro de Pasco: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arequipa

$231 33.3%

Cerro de Pasco

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Arequipa

$172 24.7%

Cerro de Pasco

$204 37.2% 18.5% $32

Eating Out

Arequipa

$95 13.7%

Cerro de Pasco

$95 17.3% 0.4% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Arequipa

$89 12.8%

Cerro de Pasco

$113 20.6% 26.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arequipa

$57 8.1%

Cerro de Pasco

$109 19.9% 93.3% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Arequipa

$38 5.5%

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.6% 63.3% $24

Getting Around

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9%

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.5% 1.2% $0.2

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 29% higher in Arequipa. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Arequipa versus $29 in Cerro de Pasco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $172 vs $204 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🇵🇪 Cerro de Pasco

🕒 Local time

19:02 7:02 PM

Same time as Arequipa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,062

58,899

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Arequipa Cerro de Pasco 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Arequipa
Cerro de Pasco

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 Cerro de Pasco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arequipa costs about 27% more than Cerro de Pasco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 $822 in Cerro de Pasco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Arequipa and $29 in Cerro de Pasco. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Arequipa – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $696 in Arequipa and $548 in Cerro de Pasco, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Arequipa has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $548 in Cerro de Pasco to $696 in Arequipa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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