Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arequipa and Cusco

For one person, living costs are similar in Arequipa and in Cusco: $709 and $689 a month, rent and utilities included.

34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index

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Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$709

/mo nomad

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arequipa and in Cusco

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

A single person spends $709 per month in Arequipa vs $689 in Cusco, rent included.

Arequipa $709
Cusco $689

A couple spends around $1,117 per month in Arequipa vs $1,094 in Cusco, rent included.

Arequipa $1,117
Cusco $1,094

A family of three spends $1,524 per month in Arequipa vs $1,500 in Cusco, rent included.

Arequipa $1,524
Cusco $1,500

Arequipa costs about 3% more than Cusco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Arequipa and Cusco are more affordable than the global median – Arequipa 48% lower, Cusco 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 PEN 11.87

$1.98 PEN 6.81

74.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.89 PEN 95.8

$20.00 PEN 68.7

39.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 PEN 20.37

$6.55 PEN 22.50

-9.47%

Cappuccino

$2.42 PEN 8.31

$2.11 PEN 7.25

14.69%

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

$0.81 PEN 2.78

$0.74 PEN 2.54

9.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 PEN 1.33

$0.33 PEN 1.12

18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.09 PEN 7.16

$1.72 PEN 5.91

21.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 PEN 14.68

$4.29 PEN 14.74

-0.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 PEN 4.61

$1.31 PEN 4.51

2.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 PEN 4.66

$2.23 PEN 7.68

-39.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 PEN 4.99

$1.34 PEN 4.60

8.21%

Eggs

$2.29 PEN 7.85

$3.62 PEN 12.44

-36.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.25 PEN 21.47

$4.91 PEN 16.87

27.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 PEN 15.75

$4.33 PEN 14.88

6.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.33 PEN 25.16

$7.11 PEN 24.41

3.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 PEN 6.03

$2.59 PEN 8.89

-32.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 PEN 4.05

$0.79 PEN 2.71

49.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 PEN 3.88

$1.48 PEN 5.08

-23.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 PEN 3.41

$0.84 PEN 2.89

17.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 PEN 2.29

$1.01 PEN 3.47

-33.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 PEN 2.31

$1.07 PEN 3.69

-37.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 PEN 1.91

$0.49 PEN 1.67

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 PEN 2.60

$0.70 PEN 2.40

8.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.13 PEN 17.62

Wine (Bottle)

$5.18 PEN 17.80

$5.88 PEN 20.20

-11.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 PEN 9.17

$1.85 PEN 6.37

44.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 PEN 7.90

$4.29 PEN 14.72

-46.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.95

$0.28 PEN 0.96

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 PEN 6.92

$1.79 PEN 6.14

12.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 PEN 6.92

$1.84 PEN 6.33

9.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.01 PEN 44.68

$2.95 PEN 10.13

341.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 PEN 5.28

$1.58 PEN 5.43

-2.53%

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

$18.9K PEN 65.0K

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

$25.1K PEN 86.3K

$28.4K PEN 97.5K

-11.48%

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

$23.36 PEN 80.2

$29.41 PEN 101

-20.57%

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

$10.26 PEN 35.24

$14.67 PEN 50.4

-30.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.44 PEN 80.5

$43.42 PEN 149

-46.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.08 PEN 86.1

$29.36 PEN 101

-14.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.00 PEN 27.47

Cinema Ticket

$7.35 PEN 25.24

$4.32 PEN 14.85

70.14%

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

$75.3 PEN 258

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,598 PEN 22.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.74 PEN 164

$38.40 PEN 132

24.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.42 PEN 90.7

$33.99 PEN 117

-22.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 PEN 232

$53.9 PEN 185

25.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.5 PEN 198

$71.7 PEN 246

-19.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$347 PEN 1,192

$220 PEN 754

58.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 PEN 813

$194 PEN 665

22.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 PEN 2,471

$529 PEN 1,815

36.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 PEN 1,439

$414 PEN 1,421

1.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,963 PEN 6,740

$3,191 PEN 11.0K

-38.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$989 PEN 3,397

$1,854 PEN 6,368

-46.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$619 PEN 2,125

$431 PEN 1,479

43.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Arequipa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cusco: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arequipa

$237 33.4%

Cusco

$194 28.1% 18.2% $43

Groceries & Markets

Arequipa

$174 24.5%

Cusco

$186 27% 6.9% $12

Eating Out

Arequipa

$98 13.9%

Cusco

$82 12% 16.2% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Arequipa

$90 12.7%

Cusco

$89 12.9% 0.7% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arequipa

$57 8.1%

Cusco

$88 12.7% 53.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Arequipa

$40 5.6%

Cusco

$38 5.5% 4.5% $1.8

Getting Around

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9%

Cusco

$12 * 1.8% 8.2% $1.1

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 $220 in Cusco. 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 44% 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 $20.00 in Cusco. Groceries tell a different story – $174 in Arequipa vs $186 in Cusco – so Arequipa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🇵🇪 Cusco

🕒 Local time

16:28 4:28 PM

Same time as Arequipa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,062

428,450

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Arequipa Cusco 320 km

From you

Arequipa
Cusco

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 Cusco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arequipa costs about 3% more than Cusco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. 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 $1,033 in Cusco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $709 in Arequipa and $689 in Cusco. That's a gap of about 3%.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Arequipa – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $709 in Arequipa and $689 in Cusco, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cusco costs $689 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 Cusco. 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.