Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arequipa and Huancayo

For one person, living is cheaper in Huancayo: $485 a month against $696 in Arequipa, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Huancayo
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Huancayo Living Index

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Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$696

/mo nomad

Huancayo

🇵🇪 Peru

$485

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arequipa and in Huancayo

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

A single person spends $696 per month in Arequipa vs $485 in Huancayo, rent included.

Arequipa $696
Huancayo $485

A couple spends around $1,094 per month in Arequipa vs $820 in Huancayo, rent included.

Arequipa $1,094
Huancayo $820

A family of three spends $1,492 per month in Arequipa vs $1,155 in Huancayo, rent included.

Arequipa $1,492
Huancayo $1,155

Arequipa costs about 43% more than Huancayo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Arequipa and Huancayo are more affordable than the global median – Arequipa 49% lower, Huancayo 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.39 PEN 11.75

$2.31 PEN 8.00

46.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.99 PEN 90.0

$34.27 PEN 119

-24.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 PEN 19.83

$7.06 PEN 24.44

-18.84%

Cappuccino

$2.50 PEN 8.67

$3.15 PEN 10.91

-20.63%

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

$0.82 PEN 2.83

$1.07 PEN 3.70

-23.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 PEN 1.33

$0.61 PEN 2.11

-37.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 PEN 7.08

$2.65 PEN 9.17

-23.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 PEN 10.05

$4.46 PEN 15.46

-34.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 PEN 4.38

$1.19 PEN 4.12

6.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 PEN 4.87

$1.04 PEN 3.59

35.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 PEN 5.22

$1.36 PEN 4.70

11.03%

Eggs

$2.34 PEN 8.10

$2.47 PEN 8.56

-5.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.26 PEN 21.69

$5.26 PEN 18.23

19.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.40 PEN 15.25

$5.74 PEN 19.87

-23.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.17 PEN 24.83

$5.18 PEN 17.96

38.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 PEN 5.93

$1.43 PEN 4.97

19.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 PEN 4.28

$1.03 PEN 3.58

20.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.14 PEN 3.93

$0.56 PEN 1.95

103.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.00 PEN 3.45

$1.14 PEN 3.95

-12.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 PEN 2.16

$0.88 PEN 3.06

-29.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 PEN 2.32

$0.84 PEN 2.91

-20.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 PEN 1.78

$0.59 PEN 2.05

-13.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 PEN 2.63

$0.88 PEN 3.06

-13.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 PEN 17.80

$5.81 PEN 20.12

-11.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.95 PEN 17.15

$5.28 PEN 18.29

-6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 PEN 9.21

$1.88 PEN 6.50

41.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 PEN 7.74

$3.22 PEN 11.14

-30.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.96

$0.56 PEN 1.95

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.19 PEN 59.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 PEN 6.81

$1.90 PEN 6.59

3.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 PEN 7.11

$2.01 PEN 6.97

1.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.72 PEN 44.05

$7.60 PEN 26.31

67.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.48

$1.42 PEN 4.90

11.27%

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

$19.0K PEN 65.7K

$21.7K PEN 75.1K

-12.55%

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

$25.3K PEN 87.7K

$28.9K PEN 100.3K

-12.50%

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

$23.50 PEN 81.4

$34.21 PEN 118

-31.31%

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

$10.28 PEN 35.60

$11.50 PEN 39.83

-10.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.79 PEN 78.9

$11.61 PEN 40.22

96.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.35 PEN 84.3

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.77 PEN 26.91

Cinema Ticket

$7.03 PEN 24.35

$7.36 PEN 25.49

-4.48%

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

$73.9 PEN 256

$307 PEN 1,062

-75.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,686 PEN 23.2K

$12.6K PEN 43.8K

-47.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.91 PEN 166

$53.8 PEN 186

-10.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.78 PEN 89.3

$35.34 PEN 122

-27.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.6 PEN 227

$83.9 PEN 291

-21.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.3 PEN 202

$77.7 PEN 269

-25.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$348 PEN 1,206

$321 PEN 1,111

8.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$231 PEN 801

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 PEN 2,489

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 PEN 1,423

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,915 PEN 6,632

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$973 PEN 3,370

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$605 PEN 2,096

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 Huancayo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arequipa

$231 33.3%

Huancayo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Arequipa

$172 24.7%

Huancayo

$163 33.5% 5.4% $9.3

Eating Out

Arequipa

$95 13.7%

Huancayo

$106 21.9% 11.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Arequipa

$89 12.8%

Huancayo

$113 23.3% 26.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arequipa

$57 8.1%

Huancayo

$57 11.8% 1.3% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Arequipa

$38 5.5%

Huancayo

$15 * 3% 61.7% $24

Getting Around

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9%

Huancayo

$31 6.5% 135% $18

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 $321 in Huancayo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Arequipa versus $34 in Huancayo. Groceries tell a different story – $172 in Arequipa vs $163 in Huancayo – so Huancayo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🇵🇪 Huancayo

🕒 Local time

23:15 11:15 PM

Same time as Arequipa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,062

27,552

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.289 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

1 PEN = 0.289 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arequipa Huancayo 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Arequipa
Huancayo

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 Huancayo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arequipa costs about 43% more than Huancayo, 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 $728 in Huancayo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $348 in Arequipa and $321 in Huancayo. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Arequipa and $34 in Huancayo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Arequipa, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $696 in Arequipa and $485 in Huancayo, 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 $485 in Huancayo to $696 in Arequipa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.