Cost of Living Comparison Between Arequipa and La Merced Cost of Living Comparison Between Arequipa and La Merced

🙂 Solo nomad: Arequipa is 17.9% cheaper than La Merced without rent, and 21.4% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Arequipa is 10.1% cheaper than La Merced without rent, and 21.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.28 PEN 14.38

$4.10 PEN 13.79

4.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.28 PEN 95.0

$33.81 PEN 114

-16.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 PEN 18.40

$6.85 PEN 23.02

-20.15%

Cappuccino

$2.60 PEN 8.74

$2.54 PEN 8.53

2.36%

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

$0.76 PEN 2.56

$0.99 PEN 3.33

-23.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 PEN 1.22

$0.65 PEN 2.18

-44.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 PEN 7.63

$2.16 PEN 7.26

5.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 PEN 19.60

$3.79 PEN 12.74

53.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 PEN 5.38

$1.42 PEN 4.77

12.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 PEN 4.10

$1.98 PEN 6.65

-38.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 PEN 4.08

$1.22 PEN 4.09

-0.82%

Eggs

$2.08 PEN 7.01

$2.23 PEN 7.50

-6.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.53 PEN 18.59

$6.85 PEN 23.02

-19.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.26 PEN 17.69

$5.52 PEN 18.54

-4.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.77 PEN 26.10

$8.27 PEN 27.77

-6.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.52 PEN 5.09

$0.89 PEN 2.98

70.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 PEN 4.14

$0.44 PEN 1.47

179.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 PEN 4.15

$0.27 PEN 0.90

359.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.81 PEN 2.71

$0.66 PEN 2.23

22.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 PEN 1.88

$0.29 PEN 0.99

93.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 PEN 1.83

$0.44 PEN 1.47

22.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 PEN 1.59

$0.54 PEN 1.80

-12.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 PEN 2.59

$0.86 PEN 2.90

-10.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 PEN 16.87

$5.60 PEN 18.82

-10.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.18 PEN 17.39

$7.25 PEN 24.35

-28.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 PEN 8.29

$1.71 PEN 5.75

44.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 PEN 7.43

$2.97 PEN 9.99

-25.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 PEN 0.98

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 PEN 6.90

$3.34 PEN 11.23

-38.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 PEN 6.87

$2.18 PEN 7.33

-5.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.76 PEN 42.88

$8.28 PEN 27.81

54.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 PEN 5.41

$1.35 PEN 4.54

19.26%

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

$18.9K PEN 63.4K

$19.5K PEN 65.4K

-3.16%

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

$25.1K PEN 84.2K

$24.1K PEN 80.9K

4.07%

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

$40.03 PEN 134

$56.9 PEN 191

-29.69%

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

$10.58 PEN 35.54

$12.81 PEN 43.05

-17.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.36 PEN 102

$24.08 PEN 80.9

26.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.65 PEN 72.7

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.27 PEN 27.80

Cinema Ticket

$4.31 PEN 14.49

$6.88 PEN 23.13

-37.35%

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

$60.1 PEN 202

$218 PEN 734

-72.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,315 PEN 21.2K

$7,998 PEN 26.9K

-21.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.49 PEN 126

$49.67 PEN 167

-24.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.19 PEN 74.6

$36.81 PEN 124

-39.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.2 PEN 212

$90.4 PEN 304

-30.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 PEN 185

$87.8 PEN 295

-37.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 PEN 795

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 PEN 526

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 PEN 1,780

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$392 PEN 1,316

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,054 PEN 6,902

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,008 PEN 3,386

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$670 PEN 2,250

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.11

48.37%

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

Last update for Arequipa: January 11, 2026

Last update for La Merced: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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