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

🙂 Solo nomad: Arequipa is 6.2% cheaper than La Merced without rent, and 21.4% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Arequipa is 20.8% cheaper than La Merced without rent, and 23.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.15 PEN 14.34

$4.09 PEN 14.15

1.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.05 PEN 97.1

$33.07 PEN 114

-15.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 PEN 18.85

$6.83 PEN 23.64

-20.20%

Cappuccino

$2.52 PEN 8.73

$2.65 PEN 9.16

-4.91%

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

$0.76 PEN 2.64

$0.98 PEN 3.40

-22.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 PEN 1.37

$0.65 PEN 2.24

-38.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 PEN 7.79

$2.18 PEN 7.54

3.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 PEN 20.89

$3.97 PEN 13.72

52.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 PEN 5.27

$1.47 PEN 5.09

3.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 PEN 4.43

$1.90 PEN 6.56

-32.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 PEN 4.39

$1.23 PEN 4.27

3.25%

Eggs

$2.08 PEN 7.21

$2.15 PEN 7.45

-3.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.44 PEN 18.82

$6.81 PEN 23.55

-20.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.24 PEN 18.14

$5.69 PEN 19.68

-7.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.50 PEN 25.95

$8.57 PEN 29.66

-12.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.49 PEN 5.16

$0.93 PEN 3.22

60.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 PEN 4.09

$0.40 PEN 1.39

195.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 PEN 4.21

$0.27 PEN 0.92

351.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.82 PEN 2.84

$0.72 PEN 2.47

13.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 PEN 2.01

$0.29 PEN 1.01

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 PEN 1.89

$0.40 PEN 1.38

37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 PEN 1.53

$0.57 PEN 1.99

-22.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 PEN 2.51

$0.89 PEN 3.07

-17.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.87 PEN 16.84

$5.58 PEN 19.32

-12.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.18 PEN 17.92

$7.52 PEN 26.01

-31.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 PEN 8.59

$1.75 PEN 6.04

41.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 PEN 7.69

$2.95 PEN 10.22

-24.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 PEN 0.92

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 PEN 7.11

$3.32 PEN 11.47

-38.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 PEN 7.12

$2.20 PEN 7.61

-6.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.90 PEN 44.64

$8.35 PEN 28.87

54.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 PEN 5.34

$1.32 PEN 4.57

16.67%

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

$18.9K PEN 65.3K

$19.8K PEN 68.4K

-4.47%

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

$25.2K PEN 87.2K

$24.9K PEN 86.3K

1.12%

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

$39.50 PEN 137

$57.0 PEN 197

-30.64%

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

$10.48 PEN 36.27

$12.54 PEN 43.40

-16.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.17 PEN 104

$24.17 PEN 83.6

24.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.27 PEN 73.6

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.50 PEN 29.40

Cinema Ticket

$4.52 PEN 15.66

$6.74 PEN 23.32

-32.94%

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

$59.6 PEN 206

$223 PEN 771

-73.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,330 PEN 21.9K

$8,017 PEN 27.7K

-21.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.11 PEN 132

$49.92 PEN 173

-23.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.08 PEN 76.4

$36.73 PEN 127

-39.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.4 PEN 219

$90.4 PEN 313

-29.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.1 PEN 191

$89.3 PEN 309

-38.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$244 PEN 843

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$160 PEN 555

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 PEN 1,865

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 PEN 1,349

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,038 PEN 7,051

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$990 PEN 3,425

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$658 PEN 2,275

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for La Merced: March 1, 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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