Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arequipa and La Merced

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $558 a month against $696 in Arequipa, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
27

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
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La Merced Living Index

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Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$696

/mo nomad

La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$558

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arequipa and in La Merced

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

A single person spends $696 per month in Arequipa vs $558 in La Merced, rent included.

Arequipa $696
La Merced $558

A couple spends around $1,094 per month in Arequipa vs $910 in La Merced, rent included.

Arequipa $1,094
La Merced $910

A family of three spends $1,492 per month in Arequipa vs $1,263 in La Merced, rent included.

Arequipa $1,492
La Merced $1,263

Arequipa costs about 25% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Arequipa and La Merced are more affordable than the global median – Arequipa 49% lower, La Merced 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.39 PEN 11.70

$4.38 PEN 15.10

-22.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.99 PEN 89.7

$34.86 PEN 120

-25.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 PEN 19.75

$7.01 PEN 24.19

-18.26%

Cappuccino

$2.50 PEN 8.63

$3.18 PEN 10.97

-21.38%

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

$0.82 PEN 2.81

$1.08 PEN 3.72

-24.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 PEN 1.33

$0.65 PEN 2.24

-41.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 PEN 7.05

$2.57 PEN 8.86

-20.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 PEN 10.01

$4.29 PEN 14.81

-32.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 PEN 4.37

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-19.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 PEN 4.85

$2.07 PEN 7.15

-31.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 PEN 5.20

$1.28 PEN 4.43

17.97%

Eggs

$2.34 PEN 8.06

$2.35 PEN 8.11

-0.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.26 PEN 21.60

$7.33 PEN 25.29

-14.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.40 PEN 15.18

$5.78 PEN 19.94

-23.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.17 PEN 24.72

$8.68 PEN 29.94

-17.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 PEN 5.91

$0.92 PEN 3.17

85.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 PEN 4.26

$0.45 PEN 1.56

175.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.14 PEN 3.92

$0.30 PEN 1.04

280.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.00 PEN 3.44

$0.71 PEN 2.46

40.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 PEN 2.15

$0.28 PEN 0.96

121.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 PEN 2.31

$0.45 PEN 1.55

48.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 PEN 1.77

$0.60 PEN 2.07

-15.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 PEN 2.62

$0.87 PEN 3.01

-12.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 PEN 17.73

$5.63 PEN 19.42

-8.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.95 PEN 17.08

$7.33 PEN 25.30

-32.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 PEN 9.18

$1.90 PEN 6.56

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 PEN 7.71

$3.08 PEN 10.61

-27.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.96

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 PEN 6.79

$3.43 PEN 11.84

-42.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 PEN 7.08

$2.07 PEN 7.14

-0.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.72 PEN 43.87

$7.64 PEN 26.37

66.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.46

$1.64 PEN 5.65

-3.66%

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

$19.0K PEN 65.4K

$21.7K PEN 75.0K

-12.83%

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

$25.3K PEN 87.4K

$28.9K PEN 99.8K

-12.49%

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

$23.50 PEN 81.1

$66.7 PEN 230

-64.74%

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

$10.28 PEN 35.46

$15.80 PEN 54.5

-34.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.79 PEN 78.6

$27.06 PEN 93.4

-15.78%

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

$7.14 PEN 24.63

-1.54%

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

$73.9 PEN 255

$318 PEN 1,096

-76.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,686 PEN 23.1K

$12.7K PEN 43.6K

-47.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.91 PEN 165

$53.3 PEN 184

-10.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.78 PEN 88.9

$35.12 PEN 121

-26.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.6 PEN 226

$83.7 PEN 289

-21.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.3 PEN 201

$79.1 PEN 273

-26.30%

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

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

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 La Merced: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arequipa

$231 33.3%

La Merced

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Arequipa

$172 24.7%

La Merced

$185 33.1% 7.6% $13

Eating Out

Arequipa

$95 13.7%

La Merced

$123 22% 28.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Arequipa

$89 12.8%

La Merced

$113 20.3% 27.1% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arequipa

$57 8.1%

La Merced

$110 19.6% 93.6% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Arequipa

$38 5.5%

La Merced

$14 * 2.6% 62.8% $24

Getting Around

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9%

La Merced

$14 * 2.5% 3.3% $0.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Arequipa versus $35 in La Merced. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $172 vs $185 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🇵🇪 La Merced

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

Same time as Arequipa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,062

8,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arequipa La Merced 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Arequipa
La Merced

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 La Merced: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arequipa costs about 25% more than La Merced, 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 $837 in La Merced. 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 $35 in La Merced. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Arequipa – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $696 in Arequipa and $558 in La Merced, 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 $558 in La Merced to $696 in Arequipa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.