Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arequipa and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Arequipa: $709 a month against $1,014 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$709

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arequipa and in Lima

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

A single person spends $709 per month in Arequipa vs $1,014 in Lima, rent included.

Arequipa $709
Lima $1,014

A couple spends around $1,117 per month in Arequipa vs $1,613 in Lima, rent included.

Arequipa $1,117
Lima $1,613

A family of three spends $1,524 per month in Arequipa vs $2,211 in Lima, rent included.

Arequipa $1,524
Lima $2,211

Arequipa is about 30% cheaper than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Arequipa and Lima are more affordable than the global median – Arequipa 48% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 PEN 11.87

$4.42 PEN 15.19

-21.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.89 PEN 95.8

$34.56 PEN 119

-19.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 PEN 20.37

$6.80 PEN 23.37

-12.79%

Cappuccino

$2.42 PEN 8.31

$3.30 PEN 11.34

-26.67%

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

$0.81 PEN 2.78

$1.06 PEN 3.64

-23.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 PEN 1.33

$0.66 PEN 2.26

-40.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.09 PEN 7.16

$2.54 PEN 8.71

-17.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 PEN 14.68

$4.24 PEN 14.55

0.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 PEN 4.61

$1.58 PEN 5.43

-15.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 PEN 4.66

$2.61 PEN 8.97

-47.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 PEN 4.99

$1.34 PEN 4.60

8.21%

Eggs

$2.29 PEN 7.85

$2.93 PEN 10.08

-21.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.25 PEN 21.47

$9.45 PEN 32.45

-33.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 PEN 15.75

$5.75 PEN 19.75

-20.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.33 PEN 25.16

$9.69 PEN 33.29

-24.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 PEN 6.03

$2.02 PEN 6.95

-12.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 PEN 4.05

$1.07 PEN 3.66

10.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 PEN 3.88

$1.37 PEN 4.70

-17.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 PEN 3.41

$1.47 PEN 5.05

-32.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 PEN 2.29

$0.95 PEN 3.25

-29.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 PEN 2.31

$0.91 PEN 3.14

-26.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 PEN 1.91

$0.90 PEN 3.10

-37.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 PEN 2.60

$0.89 PEN 3.04

-14.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.13 PEN 17.62

$5.74 PEN 19.71

-10.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.18 PEN 17.80

$9.21 PEN 31.64

-43.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 PEN 9.17

$1.84 PEN 6.31

45.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 PEN 7.90

$3.11 PEN 10.67

-26.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.95

$0.72 PEN 2.46

-61.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.03 PEN 89.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 PEN 6.92

$3.54 PEN 12.17

-42.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 PEN 6.92

$2.07 PEN 7.12

-2.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.01 PEN 44.68

$7.75 PEN 26.62

67.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 PEN 5.28

$1.71 PEN 5.86

-9.94%

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

$18.9K PEN 65.0K

$21.6K PEN 74.1K

-12.35%

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

$25.1K PEN 86.3K

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

-12.06%

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

$23.36 PEN 80.2

$68.2 PEN 234

-65.72%

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

$10.26 PEN 35.24

$15.73 PEN 54.0

-34.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.44 PEN 80.5

$26.48 PEN 90.9

-11.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.08 PEN 86.1

$33.94 PEN 117

-26.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.00 PEN 27.47

$20.10 PEN 69.0

-60.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.35 PEN 25.24

$7.22 PEN 24.80

1.80%

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

$75.3 PEN 258

$201 PEN 689

-62.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,598 PEN 22.7K

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

-48.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.74 PEN 164

$53.7 PEN 184

-11.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.42 PEN 90.7

$35.88 PEN 123

-26.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 PEN 232

$83.8 PEN 288

-19.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.5 PEN 198

$78.8 PEN 271

-27.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$347 PEN 1,192

$729 PEN 2,505

-52.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 PEN 813

$349 PEN 1,197

-32.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 PEN 2,471

$1,186 PEN 4,073

-39.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 PEN 1,439

$696 PEN 2,391

-39.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,963 PEN 6,740

$2,360 PEN 8,105

-16.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$989 PEN 3,397

$1,356 PEN 4,657

-27.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$619 PEN 2,125

$663 PEN 2,278

-6.71%

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: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arequipa

$237 33.4%

Lima

$349 34.4% 47.3% $112

Groceries & Markets

Arequipa

$174 24.5%

Lima

$227 22.4% 30.7% $53

Eating Out

Arequipa

$98 13.9%

Lima

$123 12.2% 25.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Arequipa

$90 12.7%

Lima

$113 11.2% 26.5% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arequipa

$57 8.1%

Lima

$110 10.9% 93.4% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Arequipa

$40 5.6%

Lima

$48 4.8% 21.6% $8.6

Getting Around

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9%

Lima

$43 4.2% 224% $30

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 $729 in Lima. 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 7% higher in Lima, 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 $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $227 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

19:59 7:59 PM

Same time as Arequipa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,062

9,989,369 Capital

💱 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

Lowest

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Between locations

Arequipa Lima 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Arequipa
Lima

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 Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima costs about 43% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,522 in Lima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Arequipa and $35.00 in Lima. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Lima, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arequipa, where all-in costs run around $709, than in Lima at $1,014. In Arequipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arequipa costs $709 versus $1,014 in Lima. 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 Arequipa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lima makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.