Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arequipa and Meknes

For one person, living is cheaper in Meknes: $669 a month against $709 in Arequipa, rent and utilities included – about $480 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Arequipa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Meknes
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Meknes Living Index

Jump to prices

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$709

/mo nomad

Meknes

🇲🇦 Morocco

$669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arequipa and in Meknes

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

A single person spends $709 per month in Arequipa vs $669 in Meknes, rent included.

Arequipa $709
Meknes $669

A couple spends around $1,117 per month in Arequipa vs $1,029 in Meknes, rent included.

Arequipa $1,117
Meknes $1,029

A family of three spends $1,524 per month in Arequipa vs $1,388 in Meknes, rent included.

Arequipa $1,524
Meknes $1,388

Arequipa costs about 6% more than Meknes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Arequipa and Meknes are more affordable than the global median – Arequipa 48% lower, Meknes 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 PEN 11.87

$2.58 MAD 25.11

34.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.89 PEN 95.8

$15.52 MAD 151

79.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 PEN 20.37

$6.24 MAD 60.8

-4.97%

Cappuccino

$2.42 PEN 8.31

$1.42 MAD 13.83

70.42%

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

$0.81 PEN 2.78

$0.95 MAD 9.27

-14.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 PEN 1.33

$0.53 MAD 5.19

-26.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.09 PEN 7.16

$3.01 MAD 29.30

-30.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 PEN 14.68

$3.61 MAD 35.20

18.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 PEN 4.61

$0.81 MAD 7.90

65.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 PEN 4.66

$0.36 MAD 3.49

277.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 PEN 4.99

$1.23 MAD 12.00

17.89%

Eggs

$2.29 PEN 7.85

$1.83 MAD 17.81

25.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.25 PEN 21.47

$10.90 MAD 106

-42.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 PEN 15.75

$5.23 MAD 51.0

-12.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.33 PEN 25.16

$9.19 MAD 89.6

-20.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 PEN 6.03

$1.25 MAD 12.22

40.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 PEN 4.05

$1.37 MAD 13.31

-13.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 PEN 3.88

$0.65 MAD 6.37

73.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 PEN 3.41

$0.66 MAD 6.45

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 PEN 2.29

$0.57 MAD 5.57

17.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 PEN 2.31

$0.51 MAD 4.94

31.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 PEN 1.91

$0.48 MAD 4.72

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 PEN 2.60

$0.50 MAD 4.88

52.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.13 PEN 17.62

$4.01 MAD 39.07

27.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.18 PEN 17.80

$8.22 MAD 80.2

-36.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 PEN 9.17

$2.27 MAD 22.16

17.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 PEN 7.90

$2.55 MAD 24.84

-9.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.95

$0.43 MAD 4.19

-34.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.11 MAD 147

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 PEN 6.92

$0.71 MAD 6.91

184.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 PEN 6.92

$0.30 MAD 2.88

570.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.01 PEN 44.68

$4.42 MAD 43.09

194.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 PEN 5.28

$1.37 MAD 13.35

12.41%

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

$18.9K PEN 65.0K

$30.5K MAD 297.4K

-37.96%

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

$25.1K PEN 86.3K

$30.9K MAD 301.2K

-18.62%

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

$23.36 PEN 80.2

$31.53 MAD 307

-25.91%

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

$10.26 PEN 35.24

$9.73 MAD 94.8

5.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.44 PEN 80.5

$33.09 MAD 323

-29.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.08 PEN 86.1

$26.81 MAD 261

-6.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.00 PEN 27.47

$32.24 MAD 314

-75.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.35 PEN 25.24

$4.01 MAD 39.06

83.29%

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

$75.3 PEN 258

$122 MAD 1,187

-38.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,598 PEN 22.7K

$5,693 MAD 55.5K

15.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.74 PEN 164

$59.8 MAD 583

-20.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.42 PEN 90.7

$44.36 MAD 433

-40.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 PEN 232

$91.5 MAD 892

-26.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.5 PEN 198

$59.2 MAD 577

-2.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$347 PEN 1,192

$267 MAD 2,606

29.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 PEN 813

$168 MAD 1,634

41.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 PEN 2,471

$466 MAD 4,539

54.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 PEN 1,439

$277 MAD 2,702

51.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,963 PEN 6,740

$943 MAD 9,193

108.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$989 PEN 3,397

$605 MAD 5,900

63.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$619 PEN 2,125

$472 MAD 4,602

31.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

233.33%

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

Last update for Arequipa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Meknes: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arequipa

$237 33.4%

Meknes

$168 25% 29.2% $69

Groceries & Markets

Arequipa

$174 24.5%

Meknes

$174 26% 0.2% $0.4

Eating Out

Arequipa

$98 13.9%

Meknes

$85 12.6% 14% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Arequipa

$90 12.7%

Meknes

$115 17.1% 27.9% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arequipa

$57 8.1%

Meknes

$74 11.1% 30.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Arequipa

$40 5.6%

Meknes

$35 5.2% 12.4% $5

Getting Around

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9%

Meknes

$19 2.8% 44% $5.8

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 $267 in Meknes. 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 31% higher in Arequipa, 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 $16.00 in Meknes. Groceries tell a different story – $174 in Arequipa vs $174 in Meknes – so Arequipa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🇲🇦 Meknes

🕒 Local time

15:39 3:39 PM

21:39 9:39 PM

6 h ahead of Arequipa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,062

520,428

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arequipa Meknes 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Arequipa
Meknes

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 Meknes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arequipa costs about 6% more than Meknes, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $1,004 in Meknes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Meknes, 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 $16.00 in Meknes. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Arequipa – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $709 in Arequipa and $669 in Meknes, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Meknes costs $669 versus $709 in Arequipa. 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 Meknes. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arequipa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.