Cost of Living Comparison Between Arequipa and Mexico City Cost of Living Comparison Between Arequipa and Mexico City

🙂 Solo nomad: Arequipa is 41.6% cheaper than Mexico City without rent, and 56.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Arequipa is 46.6% cheaper than Mexico City without rent, and 52.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Arequipa
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.26 PEN 14.63
$13.29 MX$230
-67.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.24 PEN 96.9
$53.8 MX$929
-47.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.70 PEN 19.56
$9.29 MX$161
-38.64%
Cappuccino
$2.49 PEN 8.55
$3.61 MX$62.4
-31.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 PEN 2.78
$1.56 MX$26.92
-48.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 PEN 1.26
$1.12 MX$19.38
-66.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.21 PEN 7.57
$3.13 MX$54.0
-29.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.94 PEN 20.37
$4.71 MX$81.4
26.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Arequipa
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 PEN 5.26
$1.70 MX$29.42
-10.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.22 PEN 4.19
$2.77 MX$47.84
-55.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.26 PEN 4.33
$1.96 MX$33.91
-35.71%
Eggs
$2.16 PEN 7.42
$2.60 MX$45.03
-16.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.58 PEN 19.14
$9.94 MX$172
-43.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.29 PEN 18.13
$8.10 MX$140
-34.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.57 PEN 25.96
$11.50 MX$199
-34.17%
Apples (1kg)
$1.45 PEN 4.98
$2.87 MX$49.64
-49.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.17 PEN 4.01
$1.73 MX$29.95
-32.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.18 PEN 4.04
$2.00 MX$34.59
-41.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.75 PEN 2.59
$2.04 MX$35.24
-63.24%
Potato (1kg)
$0.59 PEN 2.01
$2.08 MX$36.00
-71.63%
Onion (1kg)
$0.54 PEN 1.85
$2.20 MX$37.96
-75.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.44 PEN 1.50
$1.45 MX$25.13
-69.66%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.73 PEN 2.50
$1.07 MX$18.56
-31.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.94 PEN 16.95
$4.27 MX$73.9
15.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.06 PEN 17.35
$14.32 MX$248
-64.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 PEN 8.29
$1.76 MX$30.50
37.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 PEN 7.94
$3.70 MX$63.9
-37.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Arequipa
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.27 PEN 0.91
$0.35 MX$6.10
-22.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$19.19 MX$332
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.12 PEN 7.28
$1.34 MX$23.09
58.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.12 PEN 7.28
$0.28 MX$4.81
657.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.88 PEN 44.18
$5.33 MX$92.2
141.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.55 PEN 5.31
$1.34 MX$23.18
15.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.9K PEN 64.9K
$19.1K MX$330.6K
-1.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.1K PEN 86.1K
$23.9K MX$412.9K
5.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Arequipa
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$40.21 PEN 138
$39.86 MX$689
0.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.71 PEN 36.75
$26.78 MX$463
-60.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.34 PEN 104
$29.36 MX$508
3.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Arequipa
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.65 PEN 74.3
$53.4 MX$924
-59.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.56 PEN 29.37
$26.09 MX$451
-67.19%
Cinema Ticket
$4.52 PEN 15.52
$6.40 MX$111
-29.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Arequipa
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$60.6 PEN 208
$440 MX$7,616
-86.24%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,415 PEN 22.0K
$10.8K MX$185.9K
-40.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Arequipa
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$36.93 PEN 127
$57.6 MX$996
-35.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.20 PEN 76.1
$45.02 MX$778
-50.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$63.7 PEN 219
$104 MX$1,794
-38.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$54.7 PEN 188
$108 MX$1,866
-49.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Arequipa
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$237 PEN 812
$1,013 MX$17.5K
-76.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$156 PEN 536
$630 MX$10.9K
-75.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$542 PEN 1,859
$2,162 MX$37.4K
-74.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$391 PEN 1,342
$1,222 MX$21.1K
-67.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,004 PEN 6,874
$3,793 MX$65.6K
-47.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$997 PEN 3,420
$2,332 MX$40.3K
-57.24%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Arequipa
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$649 PEN 2,226
$1,075 MX$18.6K
-39.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
15
11.34
32.28%

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

Last update for Arequipa: April 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: April 11, 2026

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

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