Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arequipa and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Arequipa: $709 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$709

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arequipa and in Mexico City

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

A single person spends $709 per month in Arequipa vs $1,548 in Mexico City, rent included.

Arequipa $709
Mexico City $1,548

A couple spends around $1,117 per month in Arequipa vs $2,436 in Mexico City, rent included.

Arequipa $1,117
Mexico City $2,436

A family of three spends $1,524 per month in Arequipa vs $3,323 in Mexico City, rent included.

Arequipa $1,524
Mexico City $3,323

Arequipa is about 54% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Arequipa sits 48% below the global median, while Mexico City is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 PEN 11.87

$11.02 MX$204

-68.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.89 PEN 95.8

$48.68 MX$900

-42.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 PEN 20.37

$10.90 MX$201

-45.60%

Cappuccino

$2.42 PEN 8.31

$3.68 MX$68.1

-34.24%

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

$0.81 PEN 2.78

$1.63 MX$30.18

-50.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 PEN 1.33

$1.25 MX$23.07

-68.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.09 PEN 7.16

$3.25 MX$60.1

-35.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 PEN 14.68

$5.53 MX$102

-22.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 PEN 4.61

$1.70 MX$31.50

-21.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 PEN 4.66

$3.02 MX$55.8

-54.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 PEN 4.99

$1.92 MX$35.53

-24.48%

Eggs

$2.29 PEN 7.85

$2.73 MX$50.5

-16.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.25 PEN 21.47

$11.77 MX$218

-46.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 PEN 15.75

$9.53 MX$176

-51.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.33 PEN 25.16

$14.41 MX$266

-49.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 PEN 6.03

$3.02 MX$55.8

-41.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 PEN 4.05

$1.89 MX$35.01

-37.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 PEN 3.88

$1.99 MX$36.70

-43.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 PEN 3.41

$2.19 MX$40.38

-54.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 PEN 2.29

$1.92 MX$35.43

-65.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 PEN 2.31

$1.87 MX$34.49

-64.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 PEN 1.91

$1.44 MX$26.62

-61.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 PEN 2.60

$1.27 MX$23.39

-40.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.13 PEN 17.62

$5.22 MX$96.4

-1.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.18 PEN 17.80

$16.17 MX$299

-67.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 PEN 9.17

$1.90 MX$35.03

40.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 PEN 7.90

$4.22 MX$78.0

-45.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.95

$0.34 MX$6.30

-17.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 PEN 6.92

$2.00 MX$36.90

1.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 PEN 6.92

$0.52 MX$9.67

286.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.01 PEN 44.68

$5.34 MX$98.7

143.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 PEN 5.28

$1.52 MX$28.13

1.32%

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

$18.9K PEN 65.0K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

-14.27%

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

$25.1K PEN 86.3K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

2.56%

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

$23.36 PEN 80.2

$61.1 MX$1,129

-61.75%

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

$10.26 PEN 35.24

$28.58 MX$528

-64.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.44 PEN 80.5

$34.47 MX$637

-32.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.08 PEN 86.1

$56.4 MX$1,042

-55.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.00 PEN 27.47

$24.88 MX$460

-67.85%

Cinema Ticket

$7.35 PEN 25.24

$6.66 MX$123

10.36%

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

$75.3 PEN 258

$427 MX$7,891

-82.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,598 PEN 22.7K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

-43.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.74 PEN 164

$67.8 MX$1,253

-29.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.42 PEN 90.7

$52.0 MX$960

-49.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 PEN 232

$106 MX$1,959

-36.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.5 PEN 198

$113 MX$2,080

-48.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$347 PEN 1,192

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-66.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 PEN 813

$654 MX$12.1K

-63.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 PEN 2,471

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-68.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 PEN 1,439

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-66.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,963 PEN 6,740

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-45.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$989 PEN 3,397

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-48.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$619 PEN 2,125

$964 MX$17.8K

-35.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

32.74%

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

Last update for Arequipa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arequipa

$237 33.4%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 176% $418

Groceries & Markets

Arequipa

$174 24.5%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 82.9% $144

Eating Out

Arequipa

$98 13.9%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 108% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Arequipa

$90 12.7%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 69.8% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arequipa

$57 8.1%

Mexico City

$124 8% 118% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Arequipa

$40 5.6%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 75.2% $30

Getting Around

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 94.2% $12

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 $1,025 in Mexico City. 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 56% higher in Mexico City, 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 $49.00 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $318 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

16:53 4:53 PM

15:53 3:53 PM

1 h behind Arequipa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,062

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, 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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arequipa Mexico City 5,000 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Arequipa
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 118% 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 $2,322 in Mexico City. 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 $49.00 in Mexico City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 83% more in Mexico City, 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 Mexico City at $1,548. In Arequipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arequipa costs $709 versus $1,548 in Mexico City. 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, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.