Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arequipa and Pisco

For one person, living is cheaper in Pisco: $659 a month against $696 in Arequipa, rent and utilities included – about $440 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Pisco
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Pisco Living Index

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Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$696

/mo nomad

Pisco

🇵🇪 Peru

$659

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arequipa and in Pisco

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

A single person spends $696 per month in Arequipa vs $659 in Pisco, rent included.

Arequipa $696
Pisco $659

A couple spends around $1,094 per month in Arequipa vs $1,022 in Pisco, rent included.

Arequipa $1,094
Pisco $1,022

A family of three spends $1,492 per month in Arequipa vs $1,385 in Pisco, rent included.

Arequipa $1,492
Pisco $1,385

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

Both Arequipa and Pisco are more affordable than the global median – Arequipa 49% lower, Pisco 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.39 PEN 11.70

$4.24 PEN 14.63

-20.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.99 PEN 89.7

$35.46 PEN 122

-26.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 PEN 19.75

$6.81 PEN 23.50

-15.86%

Cappuccino

$2.50 PEN 8.63

$3.28 PEN 11.30

-23.78%

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

$0.82 PEN 2.81

$1.12 PEN 3.86

-26.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 PEN 1.33

$0.66 PEN 2.28

-42.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 PEN 7.05

$2.54 PEN 8.76

-19.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 PEN 10.01

$4.34 PEN 14.96

-33.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 PEN 4.37

$1.63 PEN 5.62

-22.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 PEN 4.85

$2.27 PEN 7.82

-37.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 PEN 5.20

$1.25 PEN 4.31

20.80%

Eggs

$2.34 PEN 8.06

$1.35 PEN 4.65

73.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.26 PEN 21.60

$6.56 PEN 22.61

-4.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.40 PEN 15.18

$4.67 PEN 16.12

-5.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.17 PEN 24.72

$6.48 PEN 22.34

10.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 PEN 5.91

$1.33 PEN 4.58

28.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 PEN 4.26

$1.04 PEN 3.59

19.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.14 PEN 3.92

$1.39 PEN 4.78

-17.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.00 PEN 3.44

$0.55 PEN 1.90

81.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 PEN 2.15

$0.42 PEN 1.46

47.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 PEN 2.31

$0.92 PEN 3.17

-27.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 PEN 1.77

$0.83 PEN 2.87

-38.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 PEN 2.62

$0.90 PEN 3.09

-15.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 PEN 17.73

$5.73 PEN 19.76

-10.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.95 PEN 17.08

$9.34 PEN 32.21

-47.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 PEN 9.18

$1.87 PEN 6.44

42.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 PEN 7.71

$2.42 PEN 8.35

-7.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.96

$0.89 PEN 3.07

-68.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.24 PEN 122

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 PEN 6.79

$3.56 PEN 12.27

-44.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 PEN 7.08

$2.01 PEN 6.95

1.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.72 PEN 43.87

$7.55 PEN 26.06

68.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.46

$1.70 PEN 5.88

-7.06%

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

$19.0K PEN 65.4K

$22.0K PEN 76.0K

-13.97%

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

$25.3K PEN 87.4K

$29.1K PEN 100.4K

-13.02%

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

$23.50 PEN 81.1

$43.25 PEN 149

-45.66%

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

$10.28 PEN 35.46

$15.95 PEN 55.0

-35.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.79 PEN 78.6

$11.65 PEN 40.18

95.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.35 PEN 84.0

$20.34 PEN 70.2

19.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.77 PEN 26.80

$8.67 PEN 29.91

-10.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.03 PEN 24.25

$7.14 PEN 24.64

-1.54%

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

$73.9 PEN 255

$309 PEN 1,065

-76.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,686 PEN 23.1K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-48.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.91 PEN 165

$52.7 PEN 182

-9.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.78 PEN 88.9

$12.81 PEN 44.19

101.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.6 PEN 226

$46.75 PEN 161

40.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.3 PEN 201

$34.49 PEN 119

69.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$348 PEN 1,201

$160 PEN 552

117.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$231 PEN 798

$130 PEN 448

77.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 PEN 2,479

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 PEN 1,417

$145 PEN 501

183.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,915 PEN 6,605

$1,802 PEN 6,217

6.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$973 PEN 3,356

$1,318 PEN 4,547

-26.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$605 PEN 2,087

$556 PEN 1,918

8.79%

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 Pisco: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arequipa

$231 33.3%

Pisco

$130 19.7% 43.8% $101

Groceries & Markets

Arequipa

$172 24.7%

Pisco

$183 27.8% 6.5% $11

Eating Out

Arequipa

$95 13.7%

Pisco

$122 18.5% 28.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Arequipa

$89 12.8%

Pisco

$66 10% 25.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arequipa

$57 8.1%

Pisco

$71 10.8% 25.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Arequipa

$38 5.5%

Pisco

$35 5.3% 9.9% $3.8

Getting Around

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9%

Pisco

$52 8% 293% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $348 in Arequipa versus $160 in Pisco. 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 9% higher in Arequipa. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Arequipa versus $35 in Pisco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $172 vs $183 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🇵🇪 Pisco

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

Same time as Arequipa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,062

14,917

💱 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 Pisco 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Arequipa
Pisco

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 Pisco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arequipa costs about 6% more than Pisco, 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 $1,044 per month in Arequipa and $989 in Pisco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pisco, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $160 there versus $348 in Arequipa.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Arequipa and $35 in Pisco. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Arequipa – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $696 in Arequipa and $659 in Pisco, 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 $659 in Pisco to $696 in Arequipa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Pisco. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arequipa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.