Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arequipa and Piura

For one person, living costs are similar in Arequipa and in Piura: $705 and $701 a month, rent and utilities included.

34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Piura
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Piura Living Index

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Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$705

/mo nomad

Piura

🇵🇪 Peru

$701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arequipa and in Piura

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

A single person spends $705 per month in Arequipa vs $701 in Piura, rent included.

Arequipa $705
Piura $701

A couple spends around $1,112 per month in Arequipa vs $1,199 in Piura, rent included.

Arequipa $1,112
Piura $1,199

A family of three spends $1,519 per month in Arequipa vs $1,696 in Piura, rent included.

Arequipa $1,519
Piura $1,696

Arequipa costs about 1% more than Piura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.51 PEN 12.11

$3.60 PEN 12.42

-2.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.00 PEN 96.5

$23.96 PEN 82.6

16.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.90 PEN 20.36

$7.27 PEN 25.06

-18.84%

Cappuccino

$2.55 PEN 8.78

$3.30 PEN 11.38

-22.73%

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

$0.82 PEN 2.84

$1.05 PEN 3.62

-21.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 PEN 1.23

$0.76 PEN 2.62

-52.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 PEN 7.11

$2.35 PEN 8.11

-12.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 PEN 14.90

$2.92 PEN 10.08

47.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 PEN 4.40

$1.41 PEN 4.87

-9.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 PEN 4.88

$2.55 PEN 8.80

-44.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 PEN 5.28

$1.58 PEN 5.46

-3.16%

Eggs

$2.35 PEN 8.11

$2.80 PEN 9.66

-16.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.23 PEN 21.50

$10.37 PEN 35.75

-39.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 PEN 15.13

$8.31 PEN 28.67

-47.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.24 PEN 24.95

$10.39 PEN 35.83

-30.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 PEN 6.09

$1.41 PEN 4.87

25.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 PEN 4.24

$1.33 PEN 4.58

-7.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 PEN 3.91

$1.48 PEN 5.10

-23.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 PEN 3.41

$1.35 PEN 4.64

-26.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 PEN 2.28

$1.23 PEN 4.25

-46.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 PEN 2.37

$0.72 PEN 2.47

-4.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 PEN 1.76

$0.89 PEN 3.08

-42.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 PEN 2.73

$1.33 PEN 4.58

-40.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 PEN 17.71

$7.92 PEN 27.29

-35.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.01 PEN 17.26

$11.13 PEN 38.37

-54.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 PEN 9.58

$1.81 PEN 6.24

53.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 PEN 7.87

$2.82 PEN 9.74

-19.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 PEN 1.05

$0.66 PEN 2.28

-54.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.22 PEN 69.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.09 PEN 7.20

$2.96 PEN 10.20

-29.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 PEN 6.86

$2.31 PEN 7.95

-13.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.92 PEN 44.55

$7.21 PEN 24.86

79.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 PEN 5.29

$1.42 PEN 4.91

7.75%

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

$18.9K PEN 65.1K

$22.0K PEN 76.0K

-14.32%

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

$25.1K PEN 86.6K

$23.4K PEN 80.5K

7.50%

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

$23.75 PEN 81.9

$40.54 PEN 140

-41.42%

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

$10.23 PEN 35.26

$8.57 PEN 29.54

19.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.57 PEN 81.3

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.69 PEN 85.1

$28.76 PEN 99.2

-14.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.82 PEN 26.97

Cinema Ticket

$7.09 PEN 24.46

$2.33 PEN 8.04

204.29%

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

$75.3 PEN 260

$199 PEN 686

-62.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,659 PEN 23.0K

$2,280 PEN 7,862

192.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.26 PEN 170

$42.70 PEN 147

15.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.33 PEN 90.8

$12.94 PEN 44.61

103.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.2 PEN 228

$58.2 PEN 201

13.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.9 PEN 196

$73.9 PEN 255

-23.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$356 PEN 1,229

$229 PEN 790

55.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 PEN 801

$131 PEN 453

76.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$708 PEN 2,442

$397 PEN 1,367

78.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$412 PEN 1,420

$400 PEN 1,378

3.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,990 PEN 6,860

$3,803 PEN 13.1K

-47.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$974 PEN 3,357

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$604 PEN 2,083

$538 PEN 1,856

12.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Arequipa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Piura: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arequipa

$232 32.9%

Piura

$131 18.7% 43.5% $101

Groceries & Markets

Arequipa

$174 24.7%

Piura

$250 35.7% 44% $76

Eating Out

Arequipa

$100 14.2%

Piura

$115 16.4% 15% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Arequipa

$89 12.7%

Piura

$84 12.1% 5.5% $4.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arequipa

$58 8.2%

Piura

$49 * 7% 14.7% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Arequipa

$39 5.5%

Piura

$33 4.8% 14% $5.5

Getting Around

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9%

Piura

$37 5.3% 182% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $356 in Arequipa versus $229 in Piura. 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 12% higher in Arequipa. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Arequipa versus $24 in Piura. Groceries tell a different story – $174 in Arequipa vs $250 in Piura – so Arequipa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🇵🇪 Piura

🕒 Local time

13:50 1:50 PM

Same time as Arequipa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,062

158,495

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.261 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.261 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arequipa Piura 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Arequipa
Piura

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 Piura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arequipa costs about 1% more than Piura, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,058 per month in Arequipa and $1,052 in Piura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Piura, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $229 there versus $356 in Arequipa.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Arequipa and $24 in Piura. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 31% cheaper in Arequipa – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $705 in Arequipa and $701 in Piura, 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 $701 in Piura to $705 in Arequipa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Piura. 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.