Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arequipa and Teresopolis

For one person, living is cheaper in Teresopolis: $668 a month against $707 in Arequipa, rent and utilities included – about $470 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 Teresopolis
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Teresopolis Living Index

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Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$707

/mo nomad

Teresopolis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arequipa and in Teresopolis

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

A single person spends $707 per month in Arequipa vs $668 in Teresopolis, rent included.

Arequipa $707
Teresopolis $668

A couple spends around $1,115 per month in Arequipa vs $1,130 in Teresopolis, rent included.

Arequipa $1,115
Teresopolis $1,130

A family of three spends $1,523 per month in Arequipa vs $1,592 in Teresopolis, rent included.

Arequipa $1,523
Teresopolis $1,592

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 PEN 11.61

$3.47 R$17.61

-2.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.16 PEN 93.3

$28.25 R$143

-3.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 PEN 20.21

$7.29 R$36.98

-19.34%

Cappuccino

$2.47 PEN 8.49

$1.78 R$9.00

38.76%

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

$0.75 PEN 2.59

$1.39 R$7.03

-46.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 PEN 1.33

$0.61 R$3.10

-36.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 PEN 7.06

$1.17 R$5.95

75.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 PEN 14.56

$4.99 R$25.32

-15.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 PEN 4.54

$0.93 R$4.72

41.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 PEN 4.88

$1.51 R$7.64

-5.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 PEN 5.26

$1.41 R$7.17

8.51%

Eggs

$2.27 PEN 7.81

$1.95 R$9.89

16.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.33 PEN 21.74

$8.95 R$45.38

-29.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.42 PEN 15.17

$3.52 R$17.87

25.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.48 PEN 25.67

$8.34 R$42.30

-10.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.75 PEN 6.02

$1.84 R$9.35

-4.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 PEN 4.07

$1.17 R$5.92

1.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 PEN 4.05

$0.97 R$4.94

21.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 PEN 3.41

$1.28 R$6.51

-22.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 PEN 2.15

$0.65 R$3.29

-4.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 PEN 2.31

$0.85 R$4.33

-21.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 PEN 1.86

$0.57 R$2.89

-5.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 PEN 2.70

$0.77 R$3.88

2.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 PEN 17.94

$1.62 R$8.21

222.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.12 PEN 17.59

$5.87 R$29.73

-12.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 PEN 9.25

$1.43 R$7.24

88.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 PEN 7.95

$1.37 R$6.96

68.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 PEN 1.04

$0.92 R$4.67

-67.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.62 R$181

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 PEN 7.04

$0.98 R$4.97

109.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.01

$1.00 R$5.09

104.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.12 PEN 45.07

$2.48 R$12.56

429.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 PEN 5.41

$1.31 R$6.62

19.85%

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

$19.0K PEN 65.2K

$21.4K R$108.6K

-11.45%

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

$25.1K PEN 86.2K

$30.8K R$156.2K

-18.56%

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

$23.88 PEN 82.0

$29.72 R$151

-19.65%

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

$10.08 PEN 34.62

$24.87 R$126

-59.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.83 PEN 78.4

$19.49 R$98.8

17.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.51 PEN 84.2

$30.02 R$152

-18.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.14 PEN 27.94

$19.98 R$101

-59.26%

Cinema Ticket

$7.36 PEN 25.27

$6.85 R$34.70

7.45%

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

$75.1 PEN 258

$143 R$727

-47.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,715 PEN 23.1K

$2,670 R$13.5K

151.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.32 PEN 169

$26.23 R$133

88.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.02 PEN 89.4

$28.00 R$142

-7.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 PEN 232

$67.5 R$342

-0.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.0 PEN 202

$48.32 R$245

22.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$351 PEN 1,206

$378 R$1,917

-7.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 PEN 806

$163 R$825

44.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$708 PEN 2,432

$535 R$2,711

32.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 PEN 1,439

$407 R$2,062

3.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,952 PEN 6,703

$1,206 R$6,112

61.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$969 PEN 3,328

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$608 PEN 2,086

$496 R$2,517

22.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

40.58%

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

Last update for Arequipa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Teresopolis: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arequipa

$235 33.2%

Teresopolis

$163 24.4% 30.6% $72

Groceries & Markets

Arequipa

$175 24.7%

Teresopolis

$171 25.6% 2.4% $4.2

Eating Out

Arequipa

$98 13.8%

Teresopolis

$95 14.2% 2.9% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Arequipa

$91 12.8%

Teresopolis

$77 11.5% 15.7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arequipa

$57 8%

Teresopolis

$74 11.1% 30.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Arequipa

$39 5.6%

Teresopolis

$44 6.5% 11.4% $4.5

Getting Around

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9%

Teresopolis

$45 6.8% 236% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $351 in Arequipa versus $378 in Teresopolis. 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 22% 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 $27.00 in Arequipa versus $28.00 in Teresopolis. Groceries tell a different story – $175 in Arequipa vs $171 in Teresopolis – so Teresopolis wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🇧🇷 Teresopolis

🕒 Local time

23:15 11:15 PM

01:15 1:15 AM

2 h ahead of Arequipa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,062

165,123

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arequipa Teresopolis 3,060 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Arequipa
Teresopolis

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 Teresopolis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arequipa costs about 6% more than Teresopolis, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,061 per month in Arequipa and $1,002 in Teresopolis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Teresopolis, 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 $27.00 in Arequipa and $28.00 in Teresopolis. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% more in Arequipa, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $707 in Arequipa and $668 in Teresopolis, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Teresopolis costs $668 versus $707 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 Teresopolis. 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.