Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Arequipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Arequipa: $696 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Arequipa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Arequipa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,689 per month in Austin, TX vs $696 in Arequipa, rent included.

Austin, TX $2,689
Arequipa $696

A couple spends around $4,112 per month in Austin, TX vs $1,094 in Arequipa, rent included.

Austin, TX $4,112
Arequipa $1,094

A family of three spends $5,534 per month in Austin, TX vs $1,492 in Arequipa, rent included.

Austin, TX $5,534
Arequipa $1,492

Austin, TX costs about 287% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Austin, TX sits 99% above the global median, while Arequipa is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.34 $21.34

$3.39 PEN 11.67

529.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 $87.9

$25.99 PEN 89.5

238.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 $12.44

$5.73 PEN 19.71

117.10%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$2.50 PEN 8.61

124.00%

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

$3.65 $3.65

$0.82 PEN 2.81

345.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.38 PEN 1.32

528.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$2.04 PEN 7.04

283.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$2.90 PEN 9.99

201.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.27 PEN 4.36

-11.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$1.41 PEN 4.84

156.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$1.51 PEN 5.19

131.79%

Eggs

$4.45 $4.45

$2.34 PEN 8.04

90.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$6.26 PEN 21.55

110.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 $13.94

$4.40 PEN 15.15

216.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 $16.46

$7.17 PEN 24.67

129.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$1.71 PEN 5.90

176.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.24 PEN 4.25

20.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$1.14 PEN 3.91

307.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.00 PEN 3.43

352.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$0.62 PEN 2.14

311.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.67 PEN 2.30

256.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$0.51 PEN 1.77

260.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.76 PEN 2.62

180.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$5.14 PEN 17.68

95.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$4.95 PEN 17.04

200.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.66 PEN 9.15

6.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.23 PEN 7.69

47.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.28 PEN 0.96

339.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.97 PEN 6.77

36.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$2.05 PEN 7.06

-20.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.20 $35.20

$12.72 PEN 43.77

176.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.58 PEN 5.45

-37.97%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$19.0K PEN 65.2K

81.34%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$25.3K PEN 87.2K

5.89%

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

$252 $252

$23.50 PEN 80.9

973.32%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$10.28 PEN 35.37

482.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$22.79 PEN 78.4

205.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

$24.35 PEN 83.8

147.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

$7.77 PEN 26.73

133.46%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 $13.75

$7.03 PEN 24.19

95.59%

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

$1,458 $1,458

$73.9 PEN 254

1874.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K $26.6K

$6,686 PEN 23.0K

297.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$47.91 PEN 165

9.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 $45.76

$25.78 PEN 88.7

77.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$65.6 PEN 226

30.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$58.3 PEN 201

81.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

$348 PEN 1,199

530.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$231 PEN 796

448.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

$719 PEN 2,473

456.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,406 $2,406

$411 PEN 1,414

485.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,381 $7,381

$1,915 PEN 6,589

285.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,964 $2,964

$973 PEN 3,348

204.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,043 $5,043

$605 PEN 2,082

733.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

-54.53%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2%

Arequipa

$231 33.3% 81.8% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$407 15.2%

Arequipa

$172 24.7% 57.8% $235

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$382 14.2%

Arequipa

$57 8.1% 85.2% $325

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$356 13.2%

Arequipa

$95 13.7% 73.3% $261

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$130 4.9%

Arequipa

$89 12.8% 31.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$88 3.3%

Arequipa

$38 5.5% 56.3% $49

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.1%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9% 76.7% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,195 in Austin, TX versus $348 in Arequipa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Austin, TX are about 8.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88 in Austin, TX versus $26 in Arequipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $407 vs $172 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

01:00 1:00 AM

02:00 2:00 AM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

17,062

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Arequipa 5,900 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Arequipa

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

Austin, TX vs Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX costs about 287% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,034 per month in Austin, TX and $1,044 in Arequipa. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $348 there versus $2,195 in Austin, TX.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88 in Austin, TX and $26 in Arequipa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 137% more in Austin, TX, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Arequipa, where all-in costs run around $696, than in Austin, TX at $2,689. In Arequipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Austin, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Arequipa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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