Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandung and Arequipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandung: $628 a month against $709 in Arequipa, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Bandung
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Bandung Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

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Bandung

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$628

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bandung 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 Bandung and in Arequipa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $628 per month in Bandung vs $709 in Arequipa, rent included.

Bandung $628
Arequipa $709

A couple spends around $929 per month in Bandung vs $1,117 in Arequipa, rent included.

Bandung $929
Arequipa $1,117

A family of three spends $1,230 per month in Bandung vs $1,524 in Arequipa, rent included.

Bandung $1,230
Arequipa $1,524

Bandung is about 11% cheaper than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bandung and Arequipa are more affordable than the global median – Bandung 54% lower, Arequipa 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.42 Rp 25.6K

$3.46 PEN 11.87

-58.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.68 Rp 246.2K

$27.89 PEN 95.8

-50.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$5.93 PEN 20.37

-45.53%

Cappuccino

$1.48 Rp 26.6K

$2.42 PEN 8.31

-38.84%

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

$0.43 Rp 7,689

$0.81 PEN 2.78

-46.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 Rp 4,341

$0.39 PEN 1.33

-38.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 Rp 55.9K

$2.09 PEN 7.16

48.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 Rp 55.2K

$4.27 PEN 14.68

-28.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 Rp 19.3K

$1.34 PEN 4.61

-20.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 Rp 17.7K

$1.36 PEN 4.66

-27.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.85 Rp 15.2K

$1.45 PEN 4.99

-41.38%

Eggs

$1.45 Rp 26.2K

$2.29 PEN 7.85

-36.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.08 Rp 127.4K

$6.25 PEN 21.47

13.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.83 Rp 51.0K

$4.59 PEN 15.75

-38.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.77 Rp 139.8K

$7.33 PEN 25.16

6.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

$1.76 PEN 6.03

28.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 Rp 19.0K

$1.18 PEN 4.05

-10.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

$1.13 PEN 3.88

29.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.95 Rp 17.0K

$0.99 PEN 3.41

-4.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 Rp 19.5K

$0.67 PEN 2.29

61.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.5K

$0.67 PEN 2.31

185.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 Rp 11.5K

$0.56 PEN 1.91

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 Rp 7,573

$0.76 PEN 2.60

-44.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.61 Rp 47.0K

$5.13 PEN 17.62

-49.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.34 Rp 402.1K

$5.18 PEN 17.80

331.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 Rp 34.1K

$2.67 PEN 9.17

-29.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 Rp 58.3K

$2.30 PEN 7.90

40.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,256

$0.28 PEN 0.95

3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.57 Rp 172.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 Rp 14.7K

$2.02 PEN 6.92

-59.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 Rp 9,203

$2.01 PEN 6.92

-74.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 Rp 40.0K

$13.01 PEN 44.68

-82.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

$1.54 PEN 5.28

-44.81%

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

$20.7K Rp 373.4M

$18.9K PEN 65.0K

9.60%

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

$31.6K Rp 569.6M

$25.1K PEN 86.3K

25.88%

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

$33.38 Rp 600.8K

$23.36 PEN 80.2

42.89%

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

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

$10.26 PEN 35.24

-57.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.09 Rp 343.7K

$23.44 PEN 80.5

-18.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.35 Rp 330.3K

$25.08 PEN 86.1

-26.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.99 Rp 107.9K

$8.00 PEN 27.47

-25.12%

Cinema Ticket

$2.73 Rp 49.2K

$7.35 PEN 25.24

-62.86%

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

$91.7 Rp 1.7M

$75.3 PEN 258

21.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,172 Rp 147.1M

$6,598 PEN 22.7K

23.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.74 Rp 697.3K

$47.74 PEN 164

-18.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.83 Rp 572.9K

$26.42 PEN 90.7

20.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 Rp 1.4M

$67.6 PEN 232

13.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 Rp 1.3M

$57.5 PEN 198

24.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$216 Rp 3.9M

$347 PEN 1,192

-37.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 Rp 3.2M

$237 PEN 813

-24.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 Rp 6.8M

$719 PEN 2,471

-47.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 Rp 4.8M

$419 PEN 1,439

-36.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$726 Rp 13.1M

$1,963 PEN 6,740

-63.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$301 Rp 5.4M

$989 PEN 3,397

-69.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$279 Rp 5.0M

$619 PEN 2,125

-54.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.38

-24.13%

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

Last update for Bandung: October 19, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bandung

$192 30.6%

Arequipa

$174 24.5% 9.5% $18

Accommodation & Living

Bandung

$180 28.6%

Arequipa

$237 33.4% 31.6% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Bandung

$98 15.7%

Arequipa

$90 12.7% 8.8% $8.7

Eating Out

Bandung

$63 10.1%

Arequipa

$98 13.9% 55.6% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandung

$57 9.1%

Arequipa

$57 8.1% 0.4% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Bandung

$24 3.8%

Arequipa

$40 5.6% 67% $16

Getting Around

Bandung

$14 2.3%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9% 6.4% $0.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $216 in Bandung versus $347 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 run about 122% 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 $14.00 in Bandung versus $28.00 in Arequipa. Groceries tell a different story – $192 in Bandung vs $174 in Arequipa – so Arequipa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bandung

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

07:53 7:53 AM

19:53 7:53 PM

12 h behind Bandung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,390,120

17,062

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bandung Arequipa 17,420 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Bandung
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

Bandung vs Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arequipa costs about 13% more than Bandung, 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 $942 per month in Bandung and $1,063 in Arequipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bandung, 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 $14.00 in Bandung and $28.00 in Arequipa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Arequipa – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $628 in Bandung and $709 in Arequipa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bandung costs $628 versus $709 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 Bandung. 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.