Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Arequipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Arequipa: $696 a month against $2,297 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,297

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,297 per month in Calgary vs $696 in Arequipa, rent included.

Calgary $2,297
Arequipa $696

A couple spends around $3,378 per month in Calgary vs $1,094 in Arequipa, rent included.

Calgary $3,378
Arequipa $1,094

A family of three spends $4,459 per month in Calgary vs $1,492 in Arequipa, rent included.

Calgary $4,459
Arequipa $1,492

Calgary costs about 230% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Calgary sits 70% above the global median, while Arequipa is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 CA$25.15

$3.39 PEN 11.67

429.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 CA$96.5

$25.99 PEN 89.5

164.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 CA$15.33

$5.73 PEN 19.71

90.92%

Cappuccino

$3.70 CA$5.19

$2.50 PEN 8.61

48.00%

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

$2.07 CA$2.90

$0.82 PEN 2.81

152.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 CA$2.86

$0.38 PEN 1.32

436.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 CA$8.05

$2.04 PEN 7.04

181.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 CA$7.99

$2.90 PEN 9.99

96.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 CA$2.77

$1.27 PEN 4.36

55.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 CA$3.71

$1.41 PEN 4.84

87.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.84 CA$8.18

$1.51 PEN 5.19

286.75%

Eggs

$3.81 CA$5.35

$2.34 PEN 8.04

62.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 CA$15.15

$6.26 PEN 21.55

72.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.02 CA$15.45

$4.40 PEN 15.15

150.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.87 CA$25.06

$7.17 PEN 24.67

149.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.88 CA$6.84

$1.71 PEN 5.90

185.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.03

$1.24 PEN 4.25

16.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 CA$5.82

$1.14 PEN 3.91

264.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 CA$5.59

$1.00 PEN 3.43

299.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 CA$4.10

$0.62 PEN 2.14

372.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 CA$4.24

$0.67 PEN 2.30

350.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 CA$3.74

$0.51 PEN 1.77

423.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.20

$0.76 PEN 2.62

106.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 CA$19.77

$5.14 PEN 17.68

174.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.45 CA$21.66

$4.95 PEN 17.04

212.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.51

$2.66 PEN 9.15

-6.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CA$4.45

$2.23 PEN 7.69

42.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.85 CA$3.99

$0.28 PEN 0.96

917.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.2 CA$126

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 CA$4.43

$1.97 PEN 6.77

60.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 CA$1.97

$2.05 PEN 7.06

-31.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.46 CA$38.49

$12.72 PEN 43.77

115.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.66

$1.58 PEN 5.45

-25.32%

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

$27.9K CA$39.1K

$19.0K PEN 65.2K

46.94%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$25.3K PEN 87.2K

-16.86%

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

$182 CA$255

$23.50 PEN 80.9

673.62%

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

$36.01 CA$50.5

$10.28 PEN 35.37

250.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.80 CA$68.4

$22.79 PEN 78.4

114.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 CA$68.4

$24.35 PEN 83.8

100.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.15 CA$25.45

$7.77 PEN 26.73

133.59%

Cinema Ticket

$14.52 CA$20.35

$7.03 PEN 24.19

106.54%

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

$542 CA$760

$73.9 PEN 254

633.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.2K CA$29.7K

$6,686 PEN 23.0K

216.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 CA$82.8

$47.91 PEN 165

23.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.34 CA$59.4

$25.78 PEN 88.7

64.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 CA$132

$65.6 PEN 226

43.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$152

$58.3 PEN 201

86.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,214 CA$1,702

$348 PEN 1,199

248.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 CA$1,453

$231 PEN 796

347.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,045 CA$2,867

$719 PEN 2,473

184.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,655 CA$2,319

$411 PEN 1,414

302.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,653 CA$5,121

$1,915 PEN 6,589

90.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,183 CA$4,462

$973 PEN 3,348

227.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,219 CA$4,512

$605 PEN 2,082

431.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.43

-70.47%

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

Last update for Calgary: 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

Calgary

$1K 45.1%

Arequipa

$231 33.3% 77.7% $805

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$390 17%

Arequipa

$172 24.7% 55.9% $218

Eating Out

Calgary

$277 12.1%

Arequipa

$95 13.7% 65.7% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$267 11.6%

Arequipa

$57 8.1% 78.8% $210

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$137 6%

Arequipa

$89 12.8% 35.1% $48

Getting Around

Calgary

$112 4.9%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9% 88.1% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$78 3.4%

Arequipa

$38 5.5% 50.6% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,214 in Calgary 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 Calgary are about 5.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Calgary versus $26 in Arequipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $390 vs $172 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

22:36 10:36 PM

23:36 11:36 PM

1 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

17,062

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 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).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Calgary Arequipa 8,560 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
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

Calgary vs Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calgary costs about 230% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,445 per month in Calgary 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 $1,214 in Calgary.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Calgary and $26 in Arequipa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 127% more in Calgary, 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 Calgary at $2,297. In Arequipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Calgary 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, Calgary makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.