Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cerro de Pasco and Arequipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco: $548 a month against $696 in Arequipa, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Arequipa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

26

Cost of Living Index in Cerro de Pasco
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Cerro de Pasco Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

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Cerro de Pasco

🇵🇪 Peru

$548

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $548 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $696 in Arequipa, rent included.

Cerro de Pasco $548
Arequipa $696

A couple spends around $883 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $1,094 in Arequipa, rent included.

Cerro de Pasco $883
Arequipa $1,094

A family of three spends $1,218 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $1,492 in Arequipa, rent included.

Cerro de Pasco $1,218
Arequipa $1,492

Cerro de Pasco is about 21% cheaper than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Cerro de Pasco and Arequipa are more affordable than the global median – Cerro de Pasco 59% lower, Arequipa 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 PEN 10.27

$3.39 PEN 11.70

-12.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.85 PEN 99.5

$25.99 PEN 89.7

11.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.77 PEN 23.37

$5.73 PEN 19.75

18.15%

Cappuccino

$1.99 PEN 6.87

$2.50 PEN 8.63

-20.40%

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

$0.75 PEN 2.58

$0.82 PEN 2.81

-8.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 PEN 1.56

$0.38 PEN 1.33

18.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 PEN 9.17

$2.04 PEN 7.05

30.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 PEN 14.86

$2.90 PEN 10.01

48.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 PEN 5.33

$1.27 PEN 4.37

21.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 PEN 8.13

$1.41 PEN 4.85

67.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PEN 4.31

$1.51 PEN 5.20

-17.22%

Eggs

$2.38 PEN 8.22

$2.34 PEN 8.06

1.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 PEN 31.33

$6.26 PEN 21.60

45.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.71 PEN 19.71

$4.40 PEN 15.18

29.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.33 PEN 28.73

$7.17 PEN 24.72

16.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 PEN 7.03

$1.71 PEN 5.91

19.30%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 PEN 2.56

$1.24 PEN 4.26

-40.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.45 PEN 1.56

$1.14 PEN 3.92

-60.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 PEN 3.94

$1.00 PEN 3.44

14.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 PEN 2.58

$0.62 PEN 2.15

20.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.50 PEN 1.74

$0.67 PEN 2.31

-25.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 PEN 3.11

$0.51 PEN 1.77

76.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.06

$0.76 PEN 2.62

17.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.69 PEN 19.63

$5.14 PEN 17.73

10.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.43 PEN 25.63

$4.95 PEN 17.08

50.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 PEN 6.60

$2.66 PEN 9.18

-28.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 PEN 9.21

$2.23 PEN 7.71

19.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.96

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 PEN 11.87

$1.97 PEN 6.79

74.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 PEN 6.94

$2.05 PEN 7.08

-1.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.69 PEN 26.52

$12.72 PEN 43.87

-39.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.92

$1.58 PEN 5.46

8.86%

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

$21.9K PEN 75.5K

$19.0K PEN 65.4K

15.49%

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

$29.0K PEN 100.2K

$25.3K PEN 87.4K

14.68%

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

$67.5 PEN 233

$23.50 PEN 81.1

187.28%

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

$15.47 PEN 53.4

$10.28 PEN 35.46

50.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.37 PEN 91.0

$22.79 PEN 78.6

15.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.35 PEN 84.0

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.77 PEN 26.80

Cinema Ticket

$7.04 PEN 24.28

$7.03 PEN 24.25

0.14%

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

$308 PEN 1,063

$73.9 PEN 255

317.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

$6,686 PEN 23.1K

94.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 PEN 183

$47.91 PEN 165

10.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.10 PEN 121

$25.78 PEN 88.9

36.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 PEN 288

$65.6 PEN 226

27.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 PEN 272

$58.3 PEN 201

35.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$348 PEN 1,201

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$231 PEN 798

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 PEN 1,421

$719 PEN 2,479

-42.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 PEN 1,417

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,915 PEN 6,605

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$973 PEN 3,356

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$470 PEN 1,620

$605 PEN 2,087

-22.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

-41.47%

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

Last update for Cerro de Pasco: November 2, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cerro de Pasco

$204 37.2%

Arequipa

$172 24.7% 15.6% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Cerro de Pasco

$113 20.6%

Arequipa

$89 12.8% 21.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cerro de Pasco

$109 19.9%

Arequipa

$57 8.1% 48.3% $53

Eating Out

Cerro de Pasco

$95 17.3%

Arequipa

$95 13.7% 0.4% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.6%

Arequipa

$38 5.5% 173% $24

Getting Around

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.5%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9% 1.2% $0.2

Accommodation & Living

Cerro de Pasco

- * 0%

Arequipa

$231 33.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 29% higher in Arequipa. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Cerro de Pasco versus $26 in Arequipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $172 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cerro de Pasco

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

Same time as Cerro de Pasco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,899

17,062

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cerro de Pasco Arequipa 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cerro de Pasco
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

Cerro de Pasco vs Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arequipa costs about 27% more than Cerro de Pasco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $822 per month in Cerro de Pasco and $1,044 in Arequipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Cerro de Pasco and $26 in Arequipa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Arequipa – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $548 in Cerro de Pasco and $696 in Arequipa, 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 $548 in Cerro de Pasco to $696 in Arequipa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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