Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cerro de Pasco and Cusco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco: $548 a month against $683 in Cusco, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cusco 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index

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Cerro de Pasco

🇵🇪 Peru

$548

/mo nomad

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cerro de Pasco and in Cusco

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

A single person spends $548 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $683 in Cusco, rent included.

Cerro de Pasco $548
Cusco $683

A couple spends around $883 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $1,092 in Cusco, rent included.

Cerro de Pasco $883
Cusco $1,092

A family of three spends $1,218 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $1,502 in Cusco, rent included.

Cerro de Pasco $1,218
Cusco $1,502

Cerro de Pasco is about 20% cheaper than Cusco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Cerro de Pasco and Cusco are more affordable than the global median – Cerro de Pasco 59% lower, Cusco 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 PEN 10.27

$2.07 PEN 7.15

43.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.85 PEN 99.5

$19.81 PEN 68.3

45.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.77 PEN 23.37

$6.34 PEN 21.87

6.78%

Cappuccino

$1.99 PEN 6.87

$2.14 PEN 7.36

-7.01%

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

$0.75 PEN 2.58

$0.79 PEN 2.71

-5.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 PEN 1.56

$0.35 PEN 1.22

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 PEN 9.17

$1.78 PEN 6.14

49.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 PEN 14.86

$4.30 PEN 14.84

0.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 PEN 5.33

$1.27 PEN 4.37

21.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 PEN 8.13

$2.29 PEN 7.90

3.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PEN 4.31

$1.32 PEN 4.56

-5.30%

Eggs

$2.38 PEN 8.22

$3.67 PEN 12.67

-35.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 PEN 31.33

$4.77 PEN 16.47

90.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.71 PEN 19.71

$4.38 PEN 15.11

30.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.33 PEN 28.73

$7.01 PEN 24.18

18.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 PEN 7.03

$2.57 PEN 8.87

-20.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 PEN 2.56

$0.82 PEN 2.84

-9.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.45 PEN 1.56

$1.46 PEN 5.04

-69.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 PEN 3.94

$0.89 PEN 3.07

28.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 PEN 2.58

$0.98 PEN 3.38

-23.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.50 PEN 1.74

$1.11 PEN 3.83

-54.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 PEN 3.11

$0.48 PEN 1.64

87.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.06

$0.74 PEN 2.55

20.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.69 PEN 19.63

Wine (Bottle)

$7.43 PEN 25.63

$5.82 PEN 20.06

27.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 PEN 6.60

$1.84 PEN 6.36

3.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 PEN 9.21

$4.12 PEN 14.19

-35.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 PEN 1.05

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 PEN 11.87

$1.69 PEN 5.82

103.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 PEN 6.94

$1.86 PEN 6.41

8.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.69 PEN 26.52

$2.86 PEN 9.86

168.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.92

$1.51 PEN 5.19

13.91%

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

$21.9K PEN 75.5K

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

$29.0K PEN 100.2K

$29.1K PEN 100.3K

-0.14%

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

$67.5 PEN 233

$28.92 PEN 99.8

133.44%

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

$15.47 PEN 53.4

$14.18 PEN 48.92

9.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.37 PEN 91.0

$43.31 PEN 149

-39.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.36 PEN 97.8

Cinema Ticket

$7.04 PEN 24.28

$4.24 PEN 14.61

66.04%

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

$308 PEN 1,063

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 PEN 183

$37.61 PEN 130

41.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.10 PEN 121

$32.57 PEN 112

7.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 PEN 288

$54.1 PEN 187

54.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 PEN 272

$70.9 PEN 245

11.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 PEN 756

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 PEN 656

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 PEN 1,421

$531 PEN 1,831

-22.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$422 PEN 1,455

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,197 PEN 11.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,830 PEN 6,313

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$470 PEN 1,620

$419 PEN 1,445

12.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

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 Cusco: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cerro de Pasco

$204 37.2%

Cusco

$186 27.2% 8.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Cerro de Pasco

$113 20.6%

Cusco

$88 12.9% 22.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cerro de Pasco

$109 19.9%

Cusco

$86 12.7% 21% $23

Eating Out

Cerro de Pasco

$95 17.3%

Cusco

$83 12.2% 12.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.6%

Cusco

$37 5.4% 162% $23

Getting Around

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.5%

Cusco

$12 * 1.8% 9.7% $1.3

Accommodation & Living

Cerro de Pasco

- * 0%

Cusco

$190 27.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 12% higher in Cerro de Pasco, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Cerro de Pasco versus $20 in Cusco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $186 – making Cusco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cerro de Pasco

🇵🇪 Cusco

🕒 Local time

17:55 5:55 PM

Same time as Cerro de Pasco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,899

428,450

💱 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 Cusco 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cerro de Pasco
Cusco

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 Cusco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cusco is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $822 per month in Cerro de Pasco and $1,024 in Cusco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Cusco – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Cerro de Pasco and $20 in Cusco. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $548 in Cerro de Pasco and $683 in Cusco, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Cusco has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $548 in Cerro de Pasco to $683 in Cusco. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.