Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiclayo and Cusco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $692 a month against $995 in Chiclayo, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. The total is higher in Chiclayo despite lower rent and utilities.

49

Cost of Living Index in Chiclayo
Learn more

Chiclayo Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
Learn more

Cusco Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiclayo

🇵🇪 Peru

$995

/mo nomad

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $995 per month in Chiclayo vs $692 in Cusco, rent included.

Chiclayo $995
Cusco $692

A couple spends around $1,581 per month in Chiclayo vs $1,102 in Cusco, rent included.

Chiclayo $1,581
Cusco $1,102

A family of three spends $2,167 per month in Chiclayo vs $1,512 in Cusco, rent included.

Chiclayo $2,167
Cusco $1,512

Chiclayo costs about 44% more than Cusco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiclayo and Cusco are more affordable than the global median – Chiclayo 26% lower, Cusco 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.09 PEN 17.49

$2.07 PEN 7.11

145.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.64 PEN 119

$20.09 PEN 69.0

72.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 PEN 30.69

$6.49 PEN 22.28

37.75%

Cappuccino

$4.28 PEN 14.70

$2.18 PEN 7.48

96.33%

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

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$0.78 PEN 2.67

12.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 PEN 1.58

$0.33 PEN 1.12

39.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.49 PEN 29.16

$1.70 PEN 5.83

399.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 PEN 14.51

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 PEN 7.49

$1.26 PEN 4.33

73.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 PEN 7.60

$2.31 PEN 7.92

-4.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 PEN 7.38

$1.30 PEN 4.46

65.38%

Eggs

$2.42 PEN 8.30

$3.52 PEN 12.07

-31.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.72 PEN 23.07

$4.68 PEN 16.07

43.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.36 PEN 21.85

$4.39 PEN 15.08

44.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.56 PEN 32.85

$7.12 PEN 24.44

34.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 PEN 8.69

$2.66 PEN 9.15

-4.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 PEN 6.22

$0.82 PEN 2.81

120.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 PEN 8.47

$1.42 PEN 4.89

73.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 PEN 5.98

$0.90 PEN 3.09

93.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 PEN 3.95

$1.03 PEN 3.55

11.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 PEN 7.39

$1.12 PEN 3.85

91.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 PEN 2.28

$0.53 PEN 1.84

26.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 PEN 3.27

$0.75 PEN 2.57

26.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.29 PEN 18.17

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 PEN 41.28

$5.86 PEN 20.13

105.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$1.93 PEN 6.63

-22.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 PEN 6.32

$4.13 PEN 14.18

-55.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 PEN 2.52

$0.28 PEN 0.96

160.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.06 PEN 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 PEN 10.99

$1.73 PEN 5.94

84.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.91 PEN 9.98

$1.92 PEN 6.58

51.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.41 PEN 22.01

$2.94 PEN 10.10

118.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 PEN 4.43

$1.57 PEN 5.39

-17.83%

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

$25.0K PEN 85.7K

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

$23.8K PEN 81.7K

$29.2K PEN 100.3K

-18.57%

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

$49.99 PEN 172

$28.88 PEN 99.2

73.10%

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

$26.73 PEN 91.8

$14.39 PEN 49.41

85.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.73 PEN 109

$44.08 PEN 151

-28.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.1 PEN 210

$29.16 PEN 100

109.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.30 PEN 86.9

Cinema Ticket

$7.63 PEN 26.21

$4.47 PEN 15.35

70.69%

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

$248 PEN 852

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,972 PEN 13.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 PEN 172

$37.01 PEN 127

35.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.6 PEN 205

$33.94 PEN 117

75.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$199 PEN 684

$54.6 PEN 187

265.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 PEN 505

$73.3 PEN 252

100.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$235 PEN 806

$214 PEN 736

9.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$146 PEN 502

$194 PEN 666

-24.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$449 PEN 1,541

$539 PEN 1,850

-16.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 PEN 869

$421 PEN 1,446

-39.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,123 PEN 3,858

$3,183 PEN 10.9K

-64.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,080 PEN 3,710

$1,825 PEN 6,269

-40.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$489 PEN 1,680

$420 PEN 1,442

16.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Chiclayo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cusco: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chiclayo

$242 24.3%

Cusco

$187 27% 22.8% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Chiclayo

$205 20.6%

Cusco

$89 12.9% 56.4% $116

Eating Out

Chiclayo

$167 * 16.8%

Cusco

$84 12.1% 49.9% $83

Accommodation & Living

Chiclayo

$146 14.7%

Cusco

$194 28% 32.8% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiclayo

$108 10.9%

Cusco

$87 12.6% 19.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Chiclayo

$76 7.7%

Cusco

$38 5.5% 50.1% $38

Getting Around

Chiclayo

$50 5%

Cusco

$12 * 1.8% 75% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $235 in Chiclayo versus $214 in Cusco. 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 17% higher in Chiclayo, 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 $35.00 in Chiclayo versus $20.00 in Cusco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $242 vs $187 – making Cusco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Chiclayo

🇵🇪 Cusco

🕒 Local time

19:14 7:14 PM

Same time as Chiclayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,325

428,450

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiclayo Cusco 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiclayo
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

Chiclayo vs Cusco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $995 in Chiclayo, $692 in Cusco – roughly 44% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,492 per month in Chiclayo and $1,037 in Cusco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cusco, 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 $35.00 in Chiclayo and $20.00 in Cusco. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $995 in Chiclayo and $692 in Cusco. That's a gap of about 44%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cusco, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Chiclayo at $995. In Cusco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiclayo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cusco has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $692 in Cusco to $995 in Chiclayo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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