Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Arequipa Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Arequipa

😐 Solo nomad: Cusco is 1.9% more expensive than Arequipa without rent, and 18.1% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Cusco is 7.1% cheaper than Arequipa without rent, and 7.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cusco
Arequipa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.85 PEN 10.3
$4.13 PEN 14.9
-30.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.87 PEN 101
$27.5 PEN 99.3
1.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.6 PEN 20.22
$5.63 PEN 20.32
-0.53%
Cappuccino
$2.05 PEN 7.41
$2.51 PEN 9.05
-18.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 PEN 4.59
$0.76 PEN 2.75
67.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 PEN 2.86
$0.37 PEN 1.34
113.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.23 PEN 8.06
$2.19 PEN 7.92
1.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.08 PEN 14.76
$5.92 PEN 21.38
-31.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cusco
Arequipa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 PEN 5.24
$1.6 PEN 5.78
-9.38%
White Bread (500g)
$3.05 PEN 11.04
$1.23 PEN 4.45
147.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 PEN 4.81
$1.22 PEN 4.4
9.02%
Eggs
$3.78 PEN 13.64
$2.09 PEN 7.54
80.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.79 PEN 17.31
$5.39 PEN 19.49
-11.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.95 PEN 17.9
$5.42 PEN 19.58
-8.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.73 PEN 24.31
$7.73 PEN 27.92
-12.94%
Apples (1kg)
$2.38 PEN 8.61
$1.52 PEN 5.48
56.58%
Banana (1kg)
$0.78 PEN 2.82
$1.21 PEN 4.39
-35.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.29 PEN 4.66
$1.22 PEN 4.41
5.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.9 PEN 3.23
$0.8 PEN 2.89
12.50%
Potato (1kg)
$1.03 PEN 3.74
$0.58 PEN 2.11
77.59%
Onion (1kg)
$0.95 PEN 3.42
$0.55 PEN 1.97
72.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.65 PEN 2.35
$0.47 PEN 1.71
38.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 PEN 2.47
$0.71 PEN 2.58
-4.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.76 PEN 17.19
$5.02 PEN 18.15
-5.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.45 PEN 23.29
$5.1 PEN 18.43
26.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.99 PEN 7.19
$2.5 PEN 9.02
-20.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.03 PEN 10.94
$2.24 PEN 8.11
35.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Cusco
Arequipa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 PEN 1.06
$0.27 PEN 0.97
7.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.65 PEN 5.94
$2.14 PEN 7.73
-22.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.67 PEN 6.02
$2.06 PEN 7.45
-18.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.81 PEN 10.17
$12.93 PEN 46.71
-78.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 PEN 5.33
$1.55 PEN 5.61
-4.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.7K PEN 67.6K
$19.2K PEN 69.5K
-2.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.2K PEN 80.1K
$24.9K PEN 89.8K
-10.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cusco
Arequipa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$33.79 PEN 122
$39.77 PEN 144
-15.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.03 PEN 50.7
$10.54 PEN 38.09
33.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.11 PEN 109
$31.12 PEN 112
-3.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cusco
Arequipa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.45 PEN 110
$21.83 PEN 78.9
39.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$8.56 PEN 30.91
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.9 PEN 17.7
$4.57 PEN 16.51
7.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cusco
Arequipa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$60.1 PEN 217
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$6,375 PEN 23K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cusco
Arequipa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.49 PEN 128
$36.87 PEN 133
-3.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.27 PEN 106
$22.42 PEN 81
30.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$61.1 PEN 221
$62.2 PEN 225
-1.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.5 PEN 258
$55.2 PEN 199
29.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cusco
Arequipa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$307 PEN 1,110
$239 PEN 865
28.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$248 PEN 897
$156 PEN 562
59.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$583 PEN 2,105
$532 PEN 1,921
9.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$409 PEN 1,477
$396 PEN 1,429
3.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,856 PEN 13.9K
$2,431 PEN 8,781
58.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,797 PEN 6,491
$1,336 PEN 4,826
34.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cusco
Arequipa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$417 PEN 1,507
$637 PEN 2,301
-34.49%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11
15
-26.67%

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

Last update for Cusco: October 28, 2025

Last update for Arequipa: October 28, 2025

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