Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Arequipa

For one person, living costs are similar in Cusco and in Arequipa: $692 and $707 a month, rent and utilities included.

34

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

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Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$692

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $692 per month in Cusco vs $707 in Arequipa, rent included.

Cusco $692
Arequipa $707

A couple spends around $1,102 per month in Cusco vs $1,115 in Arequipa, rent included.

Cusco $1,102
Arequipa $1,115

A family of three spends $1,512 per month in Cusco vs $1,523 in Arequipa, rent included.

Cusco $1,512
Arequipa $1,523

Cusco is about 2% cheaper than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Cusco and Arequipa are more affordable than the global median – Cusco 49% lower, Arequipa 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.07 PEN 7.11

$3.38 PEN 11.61

-38.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.09 PEN 69.0

$27.16 PEN 93.3

-26.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.49 PEN 22.28

$5.88 PEN 20.21

10.37%

Cappuccino

$2.18 PEN 7.48

$2.47 PEN 8.49

-11.74%

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

$0.78 PEN 2.67

$0.75 PEN 2.59

4.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 PEN 1.12

$0.39 PEN 1.33

-15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 PEN 5.83

$2.05 PEN 7.06

-17.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 PEN 14.51

$4.24 PEN 14.56

-0.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 PEN 4.33

$1.32 PEN 4.54

-4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 PEN 7.92

$1.42 PEN 4.88

62.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 PEN 4.46

$1.53 PEN 5.26

-15.03%

Eggs

$3.52 PEN 12.07

$2.27 PEN 7.81

55.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.68 PEN 16.07

$6.33 PEN 21.74

-26.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 PEN 15.08

$4.42 PEN 15.17

-0.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.12 PEN 24.44

$7.48 PEN 25.67

-4.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 PEN 9.15

$1.75 PEN 6.02

52.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.82 PEN 2.81

$1.19 PEN 4.07

-31.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 PEN 4.89

$1.18 PEN 4.05

20.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.90 PEN 3.09

$0.99 PEN 3.41

-9.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 PEN 3.55

$0.62 PEN 2.15

66.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 PEN 3.85

$0.67 PEN 2.31

67.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 PEN 1.84

$0.54 PEN 1.86

-1.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 PEN 2.57

$0.79 PEN 2.70

-5.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 PEN 17.94

Wine (Bottle)

$5.86 PEN 20.13

$5.12 PEN 17.59

14.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 PEN 6.63

$2.69 PEN 9.25

-28.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 PEN 14.18

$2.31 PEN 7.95

78.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.96

$0.30 PEN 1.04

-6.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 PEN 5.94

$2.05 PEN 7.04

-15.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 PEN 6.58

$2.04 PEN 7.01

-5.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 PEN 10.10

$13.12 PEN 45.07

-77.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 PEN 5.39

$1.57 PEN 5.41

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

$19.0K PEN 65.2K

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

$29.2K PEN 100.3K

$25.1K PEN 86.2K

16.45%

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

$28.88 PEN 99.2

$23.88 PEN 82.0

20.94%

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

$14.39 PEN 49.41

$10.08 PEN 34.62

42.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.08 PEN 151

$22.83 PEN 78.4

93.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.16 PEN 100

$24.51 PEN 84.2

18.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.14 PEN 27.94

Cinema Ticket

$4.47 PEN 15.35

$7.36 PEN 25.27

-39.27%

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

$75.1 PEN 258

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,715 PEN 23.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.01 PEN 127

$49.32 PEN 169

-24.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.94 PEN 117

$26.02 PEN 89.4

30.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.6 PEN 187

$67.4 PEN 232

-19.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 PEN 252

$59.0 PEN 202

24.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$214 PEN 736

$351 PEN 1,206

-38.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 PEN 666

$235 PEN 806

-17.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 PEN 1,850

$708 PEN 2,432

-23.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$421 PEN 1,446

$419 PEN 1,439

0.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,183 PEN 10.9K

$1,952 PEN 6,703

63.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,825 PEN 6,269

$969 PEN 3,328

88.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$420 PEN 1,442

$608 PEN 2,086

-30.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Cusco: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cusco

$194 28%

Arequipa

$235 33.2% 21% $41

Groceries & Markets

Cusco

$187 27%

Arequipa

$175 24.7% 6.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Cusco

$89 12.9%

Arequipa

$91 12.8% 1.5% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cusco

$87 12.6%

Arequipa

$57 8% 35% $31

Eating Out

Cusco

$84 12.1%

Arequipa

$98 13.8% 17% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Cusco

$38 5.5%

Arequipa

$39 5.6% 3% $1.1

Getting Around

Cusco

$12 * 1.8%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9% 8.5% $1.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $214 in Cusco versus $351 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 run about 45% higher in Arequipa, 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 $20.00 in Cusco versus $27.00 in Arequipa. Groceries tell a different story – $187 in Cusco vs $175 in Arequipa – so Arequipa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cusco

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

Same time as Cusco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

428,450

17,062

💱 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

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Cusco Arequipa 320 km

From you

Cusco
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

Cusco vs Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arequipa costs about 2% more than Cusco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,037 per month in Cusco and $1,061 in Arequipa. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $692 in Cusco and $707 in Arequipa. That's a gap of about 2%.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Arequipa – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $692 in Cusco and $707 in Arequipa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cusco costs $692 versus $707 in Arequipa. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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