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

🙂 Solo nomad: Cusco is 11.5% cheaper than Arequipa without rent, and 18.5% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Cusco is 3.2% cheaper than Arequipa without rent, and 3.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cusco
Arequipa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.82 PEN 9.68
$4.26 PEN 14.63
-33.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.39 PEN 97.4
$28.24 PEN 96.9
0.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.53 PEN 18.95
$5.70 PEN 19.56
-2.98%
Cappuccino
$2.09 PEN 7.18
$2.49 PEN 8.55
-16.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.22 PEN 4.20
$0.81 PEN 2.78
50.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 PEN 2.54
$0.37 PEN 1.26
100.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.17 PEN 7.44
$2.21 PEN 7.57
-1.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.20 PEN 14.40
$5.94 PEN 20.37
-29.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cusco
Arequipa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.48 PEN 5.08
$1.53 PEN 5.26
-3.27%
White Bread (500g)
$2.89 PEN 9.92
$1.22 PEN 4.19
136.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.28 PEN 4.39
$1.26 PEN 4.33
1.59%
Eggs
$4.00 PEN 13.72
$2.16 PEN 7.42
85.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.59 PEN 15.73
$5.58 PEN 19.14
-17.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.84 PEN 16.59
$5.29 PEN 18.13
-8.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.90 PEN 23.66
$7.57 PEN 25.96
-8.85%
Apples (1kg)
$2.42 PEN 8.32
$1.45 PEN 4.98
66.90%
Banana (1kg)
$0.78 PEN 2.68
$1.17 PEN 4.01
-33.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.29 PEN 4.42
$1.18 PEN 4.04
9.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.88 PEN 3.02
$0.75 PEN 2.59
17.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.04 PEN 3.57
$0.59 PEN 2.01
76.27%
Onion (1kg)
$1.01 PEN 3.47
$0.54 PEN 1.85
87.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.67 PEN 2.28
$0.44 PEN 1.50
52.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 PEN 2.36
$0.73 PEN 2.50
-5.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.88 PEN 16.73
$4.94 PEN 16.95
-1.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.48 PEN 22.24
$5.06 PEN 17.35
28.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.89 PEN 6.47
$2.42 PEN 8.29
-21.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.05 PEN 10.48
$2.31 PEN 7.94
32.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Cusco
Arequipa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 PEN 1.00
$0.27 PEN 0.91
7.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.71 PEN 5.86
$2.12 PEN 7.28
-19.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.58 PEN 5.40
$2.12 PEN 7.28
-25.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.74 PEN 9.38
$12.88 PEN 44.18
-78.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 PEN 5.06
$1.55 PEN 5.31
-4.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.4K PEN 63.3K
$18.9K PEN 64.9K
-2.57%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.6K PEN 74.2K
$25.1K PEN 86.1K
-13.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cusco
Arequipa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$33.05 PEN 113
$40.21 PEN 138
-17.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.07 PEN 48.26
$10.71 PEN 36.75
31.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.89 PEN 106
$30.34 PEN 104
1.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cusco
Arequipa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.30 PEN 104
$21.65 PEN 74.3
39.95%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$8.56 PEN 29.37
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 PEN 17.14
$4.52 PEN 15.52
10.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cusco
Arequipa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$60.6 PEN 208
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$6,415 PEN 22.0K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cusco
Arequipa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.43 PEN 122
$36.93 PEN 127
-4.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.94 PEN 99.3
$22.20 PEN 76.1
30.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$62.1 PEN 213
$63.7 PEN 219
-2.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.4 PEN 242
$54.7 PEN 188
28.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cusco
Arequipa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$309 PEN 1,061
$237 PEN 812
30.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$251 PEN 862
$156 PEN 536
60.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$574 PEN 1,970
$542 PEN 1,859
5.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$409 PEN 1,403
$391 PEN 1,342
4.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,005 PEN 13.7K
$2,004 PEN 6,874
99.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,834 PEN 6,291
$997 PEN 3,420
83.95%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cusco
Arequipa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$483 PEN 1,657
$649 PEN 2,226
-25.57%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities