Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Ayacucho

For one person, living is cheaper in Ayacucho: $474 a month against $690 in Cusco, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Ayacucho
Learn more

Ayacucho Living Index

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Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$690

/mo nomad

Ayacucho

🇵🇪 Peru

$474

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cusco and in Ayacucho

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $690 in Cusco versus $474 in Ayacucho.

Cusco $690
Ayacucho $474

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,105 in Cusco versus $766 in Ayacucho.

Cusco $1,105
Ayacucho $766

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,519 in Cusco versus $1,058 in Ayacucho.

Cusco $1,519
Ayacucho $1,058

Living in Cusco is roughly 46% more expensive than in Ayacucho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cusco 49% lower, Ayacucho 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.01 PEN 6.94

$1.69 PEN 5.82

18.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.14 PEN 69.4

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.38 PEN 21.98

Cappuccino

$2.17 PEN 7.47

$1.78 PEN 6.12

21.91%

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

$0.74 PEN 2.54

$0.91 PEN 3.14

-18.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 PEN 1.12

$0.30 PEN 1.04

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 PEN 6.17

$1.47 PEN 5.08

21.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 PEN 14.79

$4.38 PEN 15.09

-2.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 PEN 4.46

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 PEN 8.02

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 PEN 4.40

$0.56 PEN 1.93

128.57%

Eggs

$3.51 PEN 12.10

$1.79 PEN 6.17

96.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.91 PEN 16.92

$2.95 PEN 10.18

66.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 PEN 15.12

$4.27 PEN 14.73

2.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 PEN 25.55

$5.66 PEN 19.50

30.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 PEN 9.22

$1.18 PEN 4.08

126.27%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 PEN 2.65

$0.57 PEN 1.96

35.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.06

$0.60 PEN 2.09

145.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.12

$0.56 PEN 1.93

62.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 PEN 3.44

$0.30 PEN 1.05

233.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.65

$0.30 PEN 1.04

253.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 PEN 1.83

$0.28 PEN 0.95

89.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 PEN 2.55

$0.88 PEN 3.03

-15.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.68 PEN 19.57

$5.90 PEN 20.32

-3.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 PEN 6.43

$2.98 PEN 10.27

-37.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 PEN 14.37

$4.40 PEN 15.16

-5.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.95

$0.61 PEN 2.10

-54.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.47 PEN 122

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 PEN 6.05

$2.26 PEN 7.80

-22.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 PEN 6.61

$1.15 PEN 3.95

66.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 PEN 9.91

$4.31 PEN 14.85

-33.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 PEN 5.37

$1.71 PEN 5.88

-8.77%

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

$9,956 PEN 34.3K

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

$28.5K PEN 98.1K

$12.3K PEN 42.5K

130.97%

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

$29.26 PEN 101

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

$14.44 PEN 49.79

$11.47 PEN 39.52

25.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.40 PEN 150

$17.16 PEN 59.2

152.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.55 PEN 102

$14.48 PEN 49.91

104.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.41 PEN 101

Cinema Ticket

$4.43 PEN 15.28

$4.44 PEN 15.31

-0.23%

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

$72.4 PEN 250

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.57 PEN 130

$17.29 PEN 59.6

117.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.55 PEN 116

$26.45 PEN 91.2

26.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.9 PEN 186

$102 PEN 353

-47.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 PEN 253

$103 PEN 355

-28.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 PEN 753

$342 PEN 1,180

-36.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 PEN 663

$88.5 PEN 305

117.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 PEN 1,844

$861 PEN 2,968

-37.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 PEN 1,468

$232 PEN 799

83.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,237 PEN 11.2K

$1,884 PEN 6,493

71.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 PEN 6,488

$1,739 PEN 5,995

8.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$430 PEN 1,482

$471 PEN 1,624

-8.75%

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

Last update for Cusco: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ayacucho: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cusco

$192 27.9%

Ayacucho

$88 18.7% 54% $104

Groceries & Markets

Cusco

$188 27.2%

Ayacucho

$120 * 25.3% 36.2% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Cusco

$89 12.9%

Ayacucho

$112 23.6% 25.6% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cusco

$87 12.6%

Ayacucho

$29 * 6% 67.1% $58

Eating Out

Cusco

$83 12%

Ayacucho

$56 * 11.8% 32.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Cusco

$38 5.6%

Ayacucho

$23 4.9% 39.2% $15

Getting Around

Cusco

$12 * 1.8%

Ayacucho

$46 9.7% 269% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $218 in Cusco and $342 in Ayacucho. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ayacucho pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cusco

🇵🇪 Ayacucho

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

Same time as Cusco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

428,450

99,427

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.261 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.261 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cusco Ayacucho 250 km

From you

Cusco
Ayacucho

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 Ayacucho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ayacucho wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Cusco. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ayacucho the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Cusco. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $218 in Cusco versus $342 in Ayacucho. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Cusco. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $690 per month in Cusco versus $474 in Ayacucho – Ayacucho is about 31% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Ayacucho gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.