Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $688 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$688

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cusco and in Buenos Aires

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $688 in Cusco versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Cusco $688
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,096 in Cusco versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Cusco $1,096
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,505 in Cusco versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Cusco $1,505
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Cusco costs roughly 59% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cusco is 49% below, Buenos Aires is 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.99 PEN 6.85

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-89.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.55 PEN 70.7

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

-68.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.70 PEN 23.04

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-47.98%

Cappuccino

$2.11 PEN 7.24

$3.98 ARS 6,027

-46.98%

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

$0.78 PEN 2.69

$2.05 ARS 3,102

-61.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 PEN 1.13

$1.55 ARS 2,348

-78.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 PEN 5.92

$3.84 ARS 5,828

-55.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 PEN 14.90

$4.60 ARS 6,968

-5.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 PEN 4.27

$1.44 ARS 2,180

-13.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 PEN 7.97

$2.46 ARS 3,737

-5.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 PEN 4.43

$1.63 ARS 2,466

-20.86%

Eggs

$3.63 PEN 12.48

$2.89 ARS 4,384

25.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.69 PEN 16.14

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-55.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.43 PEN 15.24

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-55.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.37 PEN 25.35

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-46.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 PEN 8.78

$2.75 ARS 4,165

-7.27%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 PEN 2.63

$2.18 ARS 3,299

-64.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.04

$1.45 ARS 2,204

1.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.94

$1.99 ARS 3,012

-57.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 PEN 3.52

$1.24 ARS 1,884

-17.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 PEN 3.80

$1.27 ARS 1,920

-13.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 PEN 1.67

$1.70 ARS 2,574

-71.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 PEN 2.58

$1.73 ARS 2,616

-56.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,335

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 PEN 20.41

$5.80 ARS 8,787

2.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 PEN 6.38

$2.09 ARS 3,162

-11.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 PEN 14.16

$2.77 ARS 4,197

48.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 PEN 1.04

$0.75 ARS 1,131

-60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.62 ARS 2,450

6.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 PEN 6.65

$0.98 ARS 1,480

96.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 PEN 9.69

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

-63.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 PEN 5.42

$1.36 ARS 2,057

15.44%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

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

$28.9K PEN 99.5K

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

-16.20%

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

$29.31 PEN 101

$216 ARS 326.8K

-86.40%

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

$14.31 PEN 49.22

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

-44.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.13 PEN 152

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

40.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 PEN 98.1

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

-42.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PEN 14.64

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-59.16%

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

$466 ARS 706.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.39 PEN 129

$122 ARS 185.1K

-69.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 PEN 115

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

-65.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.4 PEN 187

$117 ARS 177.3K

-53.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.2 PEN 248

$140 ARS 211.8K

-48.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 PEN 748

$763 ARS 1.2M

-71.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 PEN 657

$505 ARS 765.8K

-62.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 PEN 1,849

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-66.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 PEN 1,431

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-64.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,249 PEN 11.2K

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

21.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,823 PEN 6,270

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

-1.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$433 PEN 1,490

$954 ARS 1.4M

-54.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

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

Last update for Cusco: October 3, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cusco

$191 27.8%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 165% $314

Groceries & Markets

Cusco

$187 27.2%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 52.2% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Cusco

$89 12.9%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 141% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cusco

$88 12.8%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 211% $185

Eating Out

Cusco

$83 12.1%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 236% $196

Sport & Entertainment

Cusco

$37 5.4%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 90.9% $34

Getting Around

Cusco

$13 * 1.8%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 191% $24

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 $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 120% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $21.00 in Cusco vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $187 vs $284 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cusco

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

04:02 4:02 AM

2 h ahead of Cusco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

428,450

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cusco Buenos Aires 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Cusco
Buenos Aires

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 Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cusco and Buenos Aires differ by about 145% in total monthly costs ($688 vs $1,685 including rent). Cusco is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 120% lower in Buenos Aires. 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 $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cusco – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $688 per month in Cusco versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires – a 145% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $688 in Cusco versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cusco but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Cusco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Cusco and Buenos Aires are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cusco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 145% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.