Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Cerro de Pasco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco: $548 a month against $683 in Cusco, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cusco outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Cerro de Pasco
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Cerro de Pasco Living Index

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Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$683

/mo nomad

Cerro de Pasco

🇵🇪 Peru

$548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cusco and in Cerro de Pasco

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 Cerro de Pasco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $683 per month in Cusco vs $548 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Cusco $683
Cerro de Pasco $548

A couple spends around $1,092 per month in Cusco vs $883 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Cusco $1,092
Cerro de Pasco $883

A family of three spends $1,502 per month in Cusco vs $1,218 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Cusco $1,502
Cerro de Pasco $1,218

Cusco costs about 25% more than Cerro de Pasco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Cusco and Cerro de Pasco are more affordable than the global median – Cusco 50% lower, Cerro de Pasco 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.07 PEN 7.15

$2.98 PEN 10.27

-30.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.81 PEN 68.3

$28.85 PEN 99.5

-31.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.34 PEN 21.87

$6.77 PEN 23.37

-6.35%

Cappuccino

$2.14 PEN 7.36

$1.99 PEN 6.87

7.54%

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

$0.79 PEN 2.71

$0.75 PEN 2.58

5.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 PEN 1.22

$0.45 PEN 1.56

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 PEN 6.14

$2.66 PEN 9.17

-33.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 PEN 14.84

$4.31 PEN 14.86

-0.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 PEN 4.37

$1.54 PEN 5.33

-17.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 PEN 7.90

$2.36 PEN 8.13

-2.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 PEN 4.56

$1.25 PEN 4.31

5.60%

Eggs

$3.67 PEN 12.67

$2.38 PEN 8.22

54.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.77 PEN 16.47

$9.08 PEN 31.33

-47.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 PEN 15.11

$5.71 PEN 19.71

-23.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.01 PEN 24.18

$8.33 PEN 28.73

-15.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 PEN 8.87

$2.04 PEN 7.03

25.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.82 PEN 2.84

$0.74 PEN 2.56

10.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 PEN 5.04

$0.45 PEN 1.56

224.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.14 PEN 3.94

-21.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 PEN 3.38

$0.75 PEN 2.58

30.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 PEN 3.83

$0.50 PEN 1.74

122.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 PEN 1.64

$0.90 PEN 3.11

-46.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 PEN 2.55

$0.89 PEN 3.06

-16.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.69 PEN 19.63

Wine (Bottle)

$5.82 PEN 20.06

$7.43 PEN 25.63

-21.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 PEN 6.36

$1.91 PEN 6.60

-3.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 PEN 14.19

$2.67 PEN 9.21

54.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 PEN 1.05

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 PEN 5.82

$3.44 PEN 11.87

-50.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 PEN 6.41

$2.01 PEN 6.94

-7.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 PEN 9.86

$7.69 PEN 26.52

-62.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 PEN 5.19

$1.72 PEN 5.92

-12.21%

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

$21.9K PEN 75.5K

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

$29.1K PEN 100.3K

$29.0K PEN 100.2K

0.14%

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

$28.92 PEN 99.8

$67.5 PEN 233

-57.16%

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

$14.18 PEN 48.92

$15.47 PEN 53.4

-8.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.31 PEN 149

$26.37 PEN 91.0

64.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.36 PEN 97.8

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 PEN 14.61

$7.04 PEN 24.28

-39.77%

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

$308 PEN 1,063

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.61 PEN 130

$53.1 PEN 183

-29.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.57 PEN 112

$35.10 PEN 121

-7.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.1 PEN 187

$83.6 PEN 288

-35.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 PEN 245

$78.9 PEN 272

-10.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 PEN 756

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 PEN 656

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$531 PEN 1,831

$412 PEN 1,421

28.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$422 PEN 1,455

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,197 PEN 11.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,830 PEN 6,313

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$419 PEN 1,445

$470 PEN 1,620

-10.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

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

Last update for Cusco: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cerro de Pasco: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cusco

$190 27.9%

Cerro de Pasco

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cusco

$186 27.2%

Cerro de Pasco

$204 37.2% 9.6% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Cusco

$88 12.9%

Cerro de Pasco

$113 20.6% 28.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cusco

$86 12.7%

Cerro de Pasco

$109 19.9% 26.5% $23

Eating Out

Cusco

$83 12.2%

Cerro de Pasco

$95 17.3% 13.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Cusco

$37 5.4%

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.6% 61.8% $23

Getting Around

Cusco

$12 * 1.8%

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.5% 10.7% $1.3

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 12% higher in Cerro de Pasco, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Cusco versus $29 in Cerro de Pasco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $204 – making Cusco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cusco

🇵🇪 Cerro de Pasco

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

Same time as Cusco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

428,450

58,899

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cusco Cerro de Pasco 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cusco
Cerro de Pasco

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 Cerro de Pasco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cusco is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,024 per month in Cusco and $822 in Cerro de Pasco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Cusco – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Cusco and $29 in Cerro de Pasco. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $683 in Cusco and $548 in Cerro de Pasco, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Cusco has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $548 in Cerro de Pasco to $683 in Cusco. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.