Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Huancayo

For one person, living is cheaper in Huancayo: $488 a month against $689 in Cusco, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Huancayo
Learn more

Huancayo Living Index

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Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$689

/mo nomad

Huancayo

🇵🇪 Peru

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cusco and in Huancayo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $689 in Cusco versus $488 in Huancayo.

Cusco $689
Huancayo $488

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,094 in Cusco versus $825 in Huancayo.

Cusco $1,094
Huancayo $825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,500 in Cusco versus $1,162 in Huancayo.

Cusco $1,500
Huancayo $1,162

Living in Cusco is roughly 41% more expensive than in Huancayo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cusco 49% lower, Huancayo 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 PEN 6.81

$2.27 PEN 7.80

-12.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.00 PEN 68.7

$34.56 PEN 119

-42.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.55 PEN 22.50

$6.86 PEN 23.54

-4.52%

Cappuccino

$2.11 PEN 7.25

$3.29 PEN 11.31

-35.87%

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

$0.74 PEN 2.54

$1.12 PEN 3.83

-33.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 PEN 1.12

$0.64 PEN 2.20

-48.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$2.59 PEN 8.91

-33.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 PEN 14.74

$4.29 PEN 14.73

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 PEN 4.51

$1.15 PEN 3.93

13.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 PEN 7.68

$1.05 PEN 3.60

112.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 PEN 4.60

$1.29 PEN 4.43

3.88%

Eggs

$3.62 PEN 12.44

$2.41 PEN 8.26

50.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.91 PEN 16.87

$5.14 PEN 17.64

-4.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.33 PEN 14.88

$5.97 PEN 20.49

-27.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$5.20 PEN 17.87

36.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 PEN 8.89

$1.41 PEN 4.86

83.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 PEN 2.71

$1.03 PEN 3.53

-23.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.08

$0.55 PEN 1.90

169.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.84 PEN 2.89

$1.19 PEN 4.10

-29.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 PEN 3.47

$0.85 PEN 2.93

18.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 PEN 3.69

$0.89 PEN 3.05

20.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 PEN 1.67

$0.57 PEN 1.96

-14.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 PEN 2.40

$0.89 PEN 3.07

-21.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.70 PEN 19.57

Wine (Bottle)

$5.88 PEN 20.20

$5.09 PEN 17.47

15.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 PEN 6.37

$1.87 PEN 6.41

-1.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 PEN 14.72

$3.18 PEN 10.91

34.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.96

$0.59 PEN 2.03

-52.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.38 PEN 59.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 PEN 6.14

$1.84 PEN 6.32

-2.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 PEN 6.33

$2.00 PEN 6.88

-8.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 PEN 10.13

$7.22 PEN 24.79

-59.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.43

$1.43 PEN 4.91

10.49%

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

$21.7K PEN 74.6K

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

$28.4K PEN 97.5K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

10.46%

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

$29.41 PEN 101

$34.52 PEN 119

-14.80%

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

$14.67 PEN 50.4

$11.76 PEN 40.39

24.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.42 PEN 149

$11.82 PEN 40.59

267.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.36 PEN 101

Cinema Ticket

$4.32 PEN 14.85

$7.30 PEN 25.07

-40.82%

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

$182 PEN 624

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.40 PEN 132

$53.8 PEN 185

-28.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.99 PEN 117

$35.51 PEN 122

-4.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.9 PEN 185

$85.3 PEN 293

-36.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.7 PEN 246

$80.1 PEN 275

-10.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 PEN 754

$324 PEN 1,112

-32.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 PEN 665

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 PEN 1,815

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 PEN 1,421

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,191 PEN 11.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,854 PEN 6,368

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$431 PEN 1,479

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

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

Last update for Cusco: October 17, 2026

Last update for Huancayo: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cusco

$194 28.1%

Huancayo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cusco

$186 27%

Huancayo

$162 33.2% 12.8% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Cusco

$89 12.9%

Huancayo

$115 23.5% 28.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cusco

$88 12.7%

Huancayo

$58 11.9% 33.6% $29

Eating Out

Cusco

$82 12%

Huancayo

$107 21.9% 29.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Cusco

$38 5.5%

Huancayo

$15 * 3% 61.6% $23

Getting Around

Cusco

$12 * 1.8%

Huancayo

$32 6.5% 161% $19

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 $220 in Cusco and $324 in Huancayo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $20.00 in Cusco vs $35.00 in Huancayo. Groceries flip the comparison at $186 vs $162, with Huancayo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cusco

🇵🇪 Huancayo

🕒 Local time

08:56 8:56 AM

Same time as Cusco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

428,450

27,552

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cusco Huancayo 390 km

From you

Cusco
Huancayo

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 Huancayo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Huancayo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. The 41% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,033 in Cusco and $732 in Huancayo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $220 in Cusco versus $324 in Huancayo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Cusco. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Huancayo – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $20.00 in Cusco. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

For families, Huancayo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cusco, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cusco and Huancayo 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 Huancayo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Cusco. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.