Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $692 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
Learn more

Cusco Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$692

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cusco and in Lima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $692 in Cusco versus $1,012 in Lima.

Cusco $692
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,102 in Cusco versus $1,589 in Lima.

Cusco $1,102
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,512 in Cusco versus $2,167 in Lima.

Cusco $1,512
Lima $2,167

Living in Cusco costs roughly 32% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cusco 49% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.07 PEN 7.11

$4.40 PEN 15.10

-52.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.09 PEN 69.0

$35.17 PEN 121

-42.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.49 PEN 22.28

$6.89 PEN 23.65

-5.81%

Cappuccino

$2.18 PEN 7.48

$3.26 PEN 11.20

-33.13%

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

$0.78 PEN 2.67

$1.12 PEN 3.84

-30.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 PEN 1.12

$0.62 PEN 2.11

-46.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 PEN 5.83

$2.65 PEN 9.09

-35.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 PEN 14.51

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-4.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 PEN 4.33

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-22.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 PEN 7.92

$2.56 PEN 8.78

-9.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 PEN 4.46

$1.35 PEN 4.65

-3.70%

Eggs

$3.52 PEN 12.07

$2.90 PEN 9.96

21.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.68 PEN 16.07

$8.85 PEN 30.38

-47.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 PEN 15.08

$5.98 PEN 20.52

-26.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.12 PEN 24.44

$9.78 PEN 33.59

-27.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 PEN 9.15

$2.05 PEN 7.02

29.76%

Banana (1kg)

$0.82 PEN 2.81

$1.06 PEN 3.66

-22.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 PEN 4.89

$1.35 PEN 4.64

5.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.90 PEN 3.09

$1.50 PEN 5.15

-40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 PEN 3.55

$0.88 PEN 3.03

17.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 PEN 3.85

$0.92 PEN 3.15

21.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 PEN 1.84

$0.89 PEN 3.07

-40.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 PEN 2.57

$0.90 PEN 3.10

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

Wine (Bottle)

$5.86 PEN 20.13

$8.52 PEN 29.26

-31.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 PEN 6.63

$1.88 PEN 6.45

2.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 PEN 14.18

$3.22 PEN 11.05

28.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.96

$0.68 PEN 2.33

-58.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 PEN 5.94

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-54.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 PEN 6.58

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-4.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 PEN 10.10

$7.11 PEN 24.41

-58.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 PEN 5.39

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-8.72%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

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

$29.2K PEN 100.3K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

14.56%

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

$28.88 PEN 99.2

$73.1 PEN 251

-60.48%

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

$14.39 PEN 49.41

$16.35 PEN 56.2

-11.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.08 PEN 151

$27.47 PEN 94.3

60.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.16 PEN 100

$31.90 PEN 110

-8.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$4.47 PEN 15.35

$7.05 PEN 24.23

-36.60%

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

$182 PEN 627

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.01 PEN 127

$53.8 PEN 185

-31.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.94 PEN 117

$34.32 PEN 118

-1.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.6 PEN 187

$82.8 PEN 284

-34.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 PEN 252

$78.2 PEN 269

-6.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$214 PEN 736

$721 PEN 2,476

-70.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 PEN 666

$343 PEN 1,179

-43.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 PEN 1,850

$1,219 PEN 4,186

-55.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$421 PEN 1,446

$651 PEN 2,235

-35.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,183 PEN 10.9K

$2,414 PEN 8,292

31.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,825 PEN 6,269

$1,357 PEN 4,660

34.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$420 PEN 1,442

$648 PEN 2,226

-35.19%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cusco

$194 28%

Lima

$343 33.9% 77.1% $150

Groceries & Markets

Cusco

$187 27%

Lima

$226 22.3% 21% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Cusco

$89 12.9%

Lima

$112 11.1% 25.3% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cusco

$87 12.6%

Lima

$117 11.6% 33.8% $30

Eating Out

Cusco

$84 12.1%

Lima

$124 12.3% 48.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Cusco

$38 5.5%

Lima

$46 4.6% 20.8% $7.9

Getting Around

Cusco

$12 * 1.8%

Lima

$43 4.3% 250% $31

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 $214 in Cusco and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 54% 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: $20.00 in Cusco vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $187 vs $226 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cusco

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

16:43 4:43 PM

Same time as Cusco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

428,450

9,989,369 Capital

💱 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 Lima 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cusco
Lima

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 Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cusco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 46% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 54% lower in Lima. 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: $214 in Cusco versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

At $692 in Cusco versus $1,012 in Lima, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cusco but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Cusco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Cusco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.