Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Petropavl

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $692 a month against $823 in Petropavl, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Petropavl
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Petropavl Living Index

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Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$692

/mo nomad

Petropavl

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cusco and in Petropavl

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $692 in Cusco versus $823 in Petropavl.

Cusco $692
Petropavl $823

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,102 in Cusco versus $1,498 in Petropavl.

Cusco $1,102
Petropavl $1,498

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,512 in Cusco versus $2,173 in Petropavl.

Cusco $1,512
Petropavl $2,173

Living in Cusco costs roughly 16% less than in Petropavl, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cusco 49% lower, Petropavl 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.07 PEN 7.11

$14.52 ₸6,564

-85.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.09 PEN 69.0

$31.64 ₸14.3K

-36.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.49 PEN 22.28

$9.40 ₸4,248

-30.96%

Cappuccino

$2.18 PEN 7.48

$2.70 ₸1,221

-19.26%

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

$0.78 PEN 2.67

$1.52 ₸688

-48.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 PEN 1.12

$0.73 ₸331

-54.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 PEN 5.83

$1.52 ₸688

11.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 PEN 14.51

$2.63 ₸1,189

60.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 PEN 4.33

$1.11 ₸501

13.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 PEN 7.92

$0.68 ₸309

239.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 PEN 4.46

$2.10 ₸947

-38.10%

Eggs

$3.52 PEN 12.07

$2.11 ₸956

66.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.68 PEN 16.07

$10.69 ₸4,834

-56.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 PEN 15.08

$5.90 ₸2,666

-25.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.12 PEN 24.44

$10.11 ₸4,569

-29.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 PEN 9.15

$1.59 ₸717

67.30%

Banana (1kg)

$0.82 PEN 2.81

$2.26 ₸1,020

-63.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 PEN 4.89

$1.90 ₸857

-25.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.90 PEN 3.09

$1.31 ₸594

-31.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 PEN 3.55

$0.70 ₸317

47.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 PEN 3.85

$0.69 ₸314

62.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 PEN 1.84

$2.65 ₸1,197

-80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 PEN 2.57

$1.13 ₸512

-33.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.41 ₸1,090

Wine (Bottle)

$5.86 PEN 20.13

$7.92 ₸3,582

-26.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 PEN 6.63

$1.13 ₸511

70.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 PEN 14.18

$2.12 ₸960

94.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.96

$0.25 ₸113

12.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 PEN 5.94

$0.66 ₸298

162.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 PEN 6.58

$1.02 ₸462

88.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 PEN 10.10

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 PEN 5.39

$0.70 ₸318

124.29%

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

$21.9K ₸9.9M

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

$29.2K PEN 100.3K

$26.6K ₸12.0M

9.85%

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

$28.88 PEN 99.2

$57.1 ₸25.8K

-49.46%

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

$14.39 PEN 49.41

$18.00 ₸8,138

-20.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.08 PEN 151

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.16 PEN 100

$29.39 ₸13.3K

-0.78%

Cinema Ticket

$4.47 PEN 15.35

$4.97 ₸2,246

-10.06%

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

$87.2 ₸39.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.01 PEN 127

$44.09 ₸19.9K

-16.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.94 PEN 117

$33.71 ₸15.2K

0.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.6 PEN 187

$66.3 ₸29.9K

-17.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 PEN 252

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$214 PEN 736

$338 ₸152.8K

-36.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 PEN 666

$222 ₸100.4K

-12.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 PEN 1,850

$988 ₸446.6K

-45.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$421 PEN 1,446

$782 ₸353.6K

-46.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,183 PEN 10.9K

$872 ₸394.1K

265.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,825 PEN 6,269

$986 ₸445.8K

85.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$420 PEN 1,442

$303 ₸136.8K

38.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Cusco: October 11, 2026

Last update for Petropavl: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cusco

$194 28%

Petropavl

$222 27% 14.6% $28

Groceries & Markets

Cusco

$187 27%

Petropavl

$216 26.2% 15.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Cusco

$89 12.9%

Petropavl

$65 * 7.9% 27.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cusco

$87 12.6%

Petropavl

$75 * 9.1% 14% $12

Eating Out

Cusco

$84 12.1%

Petropavl

$199 24.2% 138% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Cusco

$38 5.5%

Petropavl

$39 4.8% 3.2% $1.2

Getting Around

Cusco

$12 * 1.8%

Petropavl

$6.8 * 0.8% 45.5% $5.7

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 $338 in Petropavl. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cusco pays 39% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $20.00 in Cusco vs $32.00 in Petropavl for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $187 vs $216 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cusco

🇰🇿 Petropavl

🕒 Local time

10:53 10:53 AM

21:53 9:53 PM

11 h ahead of Cusco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

428,450

222,703

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cusco Petropavl 14,320 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Cusco
Petropavl

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 Petropavl: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cusco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 19% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 39% higher in Cusco, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $214 in Cusco versus $338 in Petropavl. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Petropavl. 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 $32.00 in Petropavl. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Cusco gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

Safety-wise, Cusco and Petropavl 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 19% less than in Petropavl. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.