Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Pisco

For one person, living costs are similar in Cusco and in Pisco: $689 and $660 a month, rent and utilities included.

33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Pisco
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Pisco Living Index

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Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$689

/mo nomad

Pisco

🇵🇪 Peru

$660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cusco and in Pisco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $689 in Cusco versus $660 in Pisco.

Cusco $689
Pisco $660

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,094 in Cusco versus $1,023 in Pisco.

Cusco $1,094
Pisco $1,023

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,500 in Cusco versus $1,386 in Pisco.

Cusco $1,500
Pisco $1,386

Living in Cusco is roughly 4% more expensive than in Pisco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cusco 49% lower, Pisco 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 PEN 6.81

$4.25 PEN 14.59

-53.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.00 PEN 68.7

$35.07 PEN 120

-42.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.55 PEN 22.50

$7.09 PEN 24.37

-7.62%

Cappuccino

$2.11 PEN 7.25

$3.19 PEN 10.95

-33.86%

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

$0.74 PEN 2.54

$1.07 PEN 3.69

-30.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 PEN 1.12

$0.65 PEN 2.23

-49.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$2.63 PEN 9.02

-34.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 PEN 14.74

$4.43 PEN 15.21

-3.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 PEN 4.51

$1.65 PEN 5.66

-20.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 PEN 7.68

$2.32 PEN 7.96

-3.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 PEN 4.60

$1.25 PEN 4.30

7.20%

Eggs

$3.62 PEN 12.44

$1.30 PEN 4.45

178.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.91 PEN 16.87

$6.55 PEN 22.50

-25.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.33 PEN 14.88

$4.85 PEN 16.66

-10.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$6.35 PEN 21.81

11.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 PEN 8.89

$1.34 PEN 4.61

93.28%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 PEN 2.71

$1.00 PEN 3.42

-21.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.08

$1.42 PEN 4.86

4.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.84 PEN 2.89

$0.56 PEN 1.91

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 PEN 3.47

$0.45 PEN 1.55

124.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 PEN 3.69

$0.90 PEN 3.10

18.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 PEN 1.67

$0.90 PEN 3.09

-45.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 PEN 2.40

$0.86 PEN 2.95

-18.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 PEN 19.71

Wine (Bottle)

$5.88 PEN 20.20

$8.57 PEN 29.43

-31.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 PEN 6.37

$1.95 PEN 6.70

-5.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 PEN 14.72

$2.42 PEN 8.31

77.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.96

$0.89 PEN 3.06

-68.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.26 PEN 121

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 PEN 6.14

$3.90 PEN 13.40

-54.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 PEN 6.33

$2.05 PEN 7.04

-10.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 PEN 10.13

$7.15 PEN 24.56

-58.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.43

$1.67 PEN 5.72

-5.39%

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

$21.7K PEN 74.7K

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

$28.4K PEN 97.5K

$26.1K PEN 89.5K

8.96%

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

$29.41 PEN 101

$42.69 PEN 147

-31.11%

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

$14.67 PEN 50.4

$16.08 PEN 55.2

-8.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.42 PEN 149

$11.50 PEN 39.51

277.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.36 PEN 101

$20.40 PEN 70.1

43.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.49 PEN 29.15

Cinema Ticket

$4.32 PEN 14.85

$7.29 PEN 25.05

-40.74%

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

$178 PEN 611

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.40 PEN 132

$52.8 PEN 181

-27.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.99 PEN 117

$13.11 PEN 45.03

159.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.9 PEN 185

$46.22 PEN 159

16.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.7 PEN 246

$34.60 PEN 119

107.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 PEN 754

$161 PEN 553

36.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 PEN 665

$130 PEN 448

48.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 PEN 1,815

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 PEN 1,421

$147 PEN 504

182.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,191 PEN 11.0K

$1,788 PEN 6,141

78.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,854 PEN 6,368

$1,352 PEN 4,642

37.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$431 PEN 1,479

$557 PEN 1,911

-22.62%

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 Pisco: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cusco

$194 28.1%

Pisco

$130 19.8% 32.7% $63

Groceries & Markets

Cusco

$186 27%

Pisco

$183 27.7% 1.7% $3.2

Clothing & Footwear

Cusco

$89 12.9%

Pisco

$66 10% 25.9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cusco

$88 12.7%

Pisco

$70 10.7% 19.7% $17

Eating Out

Cusco

$82 12%

Pisco

$122 18.6% 48.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Cusco

$38 5.5%

Pisco

$35 5.3% 7.9% $3

Getting Around

Cusco

$12 * 1.8%

Pisco

$53 8% 337% $41

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 $161 in Pisco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pisco pays 29% 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 $35.00 in Pisco. Groceries flip the comparison at $186 vs $183, with Pisco cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cusco

🇵🇪 Pisco

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

Same time as Cusco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

428,450

14,917

💱 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 Pisco 460 km

From you

Cusco
Pisco

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 Pisco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pisco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Pisco. 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: $220 in Cusco versus $161 in Pisco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Cusco. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Pisco – 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 $1,200 a month, though Pisco gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Pisco 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.

Expats usually find Pisco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Cusco. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.