Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Piura

For one person, living costs are similar in Cusco and in Piura: $690 and $701 a month, rent and utilities included.

33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Piura
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Piura Living Index

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Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$690

/mo nomad

Piura

🇵🇪 Peru

$701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cusco and in Piura

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $690 in Cusco versus $701 in Piura.

Cusco $690
Piura $701

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,105 in Cusco versus $1,199 in Piura.

Cusco $1,105
Piura $1,199

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,519 in Cusco versus $1,696 in Piura.

Cusco $1,519
Piura $1,696

Monthly costs are close between Cusco and Piura; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cusco 49% lower, Piura 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.01 PEN 6.94

$3.60 PEN 12.42

-44.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.14 PEN 69.4

$23.96 PEN 82.6

-15.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.38 PEN 21.98

$7.27 PEN 25.05

-12.24%

Cappuccino

$2.17 PEN 7.47

$3.30 PEN 11.38

-34.24%

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

$0.74 PEN 2.54

$1.05 PEN 3.62

-29.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 PEN 1.12

$0.76 PEN 2.62

-56.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 PEN 6.17

$2.35 PEN 8.11

-23.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 PEN 14.79

$2.92 PEN 10.08

46.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 PEN 4.46

$1.41 PEN 4.87

-8.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 PEN 8.02

$2.55 PEN 8.80

-8.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 PEN 4.40

$1.58 PEN 5.46

-18.99%

Eggs

$3.51 PEN 12.10

$2.80 PEN 9.66

25.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.91 PEN 16.92

$10.37 PEN 35.74

-52.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 PEN 15.12

$8.31 PEN 28.66

-47.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 PEN 25.55

$10.39 PEN 35.82

-28.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 PEN 9.22

$1.41 PEN 4.87

89.36%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 PEN 2.65

$1.33 PEN 4.58

-42.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.06

$1.48 PEN 5.10

-0.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.12

$1.35 PEN 4.64

-32.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 PEN 3.44

$1.23 PEN 4.24

-18.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.65

$0.72 PEN 2.47

47.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 PEN 1.83

$0.89 PEN 3.08

-40.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 PEN 2.55

$1.33 PEN 4.58

-44.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.92 PEN 27.29

Wine (Bottle)

$5.68 PEN 19.57

$11.13 PEN 38.37

-48.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 PEN 6.43

$1.81 PEN 6.24

2.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 PEN 14.37

$2.82 PEN 9.74

47.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.95

$0.66 PEN 2.28

-57.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.22 PEN 69.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 PEN 6.05

$2.96 PEN 10.20

-40.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 PEN 6.61

$2.31 PEN 7.95

-16.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 PEN 9.91

$7.21 PEN 24.86

-60.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 PEN 5.37

$1.42 PEN 4.91

9.86%

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

$22.0K PEN 75.9K

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

$28.5K PEN 98.1K

$23.4K PEN 80.5K

21.79%

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

$29.26 PEN 101

$40.54 PEN 140

-27.82%

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

$14.44 PEN 49.79

$8.57 PEN 29.53

68.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.40 PEN 150

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.55 PEN 102

$28.76 PEN 99.1

2.75%

Cinema Ticket

$4.43 PEN 15.28

$2.33 PEN 8.04

90.13%

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

$199 PEN 686

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,280 PEN 7,861

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.57 PEN 130

$42.70 PEN 147

-12.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.55 PEN 116

$12.94 PEN 44.60

159.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.9 PEN 186

$58.2 PEN 201

-7.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 PEN 253

$73.9 PEN 255

-0.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 PEN 753

$229 PEN 790

-4.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 PEN 663

$131 PEN 453

46.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 PEN 1,844

$397 PEN 1,367

34.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 PEN 1,468

$400 PEN 1,378

6.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,237 PEN 11.2K

$3,803 PEN 13.1K

-14.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 PEN 6,488

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$430 PEN 1,482

$538 PEN 1,856

-20.12%

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

Last update for Cusco: October 27, 2026

Last update for Piura: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cusco

$192 27.9%

Piura

$131 18.7% 31.8% $61

Groceries & Markets

Cusco

$188 27.2%

Piura

$250 35.7% 33.3% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Cusco

$89 12.9%

Piura

$84 12.1% 5.3% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cusco

$87 12.6%

Piura

$49 * 7% 43.6% $38

Eating Out

Cusco

$83 12%

Piura

$115 16.4% 38.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Cusco

$38 5.6%

Piura

$33 4.8% 13% $5

Getting Around

Cusco

$12 * 1.8%

Piura

$37 5.3% 200% $25

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 $218 in Cusco and $229 in Piura. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Piura pays 25% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $20 in Cusco vs $24 in Piura for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $250 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cusco

🇵🇪 Piura

🕒 Local time

15:26 3:26 PM

Same time as Cusco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

428,450

158,495

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.261 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.261 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cusco Piura 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cusco
Piura

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 Piura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Cusco. 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: $218 in Cusco versus $229 in Piura. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cusco – a meal for two runs $20 versus $24 in Piura. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Piura. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Cusco wins on affordability, Piura on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.