Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Tacna

For one person, living is cheaper in Tacna: $439 a month against $690 in Cusco, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index

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Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$690

/mo nomad

Tacna

🇵🇪 Peru

$439

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cusco and in Tacna

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $690 in Cusco versus $439 in Tacna.

Cusco $690
Tacna $439

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,105 in Cusco versus $629 in Tacna.

Cusco $1,105
Tacna $629

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,519 in Cusco versus $819 in Tacna.

Cusco $1,519
Tacna $819

Living in Cusco is roughly 57% more expensive than in Tacna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cusco 49% lower, Tacna 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.01 PEN 6.95

$2.85 PEN 9.84

-29.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.14 PEN 69.5

$14.63 PEN 50.5

37.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.38 PEN 22.01

$5.03 PEN 17.35

26.84%

Cappuccino

$2.17 PEN 7.48

$3.41 PEN 11.77

-36.36%

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

$0.74 PEN 2.54

$1.18 PEN 4.07

-37.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 PEN 1.12

$0.43 PEN 1.47

-23.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 PEN 6.18

$2.97 PEN 10.26

-39.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 PEN 14.81

$3.49 PEN 12.05

22.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 PEN 4.46

$1.19 PEN 4.11

8.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 PEN 8.03

$1.42 PEN 4.91

64.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 PEN 4.40

$0.88 PEN 3.04

45.45%

Eggs

$3.51 PEN 12.11

$1.77 PEN 6.10

98.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.91 PEN 16.94

$4.46 PEN 15.38

10.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 PEN 15.14

$4.71 PEN 16.26

-6.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 PEN 25.58

$8.48 PEN 29.27

-12.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 PEN 9.23

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 PEN 2.66

$1.47 PEN 5.07

-47.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.07

$0.86 PEN 2.97

70.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.13

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 PEN 3.44

$0.71 PEN 2.46

40.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 PEN 1.83

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 PEN 2.56

$0.71 PEN 2.45

4.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.24 PEN 14.63

Wine (Bottle)

$5.68 PEN 19.59

$6.51 PEN 22.47

-12.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 PEN 6.44

$2.58 PEN 8.90

-27.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 PEN 14.39

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.95

$0.28 PEN 0.96

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 PEN 6.06

$1.93 PEN 6.67

-8.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 PEN 6.62

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 PEN 9.93

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 PEN 5.38

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

$28.5K PEN 98.2K

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

$29.26 PEN 101

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

$14.44 PEN 49.85

$19.21 PEN 66.3

-24.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.40 PEN 150

$25.77 PEN 88.9

68.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.55 PEN 102

$29.78 PEN 103

-0.77%

Cinema Ticket

$4.43 PEN 15.30

$2.63 PEN 9.09

68.44%

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

$57.1 PEN 197

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.57 PEN 130

$20.68 PEN 71.4

81.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.55 PEN 116

$20.44 PEN 70.6

64.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.9 PEN 186

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 PEN 253

$26.31 PEN 90.8

178.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 PEN 754

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 PEN 664

$71.0 PEN 245

171.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 PEN 1,846

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 PEN 1,469

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,237 PEN 11.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 PEN 6,496

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$430 PEN 1,484

$457 PEN 1,576

-5.81%

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

Last update for Cusco: October 27, 2026

Last update for Tacna: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cusco

$192 27.9%

Tacna

–

Groceries & Markets

Cusco

$188 27.2%

Tacna

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cusco

$89 12.9%

Tacna

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cusco

$87 12.6%

Tacna

–

Eating Out

Cusco

$83 12%

Tacna

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cusco

$38 5.6%

Tacna

–

Getting Around

Cusco

$12 * 1.8%

Tacna

–

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Tacna pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $20 in Cusco vs $15 in Tacna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $148 per month, with Tacna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cusco

🇵🇪 Tacna

🕒 Local time

20:20 8:20 PM

Same time as Cusco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

428,450

92,972

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cusco Tacna 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cusco
Tacna

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 Tacna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tacna is about 36% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 6% 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Cusco. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Tacna – a meal for two runs $15 versus $20 in Cusco. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.