Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Trujillo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $690 a month against $865 in Trujillo, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Trujillo
Learn more

Trujillo Living Index

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Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$690

/mo nomad

Trujillo

🇵🇪 Peru

$865

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cusco and in Trujillo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $690 in Cusco versus $865 in Trujillo.

Cusco $690
Trujillo $865

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,105 in Cusco versus $1,339 in Trujillo.

Cusco $1,105
Trujillo $1,339

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,519 in Cusco versus $1,813 in Trujillo.

Cusco $1,519
Trujillo $1,813

Living in Cusco costs roughly 20% less than in Trujillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cusco 49% lower, Trujillo 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.01 PEN 6.95

$3.46 PEN 11.95

-41.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.14 PEN 69.5

$23.58 PEN 81.4

-14.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.38 PEN 22.01

$7.20 PEN 24.85

-11.39%

Cappuccino

$2.17 PEN 7.48

$3.24 PEN 11.18

-33.02%

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

$0.74 PEN 2.54

$0.97 PEN 3.33

-23.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 PEN 1.12

$0.65 PEN 2.26

-49.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 PEN 6.18

$2.06 PEN 7.11

-13.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 PEN 14.81

$3.46 PEN 11.95

23.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 PEN 4.46

$1.38 PEN 4.76

-6.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 PEN 8.03

$2.03 PEN 7.02

14.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 PEN 4.40

$1.14 PEN 3.95

12.28%

Eggs

$3.51 PEN 12.11

$3.97 PEN 13.70

-11.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.91 PEN 16.94

$7.73 PEN 26.69

-36.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 PEN 15.14

$6.63 PEN 22.89

-33.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 PEN 25.58

$9.20 PEN 31.76

-19.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 PEN 9.23

$1.66 PEN 5.75

60.84%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 PEN 2.66

$0.57 PEN 1.96

35.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.07

$0.56 PEN 1.95

162.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.13

$0.83 PEN 2.87

9.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 PEN 3.44

$0.93 PEN 3.22

7.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.17 PEN 4.05

-9.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 PEN 1.83

$1.24 PEN 4.29

-57.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 PEN 2.56

$1.13 PEN 3.89

-34.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 PEN 15.40

Wine (Bottle)

$5.68 PEN 19.59

$5.81 PEN 20.07

-2.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 PEN 6.44

$1.72 PEN 5.92

8.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 PEN 14.39

$1.63 PEN 5.64

155.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.95

$0.55 PEN 1.91

-49.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.35 PEN 59.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 PEN 6.06

$2.42 PEN 8.35

-27.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 PEN 6.62

$2.14 PEN 7.40

-10.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 PEN 9.93

$5.94 PEN 20.52

-51.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 PEN 5.38

$1.67 PEN 5.77

-6.59%

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

$17.2K PEN 59.5K

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

$28.5K PEN 98.2K

$27.9K PEN 96.4K

1.90%

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

$29.26 PEN 101

$98.2 PEN 339

-70.20%

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

$14.44 PEN 49.85

$13.20 PEN 45.55

9.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.40 PEN 150

$27.11 PEN 93.6

60.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.55 PEN 102

$38.89 PEN 134

-24.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.73 PEN 19.79

Cinema Ticket

$4.43 PEN 15.30

$4.32 PEN 14.89

2.55%

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

$108 PEN 374

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,063 PEN 7,122

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.57 PEN 130

$72.8 PEN 251

-48.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.55 PEN 116

$14.34 PEN 49.49

133.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.9 PEN 186

$47.05 PEN 162

14.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 PEN 253

$42.87 PEN 148

70.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 PEN 754

$376 PEN 1,298

-41.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 PEN 664

$251 PEN 867

-23.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 PEN 1,846

$734 PEN 2,534

-27.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 PEN 1,469

$511 PEN 1,765

-16.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,237 PEN 11.2K

$1,142 PEN 3,941

183.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 PEN 6,496

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$430 PEN 1,484

$558 PEN 1,925

-22.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.7

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

Last update for Cusco: October 27, 2026

Last update for Trujillo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cusco

$192 27.9%

Trujillo

$251 29% 30.6% $59

Groceries & Markets

Cusco

$188 27.2%

Trujillo

$204 23.6% 8.6% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Cusco

$89 12.9%

Trujillo

$80 9.2% 10.7% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cusco

$87 12.6%

Trujillo

$138 16% 59% $51

Eating Out

Cusco

$83 12%

Trujillo

$112 12.9% 34.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Cusco

$38 5.6%

Trujillo

$48 5.5% 23.7% $9.1

Getting Around

Cusco

$12 * 1.8%

Trujillo

$33 3.8% 163% $20

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 $376 in Trujillo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Trujillo pays 30% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $20 in Cusco vs $24 in Trujillo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $204 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cusco

🇵🇪 Trujillo

🕒 Local time

20:01 8:01 PM

Same time as Cusco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

428,450

314,939

💱 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 Trujillo 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cusco
Trujillo

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 Trujillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cusco is about 20% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 23% 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 $376 in Trujillo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Trujillo. 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 versus $24 in Trujillo. 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.

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