Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Huancayo and Arequipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Huancayo: $485 a month against $696 in Arequipa, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Arequipa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

23

Cost of Living Index in Huancayo
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Huancayo Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
Learn more

Arequipa Living Index

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Huancayo

🇵🇪 Peru

$485

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Huancayo and in Arequipa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Huancayo and in Arequipa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $485 per month in Huancayo vs $696 in Arequipa, rent included.

Huancayo $485
Arequipa $696

A couple spends around $820 per month in Huancayo vs $1,094 in Arequipa, rent included.

Huancayo $820
Arequipa $1,094

A family of three spends $1,155 per month in Huancayo vs $1,492 in Arequipa, rent included.

Huancayo $1,155
Arequipa $1,492

Huancayo is about 30% cheaper than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Huancayo and Arequipa are more affordable than the global median – Huancayo 64% lower, Arequipa 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.31 PEN 7.96

$3.39 PEN 11.70

-31.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.27 PEN 118

$25.99 PEN 89.7

31.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.06 PEN 24.34

$5.73 PEN 19.75

23.21%

Cappuccino

$3.15 PEN 10.86

$2.50 PEN 8.63

26.00%

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

$1.07 PEN 3.68

$0.82 PEN 2.81

30.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 PEN 2.10

$0.38 PEN 1.33

60.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.13

$2.04 PEN 7.05

29.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 PEN 15.40

$2.90 PEN 10.01

53.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 PEN 4.11

$1.27 PEN 4.37

-6.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 PEN 3.58

$1.41 PEN 4.85

-26.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.68

$1.51 PEN 5.20

-9.93%

Eggs

$2.47 PEN 8.52

$2.34 PEN 8.06

5.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.26 PEN 18.15

$6.26 PEN 21.60

-15.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.74 PEN 19.79

$4.40 PEN 15.18

30.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.18 PEN 17.88

$7.17 PEN 24.72

-27.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 PEN 4.95

$1.71 PEN 5.91

-16.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 PEN 3.56

$1.24 PEN 4.26

-16.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.56 PEN 1.94

$1.14 PEN 3.92

-50.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 PEN 3.93

$1.00 PEN 3.44

14.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.05

$0.62 PEN 2.15

41.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 PEN 2.90

$0.67 PEN 2.31

25.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 PEN 2.04

$0.51 PEN 1.77

15.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 PEN 3.05

$0.76 PEN 2.62

15.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.81 PEN 20.03

$5.14 PEN 17.73

13.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.28 PEN 18.22

$4.95 PEN 17.08

6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.48

$2.66 PEN 9.18

-29.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.09

$2.23 PEN 7.71

44.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 PEN 1.94

$0.28 PEN 0.96

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.19 PEN 59.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 PEN 6.57

$1.97 PEN 6.79

-3.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 PEN 6.94

$2.05 PEN 7.08

-1.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.60 PEN 26.21

$12.72 PEN 43.87

-40.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 PEN 4.88

$1.58 PEN 5.46

-10.13%

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

$21.7K PEN 74.8K

$19.0K PEN 65.4K

14.35%

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

$28.9K PEN 99.8K

$25.3K PEN 87.4K

14.29%

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

$34.21 PEN 118

$23.50 PEN 81.1

45.57%

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

$11.50 PEN 39.67

$10.28 PEN 35.46

11.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.61 PEN 40.06

$22.79 PEN 78.6

-49.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.35 PEN 84.0

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.77 PEN 26.80

Cinema Ticket

$7.36 PEN 25.39

$7.03 PEN 24.25

4.69%

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

$307 PEN 1,058

$73.9 PEN 255

315.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K PEN 43.6K

$6,686 PEN 23.1K

89.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 186

$47.91 PEN 165

12.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.34 PEN 122

$25.78 PEN 88.9

37.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 PEN 289

$65.6 PEN 226

28.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.7 PEN 268

$58.3 PEN 201

33.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$321 PEN 1,106

$348 PEN 1,201

-7.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$231 PEN 798

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 PEN 2,479

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 PEN 1,417

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,915 PEN 6,605

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$973 PEN 3,356

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$605 PEN 2,087

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

-41.47%

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

Last update for Huancayo: November 2, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Huancayo

$163 33.5%

Arequipa

$172 24.7% 5.7% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Huancayo

$113 23.3%

Arequipa

$89 12.8% 21.2% $24

Eating Out

Huancayo

$106 21.9%

Arequipa

$95 13.7% 10.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Huancayo

$57 11.8%

Arequipa

$57 8.1% 1.3% $0.8

Getting Around

Huancayo

$31 6.5%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9% 57.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Huancayo

$15 * 3%

Arequipa

$38 5.5% 161% $24

Accommodation & Living

Huancayo

- * 0%

Arequipa

$231 33.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $321 in Huancayo versus $348 in Arequipa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Huancayo versus $26 in Arequipa. Groceries tell a different story – $163 in Huancayo vs $172 in Arequipa – so Huancayo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Huancayo

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

20:50 8:50 PM

Same time as Huancayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,552

17,062

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Huancayo Arequipa 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Huancayo
Arequipa

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

Huancayo vs Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arequipa costs about 43% more than Huancayo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $728 per month in Huancayo and $1,044 in Arequipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $321 in Huancayo and $348 in Arequipa. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Huancayo and $26 in Arequipa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Arequipa, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $485 in Huancayo and $696 in Arequipa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Arequipa has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $485 in Huancayo to $696 in Arequipa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.