Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Huancayo and Cusco

For one person, living is cheaper in Huancayo: $488 a month against $689 in Cusco, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Huancayo
Learn more

Huancayo Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
Learn more

Cusco Living Index

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Huancayo

🇵🇪 Peru

$488

/mo nomad

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Huancayo and in Cusco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $488 in Huancayo versus $689 in Cusco.

Huancayo $488
Cusco $689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $825 in Huancayo versus $1,094 in Cusco.

Huancayo $825
Cusco $1,094

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,162 in Huancayo versus $1,500 in Cusco.

Huancayo $1,162
Cusco $1,500

Living in Huancayo costs roughly 29% less than in Cusco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Huancayo 64% lower, Cusco 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.27 PEN 7.80

$1.98 PEN 6.81

14.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.56 PEN 119

$20.00 PEN 68.7

72.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.86 PEN 23.54

$6.55 PEN 22.50

4.73%

Cappuccino

$3.29 PEN 11.31

$2.11 PEN 7.25

55.92%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.83

$0.74 PEN 2.54

51.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 PEN 2.20

$0.33 PEN 1.12

93.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 PEN 8.91

$1.72 PEN 5.91

50.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 PEN 14.73

$4.29 PEN 14.74

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 PEN 3.93

$1.31 PEN 4.51

-12.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 PEN 3.60

$2.23 PEN 7.68

-52.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 PEN 4.43

$1.34 PEN 4.60

-3.73%

Eggs

$2.41 PEN 8.26

$3.62 PEN 12.44

-33.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.14 PEN 17.64

$4.91 PEN 16.87

4.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.97 PEN 20.49

$4.33 PEN 14.88

37.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.20 PEN 17.87

$7.11 PEN 24.41

-26.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 PEN 4.86

$2.59 PEN 8.89

-45.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 PEN 3.53

$0.79 PEN 2.71

30.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 PEN 1.90

$1.48 PEN 5.08

-62.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 PEN 4.10

$0.84 PEN 2.89

41.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.93

$1.01 PEN 3.47

-15.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 PEN 3.05

$1.07 PEN 3.69

-16.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 PEN 1.96

$0.49 PEN 1.67

16.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$0.70 PEN 2.40

27.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.70 PEN 19.57

Wine (Bottle)

$5.09 PEN 17.47

$5.88 PEN 20.20

-13.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 PEN 6.41

$1.85 PEN 6.37

1.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 PEN 10.91

$4.29 PEN 14.72

-25.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 PEN 2.03

$0.28 PEN 0.96

110.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.38 PEN 59.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 PEN 6.32

$1.79 PEN 6.14

2.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 PEN 6.88

$1.84 PEN 6.33

8.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.22 PEN 24.79

$2.95 PEN 10.13

144.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 PEN 4.91

$1.58 PEN 5.43

-9.49%

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

$21.7K PEN 74.6K

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

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

$28.4K PEN 97.5K

-9.47%

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

$34.52 PEN 119

$29.41 PEN 101

17.38%

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

$11.76 PEN 40.39

$14.67 PEN 50.4

-19.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.82 PEN 40.59

$43.42 PEN 149

-72.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.36 PEN 101

Cinema Ticket

$7.30 PEN 25.07

$4.32 PEN 14.85

68.98%

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

$182 PEN 624

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$38.40 PEN 132

40.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.51 PEN 122

$33.99 PEN 117

4.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 PEN 293

$53.9 PEN 185

58.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.1 PEN 275

$71.7 PEN 246

11.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$324 PEN 1,112

$220 PEN 754

47.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 PEN 665

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 PEN 1,815

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 PEN 1,421

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,191 PEN 11.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,854 PEN 6,368

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$431 PEN 1,479

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 Huancayo: October 17, 2026

Last update for Cusco: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Huancayo

$162 33.2%

Cusco

$186 27% 14.7% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Huancayo

$115 23.5%

Cusco

$89 12.9% 22.3% $26

Eating Out

Huancayo

$107 21.9%

Cusco

$82 12% 23% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Huancayo

$58 11.9%

Cusco

$88 12.7% 50.6% $29

Getting Around

Huancayo

$32 6.5%

Cusco

$12 * 1.8% 61.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Huancayo

$15 * 3%

Cusco

$38 5.5% 160% $23

Accommodation & Living

Huancayo

- * 0%

Cusco

$194 28.1%

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 $324 in Huancayo and $220 in Cusco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Huancayo vs $20.00 in Cusco. Groceries flip the comparison at $162 vs $186, with Huancayo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Huancayo

🇵🇪 Cusco

🕒 Local time

06:42 6:42 AM

Same time as Huancayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,552

428,450

💱 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

Huancayo Cusco 390 km

From you

Huancayo
Cusco

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 Cusco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Huancayo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. The 41% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $732 in Huancayo and $1,033 in Cusco to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $324 in Huancayo versus $220 in Cusco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Cusco. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Huancayo – 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 $800 a month, though Huancayo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Huancayo 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.

Safety-wise, Huancayo and Cusco are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Huancayo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Cusco. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.