Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Merced and Arequipa

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $558 a month against $696 in Arequipa, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Arequipa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

27

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
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La Merced Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

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La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$558

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in La Merced 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 La Merced and in Arequipa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $558 per month in La Merced vs $696 in Arequipa, rent included.

La Merced $558
Arequipa $696

A couple spends around $910 per month in La Merced vs $1,094 in Arequipa, rent included.

La Merced $910
Arequipa $1,094

A family of three spends $1,263 per month in La Merced vs $1,492 in Arequipa, rent included.

La Merced $1,263
Arequipa $1,492

La Merced is about 20% cheaper than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both La Merced and Arequipa are more affordable than the global median – La Merced 59% lower, Arequipa 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.38 PEN 15.10

$3.39 PEN 11.70

29.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.86 PEN 120

$25.99 PEN 89.7

34.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 PEN 24.19

$5.73 PEN 19.75

22.34%

Cappuccino

$3.18 PEN 10.97

$2.50 PEN 8.63

27.20%

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

$1.08 PEN 3.72

$0.82 PEN 2.81

31.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.24

$0.38 PEN 1.33

71.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 PEN 8.86

$2.04 PEN 7.05

25.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 PEN 14.81

$2.90 PEN 10.01

47.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.44

$1.27 PEN 4.37

24.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 PEN 7.15

$1.41 PEN 4.85

46.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 PEN 4.43

$1.51 PEN 5.20

-15.23%

Eggs

$2.35 PEN 8.11

$2.34 PEN 8.06

0.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.33 PEN 25.29

$6.26 PEN 21.60

17.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.78 PEN 19.94

$4.40 PEN 15.18

31.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.68 PEN 29.94

$7.17 PEN 24.72

21.06%

Apples (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.17

$1.71 PEN 5.91

-46.20%

Banana (1kg)

$0.45 PEN 1.56

$1.24 PEN 4.26

-63.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.30 PEN 1.04

$1.14 PEN 3.92

-73.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.71 PEN 2.46

$1.00 PEN 3.44

-29.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 PEN 0.96

$0.62 PEN 2.15

-54.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.45 PEN 1.55

$0.67 PEN 2.31

-32.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 PEN 2.07

$0.51 PEN 1.77

17.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 3.01

$0.76 PEN 2.62

14.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.63 PEN 19.42

$5.14 PEN 17.73

9.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 PEN 25.30

$4.95 PEN 17.08

48.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 PEN 6.56

$2.66 PEN 9.18

-28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 PEN 10.61

$2.23 PEN 7.71

38.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.96

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 PEN 11.84

$1.97 PEN 6.79

74.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 PEN 7.14

$2.05 PEN 7.08

0.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.64 PEN 26.37

$12.72 PEN 43.87

-39.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 PEN 5.65

$1.58 PEN 5.46

3.80%

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

$21.7K PEN 75.0K

$19.0K PEN 65.4K

14.72%

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

$28.9K PEN 99.8K

$25.3K PEN 87.4K

14.27%

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

$66.7 PEN 230

$23.50 PEN 81.1

183.62%

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

$15.80 PEN 54.5

$10.28 PEN 35.46

53.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.06 PEN 93.4

$22.79 PEN 78.6

18.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.35 PEN 84.0

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.77 PEN 26.80

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 PEN 24.63

$7.03 PEN 24.25

1.56%

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

$318 PEN 1,096

$73.9 PEN 255

330.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K PEN 43.6K

$6,686 PEN 23.1K

89.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 PEN 184

$47.91 PEN 165

11.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.12 PEN 121

$25.78 PEN 88.9

36.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.7 PEN 289

$65.6 PEN 226

27.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 PEN 273

$58.3 PEN 201

35.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$348 PEN 1,201

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 La Merced: October 31, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

La Merced

$185 33.1%

Arequipa

$172 24.7% 7.1% $13

Eating Out

La Merced

$123 22%

Arequipa

$95 13.7% 22.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

La Merced

$113 20.3%

Arequipa

$89 12.8% 21.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Merced

$110 19.6%

Arequipa

$57 8.1% 48.3% $53

Sport & Entertainment

La Merced

$14 * 2.6%

Arequipa

$38 5.5% 169% $24

Getting Around

La Merced

$14 * 2.5%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9% 3.2% $0.4

Accommodation & Living

La Merced

- * 0%

Arequipa

$231 33.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in La Merced versus $26 in Arequipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $172 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 La Merced

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

Same time as La Merced

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

La Merced Arequipa 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

La Merced
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

La Merced vs Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arequipa costs about 25% more than La Merced, 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 $837 per month in La Merced and $1,044 in Arequipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in La Merced and $26 in Arequipa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Arequipa – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $558 in La Merced 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 $558 in La Merced to $696 in Arequipa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.