Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Arequipa Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Arequipa

😐 Solo nomad: Lima is 40.8% more expensive than Arequipa without rent, and 54.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Lima is 28.3% more expensive than Arequipa without rent, and 41.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lima
Arequipa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.19 PEN 15.14
$4.13 PEN 14.9
1.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.69 PEN 118
$27.5 PEN 99.3
18.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.77 PEN 24.44
$5.63 PEN 20.32
20.25%
Cappuccino
$2.55 PEN 9.22
$2.51 PEN 9.05
1.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 PEN 3.37
$0.76 PEN 2.75
22.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.65 PEN 2.34
$0.37 PEN 1.34
75.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.24 PEN 8.09
$2.19 PEN 7.92
2.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.84 PEN 13.86
$5.92 PEN 21.38
-35.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lima
Arequipa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.48 PEN 5.35
$1.6 PEN 5.78
-7.50%
White Bread (500g)
$2.68 PEN 9.66
$1.23 PEN 4.45
117.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.32 PEN 4.76
$1.22 PEN 4.4
8.20%
Eggs
$2.96 PEN 10.71
$2.09 PEN 7.54
41.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.79 PEN 28.14
$5.39 PEN 19.49
44.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.65 PEN 20.39
$5.42 PEN 19.58
4.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.5 PEN 37.95
$7.73 PEN 27.92
35.83%
Apples (1kg)
$2 PEN 7.22
$1.52 PEN 5.48
31.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.07 PEN 3.88
$1.21 PEN 4.39
-11.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.1 PEN 3.99
$1.22 PEN 4.41
-9.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.21 PEN 4.36
$0.8 PEN 2.89
51.25%
Potato (1kg)
$0.99 PEN 3.58
$0.58 PEN 2.11
70.69%
Onion (1kg)
$0.93 PEN 3.36
$0.55 PEN 1.97
69.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.83 PEN 3
$0.47 PEN 1.71
76.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 PEN 3.21
$0.71 PEN 2.58
25.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.72 PEN 20.66
$5.02 PEN 18.15
13.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.77 PEN 31.68
$5.1 PEN 18.43
71.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 PEN 6.31
$2.5 PEN 9.02
-30.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 PEN 10.75
$2.24 PEN 8.11
32.59%
🚌 Getting Around
Lima
Arequipa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.72 PEN 2.61
$0.27 PEN 0.97
166.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.78 PEN 111
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.37 PEN 12.19
$2.14 PEN 7.73
57.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.2 PEN 7.94
$2.06 PEN 7.45
6.80%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.5 PEN 30.72
$12.93 PEN 46.71
-34.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.37 PEN 4.94
$1.55 PEN 5.61
-11.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.4K PEN 70.2K
$19.2K PEN 69.5K
1.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.1K PEN 87K
$24.9K PEN 89.8K
-3.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lima
Arequipa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$57.1 PEN 206
$39.77 PEN 144
43.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.34 PEN 44.59
$10.54 PEN 38.09
17.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.29 PEN 84.1
$31.12 PEN 112
-25.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lima
Arequipa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.81 PEN 111
$21.83 PEN 78.9
41.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.54 PEN 67
$8.56 PEN 30.91
116.59%
Cinema Ticket
$6.97 PEN 25.17
$4.57 PEN 16.51
52.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lima
Arequipa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$223 PEN 804
$60.1 PEN 217
270.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,985 PEN 28.8K
$6,375 PEN 23K
25.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lima
Arequipa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.6 PEN 183
$36.87 PEN 133
37.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.76 PEN 129
$22.42 PEN 81
59.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.9 PEN 328
$62.2 PEN 225
46.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.5 PEN 320
$55.2 PEN 199
60.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lima
Arequipa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$618 PEN 2,234
$239 PEN 865
158.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$350 PEN 1,265
$156 PEN 562
125.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,041 PEN 3,761
$532 PEN 1,921
95.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$623 PEN 2,252
$396 PEN 1,429
57.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,941 PEN 7,012
$2,431 PEN 8,781
-20.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,845 PEN 6,665
$1,336 PEN 4,826
38.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lima
Arequipa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$594 PEN 2,145
$637 PEN 2,301
-6.78%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.11
15
-32.60%

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

Last update for Lima: October 27, 2025

Last update for Arequipa: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.