Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Arequipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Arequipa: $707 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,012 per month in Lima vs $707 in Arequipa, rent included.

Lima $1,012
Arequipa $707

A couple spends around $1,589 per month in Lima vs $1,115 in Arequipa, rent included.

Lima $1,589
Arequipa $1,115

A family of three spends $2,167 per month in Lima vs $1,523 in Arequipa, rent included.

Lima $2,167
Arequipa $1,523

Lima costs about 43% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lima and Arequipa are more affordable than the global median – Lima 25% lower, Arequipa 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$3.38 PEN 11.61

30.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$27.16 PEN 93.3

29.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$5.88 PEN 20.21

17.18%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$2.47 PEN 8.49

31.98%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$0.75 PEN 2.59

49.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$0.39 PEN 1.33

58.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$2.05 PEN 7.06

29.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$4.24 PEN 14.56

4.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.32 PEN 4.54

23.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$1.42 PEN 4.88

80.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.53 PEN 5.26

-11.76%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$2.27 PEN 7.81

27.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$6.33 PEN 21.74

39.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$4.42 PEN 15.17

35.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$7.48 PEN 25.67

30.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$1.75 PEN 6.02

17.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.19 PEN 4.07

-10.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.18 PEN 4.05

14.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$0.99 PEN 3.41

51.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$0.62 PEN 2.15

41.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$0.67 PEN 2.31

37.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$0.54 PEN 1.86

64.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.79 PEN 2.70

13.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$5.22 PEN 17.94

13.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$5.12 PEN 17.59

66.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$2.69 PEN 9.25

-30.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$2.31 PEN 7.95

39.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.30 PEN 1.04

126.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$2.05 PEN 7.04

85.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$2.04 PEN 7.01

-0.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$13.12 PEN 45.07

-45.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.57 PEN 5.41

9.55%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$19.0K PEN 65.2K

17.60%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$25.1K PEN 86.2K

1.66%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$23.88 PEN 82.0

205.99%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$10.08 PEN 34.62

62.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$22.83 PEN 78.4

20.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$24.51 PEN 84.2

30.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$8.14 PEN 27.94

138.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$7.36 PEN 25.27

-4.21%

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

$182 PEN 627

$75.1 PEN 258

143.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$6,715 PEN 23.1K

94.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$49.32 PEN 169

9.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$26.02 PEN 89.4

31.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$67.4 PEN 232

22.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$59.0 PEN 202

32.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$351 PEN 1,206

105.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$235 PEN 806

46.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$708 PEN 2,432

72.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$419 PEN 1,439

55.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$1,952 PEN 6,703

23.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$969 PEN 3,328

40.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$608 PEN 2,086

6.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

-40.40%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Arequipa

$235 33.2% 31.7% $109

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Arequipa

$175 24.7% 22.6% $51

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Arequipa

$98 13.8% 21.2% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Arequipa

$57 8% 51.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Arequipa

$91 12.8% 19% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Arequipa

$39 5.6% 14.7% $6.8

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9% 69% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Lima versus $351 in Arequipa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 7% higher in Lima, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Lima versus $27.00 in Arequipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $175 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

06:40 6:40 AM

Same time as Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

17,062

💱 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

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Between locations

Lima Arequipa 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
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

Lima vs Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,518 per month in Lima and $1,061 in Arequipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arequipa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Lima and $27.00 in Arequipa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Lima, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arequipa, where all-in costs run around $707, than in Lima at $1,012. In Arequipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arequipa costs $707 versus $1,012 in Lima. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Arequipa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lima makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.