Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Cusco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $692 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
Learn more

Cusco Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $692 in Cusco.

Lima $1,012
Cusco $692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,102 in Cusco.

Lima $1,589
Cusco $1,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $1,512 in Cusco.

Lima $2,167
Cusco $1,512

Living in Lima is roughly 46% more expensive than in Cusco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Cusco 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$2.07 PEN 7.11

112.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$20.09 PEN 69.0

75.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$6.49 PEN 22.28

6.16%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$2.18 PEN 7.48

49.54%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$0.78 PEN 2.67

43.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$0.33 PEN 1.12

87.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$1.70 PEN 5.83

55.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$4.23 PEN 14.51

4.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.26 PEN 4.33

29.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$2.31 PEN 7.92

10.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.30 PEN 4.46

3.85%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$3.52 PEN 12.07

-17.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$4.68 PEN 16.07

89.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$4.39 PEN 15.08

36.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$7.12 PEN 24.44

37.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$2.66 PEN 9.15

-22.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$0.82 PEN 2.81

29.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.42 PEN 4.89

-4.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$0.90 PEN 3.09

66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.03 PEN 3.55

-14.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$1.12 PEN 3.85

-17.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$0.53 PEN 1.84

67.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.75 PEN 2.57

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$5.86 PEN 20.13

45.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.93 PEN 6.63

-2.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$4.13 PEN 14.18

-22.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.28 PEN 0.96

142.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$1.73 PEN 5.94

120.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$1.92 PEN 6.58

5.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$2.94 PEN 10.10

141.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.57 PEN 5.39

9.55%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$29.2K PEN 100.3K

-12.71%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$28.88 PEN 99.2

153.01%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$14.39 PEN 49.41

13.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$44.08 PEN 151

-37.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$29.16 PEN 100

9.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$4.47 PEN 15.35

57.72%

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

$182 PEN 627

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$37.01 PEN 127

45.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$33.94 PEN 117

1.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$54.6 PEN 187

51.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$73.3 PEN 252

6.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$214 PEN 736

236.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$194 PEN 666

77.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$539 PEN 1,850

126.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$421 PEN 1,446

54.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$3,183 PEN 10.9K

-24.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$1,825 PEN 6,269

-25.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$420 PEN 1,442

54.30%

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 Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cusco: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Cusco

$194 28% 43.5% $150

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Cusco

$187 27% 17.3% $39

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Cusco

$84 12.1% 32.6% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Cusco

$87 12.6% 25.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Cusco

$89 12.9% 20.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Cusco

$38 5.5% 17.2% $7.9

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Cusco

$12 * 1.8% 71.4% $31

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 $721 in Lima and $214 in Cusco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 54% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $20.00 in Cusco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $187 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇵🇪 Cusco

🕒 Local time

05:00 5:00 AM

Same time as Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

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

Lima Cusco 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
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

Lima vs Cusco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cusco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 46% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 54% higher in Lima, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Lima versus $214 in Cusco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cusco – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $35.00 in Lima. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $692 in Cusco versus $1,012 in Lima, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cusco but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Cusco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cusco is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lima, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Cusco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.