Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Meknes and Arequipa

For one person, living costs are similar in Meknes and in Arequipa: $683 and $707 a month, rent and utilities included.

33

Cost of Living Index in Meknes
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Meknes Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

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Meknes

🇲🇦 Morocco

$683

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $683 per month in Meknes vs $707 in Arequipa, rent included.

Meknes $683
Arequipa $707

A couple spends around $1,051 per month in Meknes vs $1,115 in Arequipa, rent included.

Meknes $1,051
Arequipa $1,115

A family of three spends $1,419 per month in Meknes vs $1,523 in Arequipa, rent included.

Meknes $1,419
Arequipa $1,523

Meknes is about 4% cheaper than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Meknes and Arequipa are more affordable than the global median – Meknes 49% lower, Arequipa 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.18 MAD 31.03

$3.38 PEN 11.61

-5.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.67 MAD 153

$27.16 PEN 93.3

-42.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.07 MAD 59.2

$5.88 PEN 20.21

3.23%

Cappuccino

$1.21 MAD 11.84

$2.47 PEN 8.49

-51.01%

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

$0.90 MAD 8.77

$0.75 PEN 2.59

20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 MAD 4.32

$0.39 PEN 1.33

12.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MAD 29.86

$2.05 PEN 7.06

49.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 MAD 35.72

$4.24 PEN 14.56

-13.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 MAD 8.11

$1.32 PEN 4.54

-37.12%

White Bread (500g)

$0.39 MAD 3.78

$1.42 PEN 4.88

-72.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 MAD 12.62

$1.53 PEN 5.26

-15.69%

Eggs

$1.85 MAD 18.03

$2.27 PEN 7.81

-18.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.05 MAD 108

$6.33 PEN 21.74

74.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.32 MAD 51.9

$4.42 PEN 15.17

20.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.21 MAD 89.8

$7.48 PEN 25.67

23.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 MAD 11.74

$1.75 PEN 6.02

-31.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MAD 12.91

$1.19 PEN 4.07

10.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.64 MAD 6.26

$1.18 PEN 4.05

-45.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.72 MAD 7.03

$0.99 PEN 3.41

-27.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 MAD 5.25

$0.62 PEN 2.15

-12.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 MAD 5.40

$0.67 PEN 2.31

-17.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 MAD 4.75

$0.54 PEN 1.86

-9.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MAD 5.37

$0.79 PEN 2.70

-30.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MAD 40.42

$5.22 PEN 17.94

-20.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.23 MAD 80.3

$5.12 PEN 17.59

60.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 MAD 23.23

$2.69 PEN 9.25

-11.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 MAD 25.65

$2.31 PEN 7.95

13.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 MAD 3.90

$0.30 PEN 1.04

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.76 MAD 154

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 MAD 6.75

$2.05 PEN 7.04

-66.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 MAD 2.91

$2.04 PEN 7.01

-85.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.50 MAD 43.90

$13.12 PEN 45.07

-65.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MAD 13.87

$1.57 PEN 5.41

-9.55%

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

$31.2K MAD 304.3K

$19.0K PEN 65.2K

64.54%

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

$30.9K MAD 301.3K

$25.1K PEN 86.2K

23.18%

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

$31.22 MAD 304

$23.88 PEN 82.0

30.74%

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

$9.45 MAD 92.2

$10.08 PEN 34.62

-6.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.10 MAD 332

$22.83 PEN 78.4

49.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.52 MAD 278

$24.51 PEN 84.2

16.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.68 MAD 319

$8.14 PEN 27.94

301.47%

Cinema Ticket

$4.20 MAD 40.96

$7.36 PEN 25.27

-42.93%

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

$123 MAD 1,202

$75.1 PEN 258

64.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,616 MAD 54.8K

$6,715 PEN 23.1K

-16.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.7 MAD 591

$49.32 PEN 169

22.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.86 MAD 437

$26.02 PEN 89.4

72.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.3 MAD 909

$67.4 PEN 232

38.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.5 MAD 580

$59.0 PEN 202

0.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 MAD 2,599

$351 PEN 1,206

-24.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 MAD 1,674

$235 PEN 806

-26.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$457 MAD 4,460

$708 PEN 2,432

-35.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 MAD 2,802

$419 PEN 1,439

-31.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$965 MAD 9,406

$1,952 PEN 6,703

-50.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$603 MAD 5,876

$969 PEN 3,328

-37.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$475 MAD 4,632

$608 PEN 2,086

-21.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

-70.00%

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

Last update for Meknes: October 13, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Meknes

$177 26%

Arequipa

$175 24.7% 1.3% $2.4

Accommodation & Living

Meknes

$172 25.2%

Arequipa

$235 33.2% 36.7% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Meknes

$116 17%

Arequipa

$91 12.8% 21.9% $25

Eating Out

Meknes

$86 12.6%

Arequipa

$98 13.8% 13.3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Meknes

$75 11%

Arequipa

$57 8% 24% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Meknes

$37 5.4%

Arequipa

$39 5.6% 6.2% $2.3

Getting Around

Meknes

$20 2.9%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9% 31.1% $6.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Meknes 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 28% higher in Arequipa, 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 $16.00 in Meknes versus $27.00 in Arequipa. Groceries tell a different story – $177 in Meknes vs $175 in Arequipa – so Arequipa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Meknes

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

12:47 12:47 PM

06:47 6:47 AM

6 h behind Meknes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,428

17,062

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇦 Moroccan Dirham (د.م.)

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Meknes Arequipa 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Meknes
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

Meknes vs Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arequipa costs about 4% more than Meknes, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,024 per month in Meknes 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 Meknes, 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 $16.00 in Meknes and $27.00 in Arequipa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Arequipa – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $683 in Meknes and $707 in Arequipa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Meknes costs $683 versus $707 in Arequipa. 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 Meknes. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arequipa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.