Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Arequipa Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Arequipa

😐 Solo nomad: Mexico City is 102.9% more expensive than Arequipa without rent, and 130.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Mexico City is 109.1% more expensive than Arequipa without rent, and 112.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Arequipa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.12 MX$231
$4.15 PEN 14.14
216.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.8 MX$946
$28.05 PEN 95.7
91.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.40 MX$165
$5.45 PEN 18.58
72.48%
Cappuccino
$3.56 MX$62.7
$2.52 PEN 8.60
41.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 MX$28.20
$0.76 PEN 2.60
110.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.15 MX$20.31
$0.40 PEN 1.35
187.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.16 MX$55.5
$2.25 PEN 7.68
40.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.85 MX$85.2
$6.04 PEN 20.59
-19.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Arequipa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.63 MX$28.74
$1.52 PEN 5.20
7.24%
White Bread (500g)
$2.73 MX$48.09
$1.28 PEN 4.37
113.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.04
$1.27 PEN 4.32
48.03%
Eggs
$2.63 MX$46.29
$2.08 PEN 7.11
26.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.89 MX$174
$5.44 PEN 18.55
81.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.40 MX$148
$5.24 PEN 17.88
60.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.63 MX$205
$7.50 PEN 25.57
55.07%
Apples (1kg)
$2.97 MX$52.3
$1.49 PEN 5.09
99.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.78 MX$31.39
$1.18 PEN 4.03
50.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.06 MX$36.16
$1.22 PEN 4.14
68.85%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 MX$34.74
$0.82 PEN 2.80
140.24%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 MX$36.69
$0.58 PEN 1.98
260.34%
Onion (1kg)
$2.26 MX$39.74
$0.55 PEN 1.86
310.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 MX$25.65
$0.44 PEN 1.51
231.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$19.17
$0.73 PEN 2.47
49.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.34 MX$76.3
$4.87 PEN 16.59
-10.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.62 MX$240
$5.18 PEN 17.66
162.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$29.44
$2.48 PEN 8.47
-32.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.54 MX$62.3
$2.22 PEN 7.58
59.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Arequipa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.36 MX$6.33
$0.27 PEN 0.91
33.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.96 MX$333
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.32 MX$23.28
$2.05 PEN 7.01
-35.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.30 MX$5.30
$2.06 PEN 7.01
-85.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.49 MX$96.5
$12.90 PEN 43.99
-57.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 MX$23.51
$1.54 PEN 5.27
-12.99%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.1K MX$336.2K
$18.9K PEN 64.4K
1.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$418.0K
$25.2K PEN 86.0K
-5.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Arequipa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$41.11 MX$723
$39.50 PEN 135
4.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.78 MX$489
$10.48 PEN 35.75
165.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.00 MX$528
$30.17 PEN 103
-0.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Arequipa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.5 MX$942
$21.27 PEN 72.5
151.67%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.13 MX$460
$8.50 PEN 28.98
207.41%
Cinema Ticket
$6.28 MX$111
$4.52 PEN 15.43
38.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Arequipa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$439 MX$7,729
$59.6 PEN 203
637.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K MX$188.9K
$6,330 PEN 21.6K
69.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Arequipa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.1 MX$1,005
$38.11 PEN 130
49.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.30 MX$797
$22.08 PEN 75.3
105.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 MX$1,834
$63.4 PEN 216
64.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 MX$1,904
$55.1 PEN 188
96.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Arequipa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$996 MX$17.5K
$244 PEN 831
308.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$624 MX$11.0K
$160 PEN 547
289.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,106 MX$37.1K
$539 PEN 1,838
290.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,218 MX$21.4K
$390 PEN 1,329
212.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,799 MX$66.8K
$2,038 PEN 6,949
86.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,230 MX$39.2K
$990 PEN 3,376
125.28%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Arequipa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,096 MX$19.3K
$658 PEN 2,243
66.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.34
15
-24.40%

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

Last update for Mexico City: March 1, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities