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

😐 Solo nomad: Mexico City is 71.2% more expensive than Arequipa without rent, and 131.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Mexico City is 87.2% more expensive than Arequipa without rent, and 111.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Arequipa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.29 MX$230
$4.26 PEN 14.63
211.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.8 MX$929
$28.24 PEN 96.9
90.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.29 MX$161
$5.70 PEN 19.56
62.98%
Cappuccino
$3.61 MX$62.4
$2.49 PEN 8.55
44.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 MX$26.92
$0.81 PEN 2.78
92.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 MX$19.38
$0.37 PEN 1.26
202.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.13 MX$54.0
$2.21 PEN 7.57
41.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.71 MX$81.4
$5.94 PEN 20.37
-20.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Arequipa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 MX$29.42
$1.53 PEN 5.26
11.11%
White Bread (500g)
$2.77 MX$47.84
$1.22 PEN 4.19
127.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 MX$33.91
$1.26 PEN 4.33
55.56%
Eggs
$2.60 MX$45.03
$2.16 PEN 7.42
20.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.94 MX$172
$5.58 PEN 19.14
78.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.10 MX$140
$5.29 PEN 18.13
53.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.50 MX$199
$7.57 PEN 25.96
51.92%
Apples (1kg)
$2.87 MX$49.64
$1.45 PEN 4.98
97.93%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 MX$29.95
$1.17 PEN 4.01
47.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.00 MX$34.59
$1.18 PEN 4.04
69.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$35.24
$0.75 PEN 2.59
172.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.08 MX$36.00
$0.59 PEN 2.01
252.54%
Onion (1kg)
$2.20 MX$37.96
$0.54 PEN 1.85
307.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 MX$25.13
$0.44 PEN 1.50
229.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.56
$0.73 PEN 2.50
46.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$73.9
$4.94 PEN 16.95
-13.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.32 MX$248
$5.06 PEN 17.35
183.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 MX$30.50
$2.42 PEN 8.29
-27.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.70 MX$63.9
$2.31 PEN 7.94
60.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Arequipa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 MX$6.10
$0.27 PEN 0.91
29.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.19 MX$332
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.34 MX$23.09
$2.12 PEN 7.28
-36.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.28 MX$4.81
$2.12 PEN 7.28
-86.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.33 MX$92.2
$12.88 PEN 44.18
-58.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 MX$23.18
$1.55 PEN 5.31
-13.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.1K MX$330.6K
$18.9K PEN 64.9K
1.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$412.9K
$25.1K PEN 86.1K
-4.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Arequipa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.86 MX$689
$40.21 PEN 138
-0.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.78 MX$463
$10.71 PEN 36.75
150.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.36 MX$508
$30.34 PEN 104
-3.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Arequipa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.4 MX$924
$21.65 PEN 74.3
146.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.09 MX$451
$8.56 PEN 29.37
204.79%
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$111
$4.52 PEN 15.52
41.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Arequipa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$440 MX$7,616
$60.6 PEN 208
626.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.8K MX$185.9K
$6,415 PEN 22.0K
67.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Arequipa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.6 MX$996
$36.93 PEN 127
56.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.02 MX$778
$22.20 PEN 76.1
102.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 MX$1,794
$63.7 PEN 219
62.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 MX$1,866
$54.7 PEN 188
97.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Arequipa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,013 MX$17.5K
$237 PEN 812
327.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$630 MX$10.9K
$156 PEN 536
303.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,162 MX$37.4K
$542 PEN 1,859
298.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,222 MX$21.1K
$391 PEN 1,342
212.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,793 MX$65.6K
$2,004 PEN 6,874
89.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,332 MX$40.3K
$997 PEN 3,420
133.88%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Arequipa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,075 MX$18.6K
$649 PEN 2,226
65.64%
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: April 11, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: April 12, 2026

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

Mexico City vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities