Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Arequipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Arequipa: $719 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $53,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

245

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $5,142 per month in New York, NY vs $719 in Arequipa, rent included.

New York, NY $5,142
Arequipa $719

A couple spends around $7,455 per month in New York, NY vs $1,114 in Arequipa, rent included.

New York, NY $7,455
Arequipa $1,114

A family of three spends $9,767 per month in New York, NY vs $1,510 in Arequipa, rent included.

New York, NY $9,767
Arequipa $1,510

New York, NY costs about 616% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 284% above the global median, while Arequipa is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.46 $26.46

$3.41 PEN 11.69

675.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$27.27 PEN 93.5

335.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.43 $14.43

$5.68 PEN 19.46

154.05%

Cappuccino

$6.55 $6.55

$2.47 PEN 8.45

165.18%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$0.82 PEN 2.82

368.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$0.38 PEN 1.31

689.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.27 $8.27

$2.07 PEN 7.10

299.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 $10.05

$4.40 PEN 15.08

128.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.33 PEN 4.57

-1.50%

White Bread (500g)

$4.90 $4.90

$1.36 PEN 4.68

260.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.16 $7.16

$1.52 PEN 5.20

371.05%

Eggs

$5.92 $5.92

$2.25 PEN 7.73

163.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 $19.06

$6.39 PEN 21.89

198.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$4.37 PEN 14.98

297.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 $18.94

$7.48 PEN 25.65

153.21%

Apples (1kg)

$6.96 $6.96

$1.77 PEN 6.07

293.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.22 PEN 4.19

70.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$1.13 PEN 3.89

439.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$1.03 PEN 3.52

574.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$0.64 PEN 2.19

521.88%

Onion (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$0.67 PEN 2.30

562.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 $2.81

$0.54 PEN 1.86

420.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$0.76 PEN 2.60

230.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.27 $19.27

$5.18 PEN 17.76

272.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.67 $19.67

$5.04 PEN 17.26

290.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.72 PEN 9.34

13.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.20 PEN 7.55

67.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.28 PEN 0.95

978.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.01 PEN 6.88

52.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.97 PEN 6.76

8.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$13.00 PEN 44.55

217.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.53 PEN 5.26

-27.45%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$19.2K PEN 65.7K

82.53%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$25.0K PEN 85.8K

1.43%

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

$217 $217

$24.05 PEN 82.5

804.32%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$10.15 PEN 34.80

629.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$23.01 PEN 78.9

214.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$25.05 PEN 85.9

380.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.9 $66.9

$8.13 PEN 27.88

722.76%

Cinema Ticket

$22.32 $22.32

$7.41 PEN 25.39

201.21%

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

$3,425 $3,425

$74.8 PEN 256

4481.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.2K $61.2K

$6,596 PEN 22.6K

827.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 $76.3

$48.85 PEN 167

56.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 $55.5

$26.46 PEN 90.7

109.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$68.0 PEN 233

75.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$57.3 PEN 196

127.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,506 $4,506

$354 PEN 1,213

1173.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,155 $3,155

$236 PEN 809

1237.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,817 $8,817

$714 PEN 2,449

1134.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,532 $5,532

$418 PEN 1,431

1224.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

$1,991 PEN 6,824

873.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,754 $6,754

$974 PEN 3,340

593.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,290 $5,290

$617 PEN 2,115

757.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

-54.53%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 3, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2%

Arequipa

$236 33.3% 92.5% $2.9K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$546 11%

Arequipa

$174 24.6% 68.1% $372

Eating Out

New York, NY

$422 8.5%

Arequipa

$98 13.8% 76.8% $324

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.3%

Arequipa

$57 8.1% 84.3% $307

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.4%

Arequipa

$90 12.7% 47.4% $81

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.8% 92.2% $152

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Arequipa

$40 5.6% 75.8% $125

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,506 in New York, NY versus $354 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 757% higher in New York, NY, 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 $119 in New York, NY versus $27.00 in Arequipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $546 vs $174 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

10:26 10:26 AM

09:26 9:26 AM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

17,062

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

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New York, NY Arequipa 6,350 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
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

New York, NY vs Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 616% 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 $7,714 per month in New York, NY and $1,078 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 $119 in New York, NY 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 214% more in New York, NY, 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 $719, than in New York, NY at $5,142. In Arequipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arequipa costs $719 versus $5,142 in New York, NY. 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, New York, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.