Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Cusco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $688 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $53,400 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $5,142 in New York, NY versus $688 in Cusco.

New York, NY $5,142
Cusco $688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,455 in New York, NY versus $1,096 in Cusco.

New York, NY $7,455
Cusco $1,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,767 in New York, NY versus $1,505 in Cusco.

New York, NY $9,767
Cusco $1,505

Living in New York, NY is roughly 648% more expensive than in Cusco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: New York, NY is 284% above, Cusco is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.46 $26.46

$1.99 PEN 6.82

1229.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$20.55 PEN 70.4

477.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.43 $14.43

$6.70 PEN 22.96

115.37%

Cappuccino

$6.55 $6.55

$2.11 PEN 7.22

210.43%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$0.78 PEN 2.68

392.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$0.33 PEN 1.13

809.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.27 $8.27

$1.72 PEN 5.90

380.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 $10.05

$4.33 PEN 14.85

132.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.24 PEN 4.26

5.65%

White Bread (500g)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.32 PEN 7.95

111.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.16 $7.16

$1.29 PEN 4.42

455.04%

Eggs

$5.92 $5.92

$3.63 PEN 12.44

63.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 $19.06

$4.69 PEN 16.08

306.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$4.43 PEN 15.19

292.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 $18.94

$7.37 PEN 25.26

156.99%

Apples (1kg)

$6.96 $6.96

$2.55 PEN 8.75

172.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$0.77 PEN 2.62

170.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$1.47 PEN 5.02

314.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$0.85 PEN 2.93

717.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$1.02 PEN 3.51

290.20%

Onion (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$1.10 PEN 3.79

303.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 $2.81

$0.49 PEN 1.66

473.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$0.75 PEN 2.57

234.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.27 $19.27

Wine (Bottle)

$19.67 $19.67

$5.93 PEN 20.34

231.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.85 PEN 6.36

66.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$4.12 PEN 14.11

-10.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.30 PEN 1.04

906.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.72 PEN 5.89

78.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.93 PEN 6.63

10.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$2.82 PEN 9.65

1361.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.57 PEN 5.40

-29.30%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$28.9K PEN 99.2K

-12.23%

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

$217 $217

$29.31 PEN 100

642.03%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$14.31 PEN 49.05

417.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$44.13 PEN 151

64.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$28.51 PEN 97.7

322.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.9 $66.9

Cinema Ticket

$22.32 $22.32

$4.26 PEN 14.59

423.94%

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

$3,425 $3,425

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.2K $61.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 $76.3

$37.39 PEN 128

104.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 $55.5

$33.43 PEN 115

65.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$54.4 PEN 186

119.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$72.2 PEN 248

80.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,506 $4,506

$218 PEN 746

1971.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,155 $3,155

$191 PEN 654

1552.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,817 $8,817

$538 PEN 1,843

1540.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,532 $5,532

$416 PEN 1,426

1229.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

$3,249 PEN 11.1K

496.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,754 $6,754

$1,823 PEN 6,248

270.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,290 $5,290

$433 PEN 1,485

1121.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

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 Cusco: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2%

Cusco

$191 27.8% 94% $3K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$546 11%

Cusco

$187 27.2% 65.8% $359

Eating Out

New York, NY

$422 8.5%

Cusco

$83 12.1% 80.3% $339

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.3%

Cusco

$88 12.8% 75.9% $276

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.4%

Cusco

$89 12.9% 48.3% $83

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Cusco

$13 * 1.8% 92.4% $153

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Cusco

$37 5.4% 77.6% $128

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 $4,506 in New York, NY and $218 in Cusco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 1121% 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: $119 in New York, NY vs $21.00 in Cusco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $546 vs $187 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇵🇪 Cusco

🕒 Local time

08:12 8:12 AM

07:12 7:12 AM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

428,450

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Cusco 6,030 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
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

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

Cusco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 648% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1121% higher in New York, NY, 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: $4,506 in New York, NY versus $218 in Cusco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 193% higher in New York, NY. 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 $21.00 versus $119 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $688 in Cusco versus $5,142 in New York, NY, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cusco but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. 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 New York, NY, 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 648% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.