Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pisco and Arequipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Pisco: $659 a month against $696 in Arequipa, rent and utilities included – about $440 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Arequipa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

32

Cost of Living Index in Pisco
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Pisco Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

Jump to prices

Pisco

🇵🇪 Peru

$659

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $659 per month in Pisco vs $696 in Arequipa, rent included.

Pisco $659
Arequipa $696

A couple spends around $1,022 per month in Pisco vs $1,094 in Arequipa, rent included.

Pisco $1,022
Arequipa $1,094

A family of three spends $1,385 per month in Pisco vs $1,492 in Arequipa, rent included.

Pisco $1,385
Arequipa $1,492

Pisco is about 5% cheaper than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Pisco and Arequipa are more affordable than the global median – Pisco 51% lower, Arequipa 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.24 PEN 14.67

$3.39 PEN 11.73

25.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.46 PEN 123

$25.99 PEN 89.9

36.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.81 PEN 23.57

$5.73 PEN 19.81

18.85%

Cappuccino

$3.28 PEN 11.33

$2.50 PEN 8.65

31.20%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.88

$0.82 PEN 2.82

36.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 PEN 2.29

$0.38 PEN 1.33

73.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 PEN 8.78

$2.04 PEN 7.07

24.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 PEN 15.00

$2.90 PEN 10.04

49.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.64

$1.27 PEN 4.38

28.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 PEN 7.84

$1.41 PEN 4.86

60.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PEN 4.32

$1.51 PEN 5.22

-17.22%

Eggs

$1.35 PEN 4.66

$2.34 PEN 8.08

-42.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.56 PEN 22.68

$6.26 PEN 21.66

4.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.67 PEN 16.16

$4.40 PEN 15.23

6.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.48 PEN 22.41

$7.17 PEN 24.79

-9.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.33 PEN 4.59

$1.71 PEN 5.93

-22.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 PEN 3.60

$1.24 PEN 4.27

-16.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 PEN 4.79

$1.14 PEN 3.93

21.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 PEN 1.91

$1.00 PEN 3.44

-45.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 PEN 1.47

$0.62 PEN 2.16

-32.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.18

$0.67 PEN 2.31

37.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 PEN 2.88

$0.51 PEN 1.78

62.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.76 PEN 2.63

18.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.73 PEN 19.81

$5.14 PEN 17.78

11.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.34 PEN 32.30

$4.95 PEN 17.13

88.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 PEN 6.46

$2.66 PEN 9.20

-29.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PEN 8.37

$2.23 PEN 7.73

8.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 PEN 3.08

$0.28 PEN 0.96

217.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.24 PEN 122

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 PEN 12.31

$1.97 PEN 6.81

80.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 PEN 6.97

$2.05 PEN 7.10

-1.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.55 PEN 26.13

$12.72 PEN 44.00

-40.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 PEN 5.89

$1.58 PEN 5.48

7.59%

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

$22.0K PEN 76.2K

$19.0K PEN 65.6K

16.24%

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

$29.1K PEN 100.7K

$25.3K PEN 87.6K

14.97%

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

$43.25 PEN 150

$23.50 PEN 81.3

84.04%

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

$15.95 PEN 55.2

$10.28 PEN 35.56

55.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.65 PEN 40.29

$22.79 PEN 78.8

-48.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.34 PEN 70.4

$24.35 PEN 84.2

-16.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.67 PEN 29.99

$7.77 PEN 26.87

11.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 PEN 24.71

$7.03 PEN 24.32

1.56%

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

$309 PEN 1,068

$73.9 PEN 256

318.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

$6,686 PEN 23.1K

94.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 PEN 182

$47.91 PEN 166

10.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.81 PEN 44.31

$25.78 PEN 89.2

-50.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.75 PEN 162

$65.6 PEN 227

-28.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.49 PEN 119

$58.3 PEN 202

-40.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$160 PEN 553

$348 PEN 1,205

-54.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$130 PEN 450

$231 PEN 800

-43.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 PEN 2,486

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$145 PEN 502

$411 PEN 1,421

-64.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,802 PEN 6,234

$1,915 PEN 6,623

-5.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,318 PEN 4,560

$973 PEN 3,365

35.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$556 PEN 1,924

$605 PEN 2,093

-8.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

-41.47%

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

Last update for Pisco: November 2, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pisco

$183 27.8%

Arequipa

$172 24.7% 6.1% $11

Accommodation & Living

Pisco

$130 19.7%

Arequipa

$231 33.3% 78% $101

Eating Out

Pisco

$122 18.5%

Arequipa

$95 13.7% 22.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pisco

$71 10.8%

Arequipa

$57 8.1% 20.2% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Pisco

$66 10%

Arequipa

$89 12.8% 34.6% $23

Getting Around

Pisco

$52 8%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9% 74.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Pisco

$35 5.3%

Arequipa

$38 5.5% 10.9% $3.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $160 in Pisco versus $348 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 9% higher in Arequipa. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Pisco versus $26 in Arequipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $183 vs $172 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Pisco

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

Same time as Pisco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,917

17,062

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.289 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

1 PEN = 0.289 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pisco Arequipa 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Pisco
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

Pisco vs Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arequipa costs about 6% more than Pisco, 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 $989 per month in Pisco and $1,044 in Arequipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pisco, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $160 there versus $348 in Arequipa.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Pisco and $26 in Arequipa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Arequipa – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $659 in Pisco and $696 in Arequipa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Arequipa has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $659 in Pisco to $696 in Arequipa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Pisco. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arequipa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.