Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pisco and Cusco

For one person, living costs are similar in Pisco and in Cusco: $660 and $689 a month, rent and utilities included.

32

Cost of Living Index in Pisco
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Pisco Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index

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Pisco

🇵🇪 Peru

$660

/mo nomad

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $660 in Pisco versus $689 in Cusco.

Pisco $660
Cusco $689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,023 in Pisco versus $1,094 in Cusco.

Pisco $1,023
Cusco $1,094

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,386 in Pisco versus $1,500 in Cusco.

Pisco $1,386
Cusco $1,500

Living in Pisco costs roughly 4% less than in Cusco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pisco 51% lower, Cusco 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.25 PEN 14.59

$1.98 PEN 6.81

114.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.07 PEN 120

$20.00 PEN 68.7

75.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 PEN 24.37

$6.55 PEN 22.50

8.24%

Cappuccino

$3.19 PEN 10.95

$2.11 PEN 7.25

51.18%

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

$1.07 PEN 3.69

$0.74 PEN 2.54

44.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.23

$0.33 PEN 1.12

96.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 PEN 9.02

$1.72 PEN 5.91

52.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 PEN 15.21

$4.29 PEN 14.74

3.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.66

$1.31 PEN 4.51

25.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 PEN 7.96

$2.23 PEN 7.68

4.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PEN 4.30

$1.34 PEN 4.60

-6.72%

Eggs

$1.30 PEN 4.45

$3.62 PEN 12.44

-64.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.55 PEN 22.50

$4.91 PEN 16.87

33.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.85 PEN 16.66

$4.33 PEN 14.88

12.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.35 PEN 21.81

$7.11 PEN 24.41

-10.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 PEN 4.61

$2.59 PEN 8.89

-48.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 PEN 3.42

$0.79 PEN 2.71

26.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 PEN 4.86

$1.48 PEN 5.08

-4.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PEN 1.91

$0.84 PEN 2.89

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.45 PEN 1.55

$1.01 PEN 3.47

-55.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.07 PEN 3.69

-15.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 PEN 3.09

$0.49 PEN 1.67

83.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 PEN 2.95

$0.70 PEN 2.40

22.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 PEN 19.71

Wine (Bottle)

$8.57 PEN 29.43

$5.88 PEN 20.20

45.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 PEN 6.70

$1.85 PEN 6.37

5.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PEN 8.31

$4.29 PEN 14.72

-43.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 PEN 3.06

$0.28 PEN 0.96

217.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.26 PEN 121

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 PEN 13.40

$1.79 PEN 6.14

117.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 PEN 7.04

$1.84 PEN 6.33

11.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.15 PEN 24.56

$2.95 PEN 10.13

142.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 PEN 5.72

$1.58 PEN 5.43

5.70%

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

$21.7K PEN 74.7K

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

$26.1K PEN 89.5K

$28.4K PEN 97.5K

-8.22%

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

$42.69 PEN 147

$29.41 PEN 101

45.15%

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

$16.08 PEN 55.2

$14.67 PEN 50.4

9.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.50 PEN 39.51

$43.42 PEN 149

-73.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.40 PEN 70.1

$29.36 PEN 101

-30.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.49 PEN 29.15

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 PEN 25.05

$4.32 PEN 14.85

68.75%

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

$178 PEN 611

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 PEN 181

$38.40 PEN 132

37.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.11 PEN 45.03

$33.99 PEN 117

-61.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.22 PEN 159

$53.9 PEN 185

-14.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.60 PEN 119

$71.7 PEN 246

-51.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$161 PEN 553

$220 PEN 754

-26.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$130 PEN 448

$194 PEN 665

-32.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 PEN 1,815

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 PEN 504

$414 PEN 1,421

-64.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,788 PEN 6,141

$3,191 PEN 11.0K

-43.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,352 PEN 4,642

$1,854 PEN 6,368

-27.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$557 PEN 1,911

$431 PEN 1,479

29.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

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

Last update for Pisco: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cusco: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pisco

$183 27.7%

Cusco

$186 27% 1.8% $3.2

Accommodation & Living

Pisco

$130 19.8%

Cusco

$194 28.1% 48.6% $63

Eating Out

Pisco

$122 18.6%

Cusco

$82 12% 32.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pisco

$70 10.7%

Cusco

$88 12.7% 24.5% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Pisco

$66 10%

Cusco

$89 12.9% 34.9% $23

Getting Around

Pisco

$53 8%

Cusco

$12 * 1.8% 77.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Pisco

$35 5.3%

Cusco

$38 5.5% 8.6% $3

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 $161 in Pisco and $220 in Cusco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pisco pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Pisco vs $20.00 in Cusco. Groceries flip the comparison at $183 vs $186, with Pisco cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Pisco

🇵🇪 Cusco

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

Same time as Pisco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,917

428,450

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pisco Cusco 460 km

From you

Pisco
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

Pisco vs Cusco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pisco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Pisco, 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: $161 in Pisco versus $220 in Cusco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Cusco. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Pisco – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $20.00 in Cusco. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Pisco gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Pisco is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cusco, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Pisco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Cusco. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.