Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Piura and Arequipa

For one person, living costs are similar in Piura and in Arequipa: $701 and $705 a month, rent and utilities included.

34

Cost of Living Index in Piura
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Piura Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

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Piura

🇵🇪 Peru

$701

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$705

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $701 per month in Piura vs $705 in Arequipa, rent included.

Piura $701
Arequipa $705

A couple spends around $1,199 per month in Piura vs $1,112 in Arequipa, rent included.

Piura $1,199
Arequipa $1,112

A family of three spends $1,696 per month in Piura vs $1,519 in Arequipa, rent included.

Piura $1,696
Arequipa $1,519

Piura is about 1% cheaper than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Piura and Arequipa are more affordable than the global median – Piura 48% lower, Arequipa 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.60 PEN 12.42

$3.51 PEN 12.11

2.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.96 PEN 82.6

$28.00 PEN 96.5

-14.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.27 PEN 25.05

$5.90 PEN 20.36

23.22%

Cappuccino

$3.30 PEN 11.38

$2.55 PEN 8.78

29.41%

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

$1.05 PEN 3.62

$0.82 PEN 2.84

28.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 PEN 2.62

$0.36 PEN 1.23

111.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 PEN 8.11

$2.06 PEN 7.11

14.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 PEN 10.08

$4.32 PEN 14.89

-32.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 PEN 4.87

$1.28 PEN 4.40

10.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 PEN 8.80

$1.42 PEN 4.88

79.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 PEN 5.46

$1.53 PEN 5.28

3.27%

Eggs

$2.80 PEN 9.66

$2.35 PEN 8.10

19.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.37 PEN 35.74

$6.23 PEN 21.49

66.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 PEN 28.66

$4.39 PEN 15.13

89.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 PEN 35.82

$7.24 PEN 24.95

43.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 PEN 4.87

$1.77 PEN 6.09

-20.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 PEN 4.58

$1.23 PEN 4.24

8.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.10

$1.13 PEN 3.91

30.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$0.99 PEN 3.41

36.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 PEN 4.24

$0.66 PEN 2.28

86.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 PEN 2.47

$0.69 PEN 2.37

4.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.08

$0.51 PEN 1.76

74.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PEN 4.58

$0.79 PEN 2.73

68.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.92 PEN 27.29

$5.14 PEN 17.70

54.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 PEN 38.37

$5.01 PEN 17.25

122.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 PEN 6.24

$2.78 PEN 9.58

-34.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 PEN 9.74

$2.28 PEN 7.86

23.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 PEN 2.28

$0.30 PEN 1.05

120.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.22 PEN 69.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 PEN 10.20

$2.09 PEN 7.20

41.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 PEN 7.95

$1.99 PEN 6.86

16.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.21 PEN 24.86

$12.92 PEN 44.55

-44.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 PEN 4.91

$1.53 PEN 5.29

-7.19%

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

$22.0K PEN 75.9K

$18.9K PEN 65.1K

16.72%

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

$23.4K PEN 80.5K

$25.1K PEN 86.6K

-6.97%

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

$40.54 PEN 140

$23.75 PEN 81.9

70.69%

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

$8.57 PEN 29.53

$10.23 PEN 35.26

-16.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.57 PEN 81.2

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.76 PEN 99.1

$24.69 PEN 85.1

16.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.82 PEN 26.96

Cinema Ticket

$2.33 PEN 8.04

$7.09 PEN 24.46

-67.14%

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

$199 PEN 686

$75.3 PEN 259

164.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,280 PEN 7,861

$6,659 PEN 23.0K

-65.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.70 PEN 147

$49.26 PEN 170

-13.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.94 PEN 44.60

$26.33 PEN 90.8

-50.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.2 PEN 201

$66.2 PEN 228

-12.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.9 PEN 255

$56.9 PEN 196

29.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$229 PEN 790

$356 PEN 1,229

-35.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$131 PEN 453

$232 PEN 801

-43.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 PEN 1,367

$708 PEN 2,441

-44.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 PEN 1,378

$412 PEN 1,420

-2.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,803 PEN 13.1K

$1,990 PEN 6,859

91.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$974 PEN 3,357

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$538 PEN 1,856

$604 PEN 2,083

-10.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Piura: October 25, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Piura

$250 35.7%

Arequipa

$174 24.7% 30.5% $76

Accommodation & Living

Piura

$131 18.7%

Arequipa

$232 32.9% 76.9% $101

Eating Out

Piura

$115 16.4%

Arequipa

$100 14.2% 13.1% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Piura

$84 12.1%

Arequipa

$89 12.7% 5.8% $4.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Piura

$49 * 7%

Arequipa

$58 8.2% 17.2% $8.4

Getting Around

Piura

$37 5.3%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9% 64.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Piura

$33 4.8%

Arequipa

$39 5.5% 16.3% $5.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $229 in Piura versus $356 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 12% higher in Arequipa. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Piura versus $28 in Arequipa. Groceries tell a different story – $250 in Piura vs $174 in Arequipa – so Arequipa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Piura

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

12:46 12:46 PM

Same time as Piura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,495

17,062

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.261 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.261 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Piura Arequipa 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Piura
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

Piura vs Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arequipa costs about 1% more than Piura, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,052 per month in Piura and $1,058 in Arequipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Piura, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $229 there versus $356 in Arequipa.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Piura and $28 in Arequipa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 31% cheaper in Arequipa – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $701 in Piura and $705 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 $701 in Piura to $705 in Arequipa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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