Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Piura and Cusco

For one person, living costs are similar in Piura and in Cusco: $701 and $690 a month, rent and utilities included.

34

Cost of Living Index in Piura
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Piura Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
Learn more

Cusco Living Index

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Piura

🇵🇪 Peru

$701

/mo nomad

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$690

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $701 in Piura versus $690 in Cusco.

Piura $701
Cusco $690

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,199 in Piura versus $1,105 in Cusco.

Piura $1,199
Cusco $1,105

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,696 in Piura versus $1,519 in Cusco.

Piura $1,696
Cusco $1,519

Living in Piura is roughly 2% more expensive than in Cusco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Piura 48% lower, Cusco 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.60 PEN 12.42

$2.01 PEN 6.94

79.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.96 PEN 82.6

$20.14 PEN 69.4

18.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.27 PEN 25.05

$6.38 PEN 21.98

13.95%

Cappuccino

$3.30 PEN 11.38

$2.17 PEN 7.47

52.07%

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

$1.05 PEN 3.62

$0.74 PEN 2.54

41.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 PEN 2.62

$0.33 PEN 1.12

130.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 PEN 8.11

$1.79 PEN 6.17

31.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 PEN 10.08

$4.29 PEN 14.79

-31.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 PEN 4.87

$1.29 PEN 4.46

9.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 PEN 8.80

$2.33 PEN 8.02

9.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 PEN 5.46

$1.28 PEN 4.40

23.44%

Eggs

$2.80 PEN 9.66

$3.51 PEN 12.10

-20.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.37 PEN 35.74

$4.91 PEN 16.92

111.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 PEN 28.66

$4.39 PEN 15.12

89.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 PEN 35.82

$7.41 PEN 25.55

40.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 PEN 4.87

$2.67 PEN 9.22

-47.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 PEN 4.58

$0.77 PEN 2.65

72.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.10

$1.47 PEN 5.06

0.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$0.91 PEN 3.12

48.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 PEN 4.24

$1.00 PEN 3.44

23.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 PEN 2.47

$1.06 PEN 3.65

-32.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.08

$0.53 PEN 1.83

67.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PEN 4.58

$0.74 PEN 2.55

79.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.92 PEN 27.29

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 PEN 38.37

$5.68 PEN 19.57

95.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 PEN 6.24

$1.86 PEN 6.43

-2.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 PEN 9.74

$4.17 PEN 14.37

-32.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 PEN 2.28

$0.28 PEN 0.95

135.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.22 PEN 69.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 PEN 10.20

$1.76 PEN 6.05

68.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 PEN 7.95

$1.92 PEN 6.61

20.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.21 PEN 24.86

$2.88 PEN 9.91

150.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 PEN 4.91

$1.56 PEN 5.37

-8.97%

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

$22.0K PEN 75.9K

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

$23.4K PEN 80.5K

$28.5K PEN 98.1K

-17.89%

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

$40.54 PEN 140

$29.26 PEN 101

38.55%

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

$8.57 PEN 29.53

$14.44 PEN 49.79

-40.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.40 PEN 150

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.76 PEN 99.1

$29.55 PEN 102

-2.67%

Cinema Ticket

$2.33 PEN 8.04

$4.43 PEN 15.28

-47.40%

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

$199 PEN 686

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,280 PEN 7,861

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.70 PEN 147

$37.57 PEN 130

13.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.94 PEN 44.60

$33.55 PEN 116

-61.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.2 PEN 201

$53.9 PEN 186

7.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.9 PEN 255

$73.3 PEN 253

0.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$229 PEN 790

$218 PEN 753

4.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$131 PEN 453

$192 PEN 663

-31.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 PEN 1,367

$535 PEN 1,844

-25.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 PEN 1,378

$426 PEN 1,468

-6.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,803 PEN 13.1K

$3,237 PEN 11.2K

17.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 PEN 6,488

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$538 PEN 1,856

$430 PEN 1,482

25.19%

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

Last update for Piura: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cusco: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Piura

$250 35.7%

Cusco

$188 27.2% 25% $63

Accommodation & Living

Piura

$131 18.7%

Cusco

$192 27.9% 46.6% $61

Eating Out

Piura

$115 16.4%

Cusco

$83 12% 27.8% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Piura

$84 12.1%

Cusco

$89 12.9% 5.6% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Piura

$49 * 7%

Cusco

$87 12.6% 77.4% $38

Getting Around

Piura

$37 5.3%

Cusco

$12 * 1.8% 66.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Piura

$33 4.8%

Cusco

$38 5.6% 14.9% $5

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 $229 in Piura and $218 in Cusco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Piura pays 25% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $24 in Piura vs $20 in Cusco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $188 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Piura

🇵🇪 Cusco

🕒 Local time

11:51 11:51 AM

Same time as Piura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,495

428,450

💱 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 Cusco 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Piura
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

Piura vs Cusco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cusco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Piura, 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: $229 in Piura versus $218 in Cusco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Piura. 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 $20 versus $24 in Piura. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Cusco gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

It comes down to priorities – Cusco wins on affordability, Piura on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.