Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Teresopolis and Arequipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Teresopolis: $661 a month against $709 in Arequipa, rent and utilities included – about $580 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Arequipa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

32

Cost of Living Index in Teresopolis
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Teresopolis Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

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Teresopolis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$661

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $661 per month in Teresopolis vs $709 in Arequipa, rent included.

Teresopolis $661
Arequipa $709

A couple spends around $1,120 per month in Teresopolis vs $1,117 in Arequipa, rent included.

Teresopolis $1,120
Arequipa $1,117

A family of three spends $1,580 per month in Teresopolis vs $1,524 in Arequipa, rent included.

Teresopolis $1,580
Arequipa $1,524

Teresopolis is about 7% cheaper than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Teresopolis and Arequipa are more affordable than the global median – Teresopolis 51% lower, Arequipa 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.55 R$17.99

$3.46 PEN 11.87

2.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.21 R$143

$27.89 PEN 95.8

1.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 R$35.23

$5.93 PEN 20.37

17.20%

Cappuccino

$1.76 R$8.95

$2.42 PEN 8.31

-27.27%

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

$1.41 R$7.14

$0.81 PEN 2.78

74.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 R$3.13

$0.39 PEN 1.33

58.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.09 PEN 7.16

-41.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 R$25.45

$4.27 PEN 14.68

17.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.04

$1.34 PEN 4.61

-26.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 R$7.64

$1.36 PEN 4.66

11.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.93

$1.45 PEN 4.99

-5.52%

Eggs

$2.01 R$10.19

$2.29 PEN 7.85

-12.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.11 R$46.19

$6.25 PEN 21.47

45.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 R$17.49

$4.59 PEN 15.75

-24.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.16 R$41.36

$7.33 PEN 25.16

11.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R$9.47

$1.76 PEN 6.03

6.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.09

$1.18 PEN 4.05

1.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 R$4.90

$1.13 PEN 3.88

-14.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.38

$0.99 PEN 3.41

27.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 R$3.55

$0.67 PEN 2.29

4.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 R$4.14

$0.67 PEN 2.31

22.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 R$2.85

$0.56 PEN 1.91

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 R$4.06

$0.76 PEN 2.60

5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.60 R$8.12

$5.13 PEN 17.62

-68.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 R$30.55

$5.18 PEN 17.80

16.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 R$7.10

$2.67 PEN 9.17

-47.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 R$7.21

$2.30 PEN 7.90

-38.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R$4.65

$0.28 PEN 0.95

228.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.82 R$182

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 R$5.23

$2.02 PEN 6.92

-49.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 R$5.27

$2.01 PEN 6.92

-48.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 R$12.30

$13.01 PEN 44.68

-81.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.54 PEN 5.28

-16.88%

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

$20.9K R$105.9K

$18.9K PEN 65.0K

10.36%

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

$30.9K R$156.5K

$25.1K PEN 86.3K

22.81%

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

$29.33 R$149

$23.36 PEN 80.2

25.56%

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

$23.98 R$122

$10.26 PEN 35.24

133.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.63 R$94.5

$23.44 PEN 80.5

-20.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.64 R$150

$25.08 PEN 86.1

18.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.16 R$102

$8.00 PEN 27.47

152.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 R$34.26

$7.35 PEN 25.24

-8.03%

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

$145 R$737

$75.3 PEN 258

93.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,629 R$13.3K

$6,598 PEN 22.7K

-60.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.55 R$130

$47.74 PEN 164

-46.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.07 R$137

$26.42 PEN 90.7

2.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 R$342

$67.6 PEN 232

-0.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.75 R$242

$57.5 PEN 198

-16.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 R$1,824

$347 PEN 1,192

3.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 R$800

$237 PEN 813

-33.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 R$2,701

$719 PEN 2,471

-25.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R$2,017

$419 PEN 1,439

-5.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,181 R$5,988

$1,963 PEN 6,740

-39.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$989 PEN 3,397

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$489 R$2,478

$619 PEN 2,125

-20.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

-28.87%

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

Last update for Teresopolis: October 18, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Teresopolis

$172 26%

Arequipa

$174 24.5% 1.2% $2.1

Accommodation & Living

Teresopolis

$158 23.9%

Arequipa

$237 33.4% 50% $79

Eating Out

Teresopolis

$95 14.3%

Arequipa

$98 13.9% 3.8% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Teresopolis

$76 11.4%

Arequipa

$90 12.7% 18.8% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Teresopolis

$72 10.9%

Arequipa

$57 8.1% 20.7% $15

Getting Around

Teresopolis

$46 6.9%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9% 71.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Teresopolis

$43 6.5%

Arequipa

$40 5.6% 7.9% $3.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $360 in Teresopolis versus $347 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 27% higher in Arequipa, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Teresopolis versus $28.00 in Arequipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $172 vs $174 – making Teresopolis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Teresopolis

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

08:36 8:36 AM

06:36 6:36 AM

2 h behind Teresopolis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,123

17,062

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Teresopolis Arequipa 3,060 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Teresopolis
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

Teresopolis vs Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arequipa costs about 7% more than Teresopolis, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $991 per month in Teresopolis and $1,063 in Arequipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Teresopolis, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Teresopolis and $28.00 in Arequipa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Arequipa, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $661 in Teresopolis and $709 in Arequipa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Teresopolis costs $661 versus $709 in Arequipa. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Teresopolis. 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.