Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Trujillo and Arequipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Arequipa: $696 a month against $865 in Trujillo, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Trujillo
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Trujillo Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

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Trujillo

🇵🇪 Peru

$865

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $865 per month in Trujillo vs $696 in Arequipa, rent included.

Trujillo $865
Arequipa $696

A couple spends around $1,332 per month in Trujillo vs $1,094 in Arequipa, rent included.

Trujillo $1,332
Arequipa $1,094

A family of three spends $1,799 per month in Trujillo vs $1,492 in Arequipa, rent included.

Trujillo $1,799
Arequipa $1,492

Trujillo costs about 24% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Trujillo and Arequipa are more affordable than the global median – Trujillo 36% lower, Arequipa 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.42 PEN 11.78

$3.39 PEN 11.69

0.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.82 PEN 78.6

$25.99 PEN 89.6

-12.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.05 PEN 24.29

$5.73 PEN 19.74

23.04%

Cappuccino

$3.36 PEN 11.58

$2.50 PEN 8.62

34.40%

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

$0.95 PEN 3.28

$0.82 PEN 2.81

15.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.23

$0.38 PEN 1.33

71.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 PEN 6.89

$2.04 PEN 7.05

-1.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 PEN 11.97

$2.90 PEN 10.00

19.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 PEN 4.70

$1.27 PEN 4.36

7.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 PEN 6.83

$1.41 PEN 4.84

40.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 PEN 4.05

$1.51 PEN 5.20

-21.85%

Eggs

$4.09 PEN 14.10

$2.34 PEN 8.06

74.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.75 PEN 26.71

$6.26 PEN 21.58

23.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.60 PEN 22.75

$4.40 PEN 15.17

50.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 PEN 31.91

$7.17 PEN 24.70

29.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 PEN 5.73

$1.71 PEN 5.91

-2.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.61 PEN 2.10

$1.24 PEN 4.26

-50.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.59 PEN 2.05

$1.14 PEN 3.91

-48.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.94

$1.00 PEN 3.43

-15.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.17

$0.62 PEN 2.15

48.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 PEN 4.07

$0.67 PEN 2.30

76.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 PEN 4.18

$0.51 PEN 1.77

137.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 PEN 3.89

$0.76 PEN 2.62

48.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.34 PEN 14.97

$5.14 PEN 17.71

-15.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.81 PEN 20.01

$4.95 PEN 17.07

17.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 PEN 6.10

$2.66 PEN 9.17

-33.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 PEN 5.32

$2.23 PEN 7.70

-30.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 PEN 2.05

$0.28 PEN 0.96

114.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.98 PEN 58.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 PEN 8.51

$1.97 PEN 6.78

25.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 PEN 7.30

$2.05 PEN 7.07

3.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 PEN 19.43

$12.72 PEN 43.84

-55.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 PEN 5.60

$1.58 PEN 5.46

2.53%

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

$17.2K PEN 59.3K

$19.0K PEN 65.3K

-9.31%

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

$27.1K PEN 93.5K

$25.3K PEN 87.3K

7.11%

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

$96.7 PEN 333

$23.50 PEN 81.0

311.28%

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

$13.12 PEN 45.22

$10.28 PEN 35.43

27.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.57 PEN 91.6

$22.79 PEN 78.6

16.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.73 PEN 133

$24.35 PEN 83.9

59.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.90 PEN 20.35

$7.77 PEN 26.77

-24.07%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 PEN 15.22

$7.03 PEN 24.23

-37.13%

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

$108 PEN 374

$73.9 PEN 255

46.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,074 PEN 7,147

$6,686 PEN 23.0K

-68.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 PEN 244

$47.91 PEN 165

47.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.28 PEN 49.22

$25.78 PEN 88.9

-44.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.39 PEN 156

$65.6 PEN 226

-30.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.88 PEN 151

$58.3 PEN 201

-24.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$376 PEN 1,297

$348 PEN 1,200

8.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 PEN 876

$231 PEN 797

9.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$747 PEN 2,575

$719 PEN 2,476

3.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 PEN 1,742

$411 PEN 1,416

23.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,143 PEN 3,938

$1,915 PEN 6,599

-40.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$973 PEN 3,353

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$548 PEN 1,890

$605 PEN 2,085

-9.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.7

-22.00%

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

Last update for Trujillo: November 3, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Trujillo

$254 29.4%

Arequipa

$231 33.3% 9% $23

Groceries & Markets

Trujillo

$204 23.6%

Arequipa

$172 24.7% 15.8% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Trujillo

$136 15.8%

Arequipa

$57 8.1% 58.5% $80

Eating Out

Trujillo

$112 13%

Arequipa

$95 13.7% 15.1% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Trujillo

$78 9.1%

Arequipa

$89 12.8% 13.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Trujillo

$48 5.5%

Arequipa

$38 5.5% 19.2% $9.2

Getting Around

Trujillo

$32 3.8%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9% 58.9% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $376 in Trujillo 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 10% higher in Arequipa, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Trujillo versus $26 in Arequipa. Groceries tell a different story – $204 in Trujillo vs $172 in Arequipa – so Arequipa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Trujillo

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

16:20 4:20 PM

Same time as Trujillo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

314,939

17,062

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Trujillo Arequipa 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Trujillo
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

Trujillo vs Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Trujillo costs about 24% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,298 per month in Trujillo and $1,044 in Arequipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $376 in Trujillo and $348 in Arequipa. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Trujillo and $26 in Arequipa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Trujillo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Arequipa, where all-in costs run around $696, than in Trujillo at $865. In Arequipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Trujillo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Arequipa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.