Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Arequipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Arequipa: $696 a month against $2,683 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $23,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,683

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,683 per month in Vancouver vs $696 in Arequipa, rent included.

Vancouver $2,683
Arequipa $696

A couple spends around $3,963 per month in Vancouver vs $1,094 in Arequipa, rent included.

Vancouver $3,963
Arequipa $1,094

A family of three spends $5,244 per month in Vancouver vs $1,492 in Arequipa, rent included.

Vancouver $5,244
Arequipa $1,492

Vancouver costs about 286% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Vancouver sits 98% above the global median, while Arequipa is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.10 CA$25.37

$3.39 PEN 11.67

433.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 CA$99.5

$25.99 PEN 89.5

173.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 CA$14.81

$5.73 PEN 19.71

84.47%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.56

$2.50 PEN 8.61

58.80%

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

$2.07 CA$2.90

$0.82 PEN 2.81

152.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 CA$2.59

$0.38 PEN 1.32

386.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 CA$7.95

$2.04 PEN 7.04

177.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.61 CA$9.27

$2.90 PEN 9.99

127.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CA$3.02

$1.27 PEN 4.36

70.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 CA$3.62

$1.41 PEN 4.84

82.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 CA$6.02

$1.51 PEN 5.19

184.77%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.74

$2.34 PEN 8.04

74.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.12 CA$16.98

$6.26 PEN 21.55

93.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 CA$18.62

$4.40 PEN 15.15

201.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.11 CA$28.19

$7.17 PEN 24.67

180.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 CA$5.56

$1.71 PEN 5.90

131.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 CA$2.00

$1.24 PEN 4.25

15.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.20

$1.14 PEN 3.91

225.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.50

$1.00 PEN 3.43

292.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 CA$4.02

$0.62 PEN 2.14

362.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.17

$0.67 PEN 2.30

344.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$0.51 PEN 1.77

411.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.29

$0.76 PEN 2.62

114.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.94 CA$22.35

$5.14 PEN 17.68

210.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$19.97

$4.95 PEN 17.04

187.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.54

$2.66 PEN 9.15

-5.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 CA$4.03

$2.23 PEN 7.69

28.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 CA$3.60

$0.28 PEN 0.96

817.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.4 CA$118

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 CA$3.85

$1.97 PEN 6.77

39.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 CA$2.28

$2.05 PEN 7.06

-20.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.90 CA$44.71

$12.72 PEN 43.77

150.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.58 PEN 5.45

-7.59%

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

$26.7K CA$37.4K

$19.0K PEN 65.2K

40.88%

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

$21.0K CA$29.5K

$25.3K PEN 87.2K

-16.97%

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

$88.2 CA$124

$23.50 PEN 80.9

275.49%

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

$36.72 CA$51.5

$10.28 PEN 35.37

257.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.81 CA$69.8

$22.79 PEN 78.4

118.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.34 CA$63.6

$24.35 PEN 83.8

86.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.13 CA$17.00

$7.77 PEN 26.73

56.11%

Cinema Ticket

$12.55 CA$17.59

$7.03 PEN 24.19

78.52%

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

$1,055 CA$1,479

$73.9 PEN 254

1328.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.5K CA$39.9K

$6,686 PEN 23.0K

326.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$79.1

$47.91 PEN 165

17.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.37 CA$48.18

$25.78 PEN 88.7

33.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$126

$65.6 PEN 226

37.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 CA$132

$58.3 PEN 201

61.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 CA$2,436

$348 PEN 1,199

398.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 CA$2,143

$231 PEN 796

560.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,107 CA$4,355

$719 PEN 2,473

332.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 CA$3,570

$411 PEN 1,414

519.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,540 CA$12.0K

$1,915 PEN 6,589

346.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,328 CA$8,870

$973 PEN 3,348

550.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,770 CA$5,284

$605 PEN 2,082

523.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.24

-71.73%

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

Last update for Vancouver: November 2, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Arequipa

$231 33.3% 84.9% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$398 14.9%

Arequipa

$172 24.7% 56.8% $226

Eating Out

Vancouver

$281 10.5%

Arequipa

$95 13.7% 66.2% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$175 6.5%

Arequipa

$57 8.1% 67.6% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.6%

Arequipa

$89 12.8% 28.1% $35

Getting Around

Vancouver

$106 3.9%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9% 87.4% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$70 2.6%

Arequipa

$38 5.5% 45.5% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,738 in Vancouver 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 in Vancouver are about 6.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Vancouver versus $26 in Arequipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $398 vs $172 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

17:21 5:21 PM

19:21 7:21 PM

2 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

17,062

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Vancouver Arequipa 8,890 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
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

Vancouver vs Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver costs about 286% 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 $4,024 per month in Vancouver and $1,044 in Arequipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arequipa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $348 there versus $1,738 in Vancouver.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Vancouver and $26 in Arequipa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 132% more in Vancouver, 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 Vancouver at $2,683. In Arequipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vancouver 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.

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