Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Cusco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $683 a month against $2,683 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $24,000 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
Learn more

Cusco Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,683

/mo nomad

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,683 in Vancouver versus $683 in Cusco.

Vancouver $2,683
Cusco $683

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,963 in Vancouver versus $1,092 in Cusco.

Vancouver $3,963
Cusco $1,092

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,244 in Vancouver versus $1,502 in Cusco.

Vancouver $5,244
Cusco $1,502

Living in Vancouver is roughly 293% more expensive than in Cusco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Vancouver is 98% above, Cusco is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.10 CA$25.37

$2.07 PEN 7.13

774.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 CA$99.5

$19.81 PEN 68.2

258.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 CA$14.81

$6.34 PEN 21.82

66.72%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.56

$2.14 PEN 7.35

85.51%

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

$2.07 CA$2.90

$0.79 PEN 2.70

162.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 CA$2.59

$0.35 PEN 1.22

428.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 CA$7.95

$1.78 PEN 6.13

218.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.61 CA$9.27

$4.30 PEN 14.81

53.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CA$3.02

$1.27 PEN 4.36

70.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 CA$3.62

$2.29 PEN 7.88

12.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 CA$6.02

$1.32 PEN 4.55

225.76%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.74

$3.67 PEN 12.65

11.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.12 CA$16.98

$4.77 PEN 16.43

154.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 CA$18.62

$4.38 PEN 15.07

203.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.11 CA$28.19

$7.01 PEN 24.12

186.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 CA$5.56

$2.57 PEN 8.85

54.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 CA$2.00

$0.82 PEN 2.84

74.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.20

$1.46 PEN 5.02

154.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.50

$0.89 PEN 3.06

340.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 CA$4.02

$0.98 PEN 3.38

192.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.17

$1.11 PEN 3.82

168.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$0.48 PEN 1.64

443.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.29

$0.74 PEN 2.55

120.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.94 CA$22.35

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$19.97

$5.82 PEN 20.02

144.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.54

$1.84 PEN 6.34

36.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 CA$4.03

$4.12 PEN 14.16

-30.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 CA$3.60

$0.30 PEN 1.04

756.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.4 CA$118

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 CA$3.85

$1.69 PEN 5.81

62.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 CA$2.28

$1.86 PEN 6.39

-12.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.90 CA$44.71

$2.86 PEN 9.83

1015.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.51 PEN 5.18

-3.31%

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

$26.7K CA$37.4K

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

$21.0K CA$29.5K

$29.1K PEN 100.1K

-27.70%

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

$88.2 CA$124

$28.92 PEN 99.5

205.12%

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

$36.72 CA$51.5

$14.18 PEN 48.80

158.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.81 CA$69.8

$43.31 PEN 149

15.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.34 CA$63.6

$28.36 PEN 97.6

59.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.13 CA$17.00

Cinema Ticket

$12.55 CA$17.59

$4.24 PEN 14.58

195.99%

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

$1,055 CA$1,479

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.5K CA$39.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$79.1

$37.61 PEN 129

49.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.37 CA$48.18

$32.57 PEN 112

5.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$126

$54.1 PEN 186

65.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 CA$132

$70.9 PEN 244

33.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 CA$2,436

$219 PEN 754

692.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 CA$2,143

$190 PEN 655

703.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,107 CA$4,355

$531 PEN 1,827

485.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 CA$3,570

$422 PEN 1,451

503.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,540 CA$12.0K

$3,197 PEN 11.0K

167.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,328 CA$8,870

$1,830 PEN 6,298

245.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,770 CA$5,284

$419 PEN 1,442

799.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.24

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

Last update for Vancouver: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cusco: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Cusco

$190 27.9% 87.6% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$398 14.9%

Cusco

$186 27.2% 53.3% $212

Eating Out

Vancouver

$281 10.5%

Cusco

$83 12.2% 70.4% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$175 6.5%

Cusco

$86 12.7% 50.6% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.6%

Cusco

$88 12.9% 29% $36

Getting Around

Vancouver

$106 3.9%

Cusco

$12 * 1.8% 88.4% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$70 2.6%

Cusco

$37 5.4% 47.7% $34

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 $1,738 in Vancouver and $219 in Cusco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays about 9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Vancouver vs $20 in Cusco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $398 vs $186 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇵🇪 Cusco

🕒 Local time

03:24 3:24 AM

05:24 5:24 AM

2 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

428,450

💱 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 = 3.87 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vancouver Cusco 8,590 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
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

Vancouver vs Cusco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cusco is about 75% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Vancouver is about 9 times higher, 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: $1,738 in Vancouver versus $219 in Cusco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 114% higher in Vancouver. 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 $71 in Vancouver. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $683 in Cusco versus $2,683 in Vancouver, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cusco but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Cusco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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