Cost of Living in Peru 2026: Monthly Budgets from Lima to Cusco
Guides · Peru
—The budget. A single person needs roughly US$800 to US$1,000 a month outside Lima before health cover, and US$1,000 to US$1,450 in the capital with it.
—The rent. A one-bedroom flat runs about US$770 a month in central Lima, against roughly US$240 to US$360 in Arequipa, according to Numbeo.
—The prices. Inflation in Lima reached 4.44% in the year to August 2026, above the central bank’s 1% to 3% target range.
—The wage. The legal minimum wage is S/1,130 (about US$336) a month; a rise to S/1,300 (about US$387) is agreed in principle but not yet decreed.
—The visa. The rentista residence permit asks for at least US$1,000 a month of permanent income from abroad.
—The catch. Most published figures come from small crowd-sourced samples outside Lima, so treat every regional number as a range, not a quote.
Peru rewards people who live outside the Lima districts where most foreigners first land. Rent sets the budget, and the gap between the capital and the regional cities is wide.
The cost of living in Peru depends more on the city and the district than on anything else. On Numbeo’s figures, a one-bedroom flat in central Lima costs about three times one outside the centre of Arequipa.
This guide sets out indicative monthly budgets for Lima, Arequipa, Trujillo and Cusco as of September 2026. Conversions to US$ use a rate of 3.36 soles to the US dollar. That is the bank-system selling rate published by the Central Reserve Bank of Peru (BCRP) for 18 September 2026.
The national picture in 2026
The national statistics office, INEI, reported that consumer prices in Metropolitan Lima rose 4.44% in the year to August 2026. That is above the BCRP’s target range of 1% to 3%.
The drivers matter for a household budget. INEI pointed to higher electricity tariffs and fuel, with diesel up 11.5% and gasohol up 8.4% over the year, while chicken and several fruits became cheaper. Nationally, the twelve-month rate was 4.06%.
For context, INEI’s poverty line for 2025 was S/462 (about US$138) per person per month, or S/1,848 (about US$550) for a household of four. About 25.7% of Peruvians lived below it. Most foreigners spend several times that amount, largely because of where they choose to rent.
The legal minimum wage, known as the RMV, is S/1,130 (about US$336) a month under Supreme Decree 006-2024-TR. President Keiko Fujimori announced a rise to S/1,300 (about US$387) on 28 July 2026. The National Labour Council, which brings together government, unions and employers, backed that amount on 4 September, but not its timing.
As of 22 September 2026 no supreme decree had been published and no start date was fixed. The finance ministry has floated a first step of S/100 (about US$30) late in 2026 and the rest in April 2027. Anyone employing a cleaner or a nanny should budget for the higher wage.
Lima: where rent sets the bill
The crowd-sourced price site Numbeo, updated on 16 September 2026 from 917 entries, puts a one-bedroom flat in central Lima at S/2,588 (about US$770) a month.
Outside the centre the same flat costs about S/1,158 (about US$345). A three-bedroom flat runs about S/4,224 (about US$1,257) in the centre and S/2,213 (about US$659) further out.
The property portal Urbania gives a second view. Its April 2026 index put the average asking rent for a 100-square-metre, three-bedroom flat in Lima at S/3,356 (about US$999). Barranco led at S/4,317 (about US$1,285), followed by San Isidro and Miraflores.
Mid-market districts such as Lince, at S/2,690 (about US$801) for the same flat, are where the arithmetic changes. Jesús María, next door, recorded the fastest rent growth in Urbania’s sample, at 11.6% over a year.
Everything other than rent is moderate. Numbeo estimates that a single person in Lima spends about S/2,003 (about US$596) a month excluding rent, and a family of four about S/7,345 (about US$2,186).
Some line items from the same survey help calibrate a budget. A cheap restaurant meal costs about S/15 (about US$4), basic utilities for an 85-square-metre flat about S/240 (about US$71), and home internet about S/94 (about US$28) a month.
Arequipa, Trujillo and Cusco compared
Outside the capital, the cost of living in Peru falls sharply, mostly through rent. Numbeo’s Arequipa page, updated on 12 September 2026, lists a central one-bedroom flat at S/1,218 (about US$362) and one outside the centre at S/812 (about US$242).
A three-bedroom flat in its centre runs about S/2,488 (about US$740). Listings on the Ubicasa portal in September 2026 showed two-bedroom flats priced between US$449 and US$654.
Trujillo, on the northern coast, is similar in cost. Numbeo shows a central one-bedroom flat at about S/1,325 (about US$394) and one outside the centre at S/867 (about US$258). Its sample is small, 47 entries last updated in June 2026.
Cusco is harder to price. Numbeo’s sample for the city holds only 12 entries, too few to rely on, so listings are a better guide.
One-bedroom flats advertised on Ubicasa in September 2026 ranged from about US$355 to US$476, many of them furnished and priced in dollars. Comparable one-bedroom listings in Arequipa ran from US$476 to US$505, so advertised prices in the two cities are close.
Eating out tracks the same gradient. Numbeo puts a cheap restaurant meal at S/12 (about US$4) in Arequipa and Trujillo, and at S/8.50 (about US$3) in Cusco. A three-course dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant costs about S/120 (about US$36) in Lima and S/95 (about US$28) in Arequipa.
Sample monthly budgets for a single person
The budgets below combine Numbeo’s rents with its non-rent estimates. They illustrate the cost of living in Peru for a single adult living simply but comfortably. Outside Lima they use Numbeo’s national figure of S/1,809 (about US$538) a month for non-rent spending, which includes Lima and so errs on the high side.
Take a one-bedroom flat outside Lima’s prime districts and private health cover for someone in their forties. That modest budget comes to about S/3,381 (about US$1,006) a month. Moving to a flat in a central district such as Miraflores lifts that to about S/4,811 (about US$1,432).
In Arequipa, the same lifestyle costs about S/2,621 to S/3,027 (about US$780 to US$901) before health insurance. Trujillo comes out at S/2,676 to S/3,134 (about US$796 to US$933).
Cusco lands at roughly S/3,000 to S/3,400 (about US$893 to US$1,012), because it is priced from advertised flats rather than survey averages, which run lower. A couple sharing one flat adds much less than a second budget, since rent does not double.
A family of four is a different calculation. Numbeo’s estimate of S/7,345 (about US$2,186) in non-rent costs in Lima, plus a three-bedroom flat outside the centre, gives about S/9,558 (about US$2,845) a month before school fees.
Health cover, taxes and the hidden costs
Private health insurance is the largest variable in the cost of living in Peru after rent, and age drives it. A comparison by the site CuantoMeCuesta in April 2026 found basic individual plans from about S/75 (about US$22) a month for adults aged 18 to 35.
Plans for people aged 40 to 50 cost S/160 to S/220 (about US$48 to US$65). For those aged 55 to 65 the range was S/350 to S/520 (about US$104 to US$155). Quotes vary with insurer, network and pre-existing conditions.
Peru’s general sales tax, the IGV, is 18% including the municipal surcharge, and it is built into shelf prices. Small restaurants and hotels that qualify pay a reduced combined rate of 10.5% during 2026, rising to 15% in 2027, according to the tax authority, SUNAT.
In Lima, Numbeo lists a mobile plan at about S/57 (about US$17) a month and a gym membership at about S/112 (about US$33). Imported goods, wine and electronics cost noticeably more than local produce.
Transport and getting around
Lima’s public transport is cheap but slow, and many foreigners rely on app-based taxis instead. Numbeo lists a monthly public transport pass at about S/91 (about US$27) in Lima and S/60 (about US$18) in Trujillo.
Petrol cost about S/5.71 (about US$2) a litre in Lima in Numbeo’s September 2026 data, before the fuel increases feed fully through. Owning a car in Lima adds parking, insurance and time lost to traffic.
Long distances between cities mean domestic flights and overnight buses become a regular budget line for anyone who travels.
What this means for your money and your plans
Rent decides almost everything. A foreigner who needs the Miraflores or San Isidro lifestyle should plan on about US$1,400 a month as a single person. Someone content with a regional city or a mid-market Lima district can live well on about US$850 to US$1,050, health cover included.
That range matters for residence. The rentista permit, Peru’s retiree-style residence, requires proof of at least US$1,000 a month in net permanent income from abroad. The application fee is S/58.80 (about US$18), and changing to the status from inside Peru costs S/161.40 (about US$48).
US$1,000 covers a careful single life in Arequipa or Trujillo, with a margin for health cover; in Cusco it is tight. In Lima it covers only a modest flat outside the prime districts, with little left over for travel or emergencies.
The sol traded between 3.36 and 3.38 to the US dollar from 1 to 18 September 2026, per the BCRP. A stronger sol raises local costs for anyone paid in dollars, while rents quoted in dollars do not move.
Build in a buffer for inflation above 4% and for a higher minimum wage if you employ domestic help. Spend a month in a short-term rental before signing a lease, and check prices in the district where you will actually live.
More: Latin America coverage from The Rio Times.
Sources: Central Reserve Bank of Peru daily exchange rate series, Andina on INEI consumer prices for August 2026, El Peruano on the INEI poverty lines for 2025, Infobae on the 2025 poverty report, Numbeo prices for Lima, Numbeo prices for Arequipa, Numbeo prices for Trujillo, Numbeo national estimates for Peru, Infobae on Urbania’s April 2026 Lima rent index, Ubicasa rental listings for Cusco, Ubicasa rental listings for Arequipa, CuantoMeCuesta comparison of private health insurance prices, El Comercio on the National Labour Council minimum wage agreement, Infobae on the timing of the minimum wage rise, PwC Tax Summaries on Peru’s sales tax, SUNAT on the reduced sales tax for small restaurants and hotels, Guide to the rentista residence requirements and fees
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