Cost of living in Peru — 2015

I live in Huarocondo which is a small city just outside of Cusco

How much does it cost to live in Peru?

> accommodation prices, We own our home so the only cost real cost is taxes which are about S/98.00 Soles a year

> public transportation fares, Colectivos from here to Cusco are S/4.00 Soles per-person

> food prices, As we have a B&B it can vary but I believe we can feed ourselves for about S/200.00 Soles a month

> health prices, ?

> education prices, ?

> energy prices, Electricity runs about S/200.00 Soles per month and a bottle of propane is S/38.00 Soles and will last about 3 months.

> common bills, Internet S/100.00 Soles a month, Direct TV is S/96.50 Soles a month, Home Phone is S/20.00 Soles a month and Mobile phones (2) run S/120.00 Soles a month

> price for a good menu in a traditional restaurant, about S/8.00 Soles

> price for a coffee or a drink, S/2.00 Soles

> price for cinema tickets, closest in Cusco and I believe it is about S/16.00 Soles

For reference the current exchange rate is $1.00 USD = S/3.00 PEN

Hi mongo466,

Thank you for your contribution
It is very much appreciated.

Priscilla

With out spending a lot of time on numbers, I would say living the standard of a a typical US person will cost less than in the US but if one lives in a middle class neighborhood and eats mostly Peruvian dishes and takes buses it can cost much less.
What costs more? Some cars & trucks. Fuel, imports from US, car rentals, tourist hotels, fast foods, fancy apartments in Lima. What costs less? Unskilled labor, doctors, dentists, taxi, movies. Now for a rough number: $1000 dollar per month you could get by in a small town renting a room with bath eating local meals getting around in taxiis & buses. To live US standard figure 2-3 times that.
Here are a few cost figures in soles: Dinners 25-75, MacDonalds breakfast < 10, KFC 20 , supermarket soda 1-2, Beer 2-4, Best cut beef 100 per kilo, nice 3 star hotel in Lima 130-150, taxii 5-25 depending on distance. day maid 50.

I live in Tacna, Peru.  I rent a nice three bedroom apartment for 700 soles each month.  My water bill is 30 soles each month.  My electricity bill ranges from 35 soles to 120 soles each month.  Office visit to see a medical specialist is 50 soles.  Usually, you can see a specialist within a day or two.  A ride in a taxi for anywhere in the downtown area ranges from 3.5 soles to 4 soles.  I am a vegetarian and I eat a gluten free diet so I cook all of my food in my apartment.  I figure that including bottled water, I spend about 25 soles each day for food.  I have relatively fast internet.  It costs me 119 soles each month.   A haircut costs as little as 5 soles.  I had a porcelain crown installed that cost me 300 soles total.   The things that are more expensive to buy in Tacna or that are not available here are bought in the United States and brought back with me during my visits to the United States.  My major expense is two round trip airplane tickets to the United States each year.

Don't forget to mention in which city of Peru you are living in. ---  Living in Cusco right now.

How much does it cost to live in Peru? --- This is highly dependent on what you do, where you go and how you live.

> accommodation prices --- We pay 1000 soles a month for a nice, furnished, equipped 1 BR, 1BA apartment with washing machine near the University Andina del Cusco.

> public transportation fares (tube, bus etc.) ---  local bus cost 70 centimos per person (we don't use taxis); minivan from Cusco to Urubamba, Ollantaytambo, Pisac, Calca, etc. in the sacred valley costs between 6-15 soles depending on which town you are going.

> food prices (your monthly budget)  ---  we do not eat out a whole lot (we like to buy & cook our own food so we know exactly where the food comes from and how it is made), so we spend approximately 150 soles a week for 2

> health prices (for those who need medical insurance)  --  We practice Qigong, which is an ancient Chinese energy cultivation & medicine practice for health and healing, so Qigong is our health insurance and health care system.  We also practice meditation, healthy eating habits, regular exercise and moderation in all things.  We are in our 50s&60s without need of, nor do we believe in, or want to take ANY medications (not over the counter or prescription) or without need of nor do we want to go to doctors.
A simple filling for a tooth is 50 soles at a nice, modern dental office, more involved fillings are 70, 90 or 100 soles.

> education prices (if you need to pay) -- not applicable

> energy prices (oil, electricity) -- electricity, internet/wifi, cable, water, sewer, garbage pickup are all included in our monthly rent; gas for cooking is 33 soles per tank when on promotion & 39 soles normally

> common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone)  --  as stated above internet & cable tv are included in our monthly rent; we have no telephone or mobile phone

> price for a good menu in a traditional restaurant --  this is highly dependent on where we go and what we choose to eat;  examples:  we get a good almuerzo with appetizer, soup, main course, dessert & drink for 8 soles in a traditional restaurant; OR we get a great vegetarian almuerzo of 1 trip to the salad bar with good options, a hearty main course and 1 drink for 12soles. 

> price for a coffee or a drink -- coffee at the market is only 1.50 soles; at a coffee shop 3-4 soles

> price for cinema tickets -- not applicable

Hi! I wrote a post about this actually. It is the cost of living for Lima. You can find it here:

wawasinperu.com/cost-of-living-in-peru-2015/

Expat.com wrote:

Hi all,

We invite you to talk about the cost of living in Peru in 2015, with an updated price listing.

Don't forget to mention in which city of Peru you are living in.

How much does it cost to live in Peru?

> accommodation prices

> public transportation fares (tube, bus etc.)

> food prices (your monthly budget)

> health prices (for those who need medical insurance)

> education prices (if you need to pay)

> energy prices (oil, electricity)

> common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone)

> price for a good menu in a traditional restaurant

> price for a coffee or a drink

> price for cinema tickets

Do not hesitate to add items to this list!

Thank you in advance for your participation.

I too want to know what would be the exact amout for each item like house rent minimum and food expenses for one person for one month.

I'm considering Tacna as a place to live.  I read the post from jhand8pp4 from 2015.  I'm wondering if this person or anyone else can give me further info on living in Tacna.  Is there an ExPat community there?
Carla M.

Carla.    Tacna is not for everyone.   I live in Tacna and I love it, but I think I am the only expat who lives there.    Tacna has perfect weather and is a safe place to live.   However, the life there for expats is for those who want to live a simple life.   I am retired and I do not need a lot of social interaction, so it suits me well.  If you do decide to move to Tacna, please advise me and I will be happy to show you some of the interesting places in Tacna.     John

Hi,
Very informative details.
Thank you for sharing