Arequipa vs Cusco
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 52. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
White volcanic city under El Misti
Full Arequipa profile →Plan a trip to Arequipa →Where they differ
- Air quality. Arequipa leads on air quality, 82 to 75, against Cusco. PM2.5: 13.1 µg/m³ vs 16.4 µg/m³.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, getting there & around, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Arequipa if you want
- no clear edge over Cusco in the data
Pick Cusco if you want
- no clear edge over Arequipa in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Arequipa | Cusco |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 60 | 60 |
| Safety | 44 | 44 |
| Healthcare | 73 | 73 |
| Internet | 59 | 61 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 75 | 75 |
| Getting there & around | 20 | 21 ✓ |
| Climate | 0 | 0 |
| Air quality | 82 ✓ | 75 |
| Quality of life | 57 | 57 |
Cost
| Metric | Arequipa | Cusco |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,350 | $1,350 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Arequipa | Cusco |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 8.6 | 8.6 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 56.9 | 56.9 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 68 | 68 |
| Life expectancy | 78.4 yrs | 78.4 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Arequipa | Cusco |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 20.1 Mbps | 22.6 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 12.8 Mbps | 13.3 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Arequipa | Cusco |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 180 days | 180 days |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, UK passport | 180 days | 180 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Arequipa | Cusco |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 2 | 6 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 4 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Arequipa | Cusco |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 0 | 0 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 13.1 µg/m³ ✓ | 16.4 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Arequipa or Cusco?
- Arequipa and Cusco cost about the same: roughly $1,350 per month for one person.
- Is Arequipa or Cusco safer?
- Arequipa and Cusco score the same on safety (44), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Arequipa or Cusco?
- Cusco: a measured median of 22.6 Mbps versus 20.1 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.3. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.