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Cusco vs Iquitos

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Cusco edges it, 51 to 45, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Cusco is stronger on internet, air quality, getting there & around; Iquitos on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 5.3 of 51 points (scores 47/100)Safety: 4.9 of 51 points (scores 44/100)Healthcare: 6.9 of 51 points (scores 62/100)Internet: 6.8 of 51 points (scores 62/100)Visa ease: 8.4 of 51 points (scores 75/100)Getting there & around: 4.2 of 51 points (scores 38/100)Climate: 0.0 of 51 points (scores 0/100)Air quality: 8.3 of 51 points (scores 75/100)Quality of life: 6.1 of 51 points (scores 55/100)51
Cusco
out of 100

Inca capital at 3,400 metres

Full Cusco profile →Where to stay in Cusco →
Cost of living: 5.4 of 45 points (scores 48/100)Safety: 4.9 of 45 points (scores 44/100)Healthcare: 6.9 of 45 points (scores 62/100)Internet: 4.0 of 45 points (scores 36/100)Visa ease: 8.4 of 45 points (scores 75/100)Getting there & around: 2.9 of 45 points (scores 26/100)Climate: 0.0 of 45 points (scores 0/100)Air quality: 6.4 of 45 points (scores 58/100)Quality of life: 6.1 of 45 points (scores 55/100)45
Iquitos
out of 100

The world's largest city unreachable by road, deep in the Peruvian Amazon

Full Iquitos profile →Where to stay in Iquitos →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricCuscoIquitos
Cost of living4748 ✓
Safety4444
Healthcare6262
Internet62 ✓36
Visa ease7575
Getting there & around38 ✓26
Climate00
Air quality75 ✓58
Quality of life5555

Cost

MetricCuscoIquitos
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,383$1,350 ✓
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricCuscoIquitos
Homicides per 100k8.68.6
Political stability (0–100)56.956.9
UHC service coverage (0–100)6868
Life expectancy71.7 yrs71.7 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricCuscoIquitos
Download22.6 Mbps ✓5.9 Mbps
Upload13.3 Mbps ✓3.5 Mbps

Visa

MetricCuscoIquitos
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passport180 days180 days
Entry, EU passport90 days90 days
Entry, UK passport180 days180 days

Getting there and around

MetricCuscoIquitos
Non-stop airport destinations6 ✓3
Walkability (1–5, editorial)4 ✓3
Transit (1–5, editorial)22

Climate and air

MetricCuscoIquitos
Comfortable months per year00
Annual mean PM2.516.4 µg/m³ ✓23.9 µg/m³

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Cusco or Iquitos?
Iquitos is cheaper: about $1,350 per month versus $1,383 for one person.
Is Cusco or Iquitos safer?
Cusco scores higher on safety (44 vs 44), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Cusco or Iquitos?
Cusco: a measured median of 22.6 Mbps versus 5.9 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); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.