What a trip to Arequipa costs, worked out for your days and your party, with every price traced to where it comes from. And then the part most budgets skip: how to actually pay once you are there.
Food, getting around and sights in Arequipa come to PEN 150–200 per person per day. Accommodation, flights and the airport transfer are on top.Prices reviewed: October 2026.
Days, people and how you like to travel decide almost everything. Flights are left out: they depend on where you start.
You still need, flights aside
PEN 2,200–2,800
≈ $630 – $820 · rate of October 6, 2026
PEN 150–200 per person per day · 7 days and 2 people
Expected
PEN 2,200–2,800
Most trips land in here
Set aside
PEN 2,800
With this you are unlikely to run short
Cushion, kept apart
PEN 250
10% of the trip
FoodPEN 1,300–1,700
Getting aroundPEN 56–110
Sights and activitiesPEN 280–700
Nights outPEN 180–410
Lodging tax and odds and endsPEN 81–130
Of that, in cash: PEN 500–1,000
The cash share is our reading of how each kind of place takes payment, not a measurement. Your own bank may charge on top; this page cannot know that.
Accommodation is not in this figure. Add your price per night to include it.
Flights are not included.
You probably will not spend the cushion. Having it to hand covers a night you had not planned, a taxi, or a changed ticket.
Styles
What a day in Arequipa costs, by how you travel
Per person per day, two travelling, without accommodation, flights or the airport transfer. A style is not a figure: it is a way of eating, getting around and seeing things, and each one is spelled out below.
Budget
PEN 120–150 per person per day
Set meals and the odd sit-down dinner, public transport and the odd paid sight.
FoodMixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner
PEN 92–120
Getting aroundPublic transport
PEN 4.00–7.80
Sights and activitiesThe odd paid sight
PEN 10.00–25.00
Sundries: luggage storage, laundry, water
PEN 5.30–7.80
Mid-range
PEN 150–200 per person per day
Set meals and the odd sit-down dinner, and one paid sight a day.
FoodMixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner
PEN 92–120
Getting aroundPublic transport
PEN 4.00–7.80
Sights and activitiesOne paid sight a day
PEN 20.00–50.00
Nights outNow and then
PEN 13.00–29.00
Sundries: luggage storage, laundry, water
PEN 5.80–9.00
Comfort
PEN 240–300 per person per day
The best food level we can price, public transport, two paid sights a day.
FoodRestaurants most of the time
PEN 150–170
Getting aroundPublic transport
PEN 4.00–7.80
Sights and activitiesTwo paid sights a day
PEN 40–100
Nights outNow and then
PEN 13.00–29.00
Sundries: luggage storage, laundry, water
PEN 9.70–14.00
A style's total is not the sum of the extremes of its lines: nobody has a trip where everything comes out cheap, or everything dear. “Sundries” is an assumption of ours, 5% of food, transport and sights, not a measurement.
By length of trip
How much money for 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 days in Arequipa
Per person, two travelling together, without accommodation or flights.
Days
Budget
Mid-range
Comfort
3
PEN 360–460 PEN 120–150 a day
PEN 470–610 PEN 160–200 a day
PEN 720–920 PEN 240–310 a day
5
PEN 600–770 PEN 120–150 a day
PEN 740–960 PEN 150–190 a day
PEN 1,100–1,500 PEN 230–290 a day
7
PEN 840–1,100 PEN 120–150 a day
PEN 1,100–1,400 PEN 150–200 a day
PEN 1,600–2,100 PEN 240–300 a day
10
PEN 1,200–1,500 PEN 120–150 a day
PEN 1,500–2,000 PEN 150–200 a day
PEN 2,400–3,000 PEN 240–300 a day
14
PEN 1,700–2,200 PEN 120–150 a day
PEN 2,200–2,800 PEN 150–200 a day
PEN 3,300–4,200 PEN 240–300 a day
Add your accommodation in the calculator above: it is the largest line and the one we cannot source yet.
Prices
What things cost in Arequipa
Eating and drinking: no official statistic measures what eating out costs here, so these are prices from the menu each place publishes on its own website, and each row says where it comes from. It is a sample, not an average: there are cheaper and dearer places, and tourist areas cost more.
What
Price
Source
Eating and drinking
Espresso, Chicha por Gastón Acurio
PEN 10.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Americano, Chicha por Gastón Acurio
PEN 12.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Andean quinoa soup, Zig Zag
PEN 28.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Locro de pecho (beef brisket and potato stew), Chicha por Gastón Acurio
PEN 44.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Lake Arapa trout fillet, 200 g, on volcanic stone, Zig Zag
PEN 60.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Beef tenderloin, 200 g, on volcanic stone, Zig Zag
PEN 66.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Lomo saltado a lo pobre (stir-fried beef with fried egg and plantain), Chicha por Gastón Acurio
PEN 69.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Achoma trout, Chicha por Gastón Acurio
PEN 78.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Soft drink, Chicha por Gastón Acurio
PEN 10.00
From the sourceOct 2026
House-made chicha morada (purple corn drink), Chicha por Gastón Acurio
PEN 14.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Arequipeña beer, Chicha por Gastón Acurio
PEN 15.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Pisco sour, Chicha por Gastón Acurio
PEN 34.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Getting around
City bus (SIT), one trip, adult fare
PEN 1.00–1.30
ReportedSep 2026
Sights
Santa Teresa Museum of Colonial Art, general admission
PEN 20.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Santa Catalina Monastery, foreign adults
PEN 50.00
From the sourceOct 2026
From the source means we read it where it is set: the operator, the bank, the city or the statistics office. Reported means a guide or the press says so and we have not seen the original. Where sources disagree we show both figures and leave the price out of every sum.
What each food level is made of
A food level is not a number we chose. It is two lists of dishes from the table above, a cheap day and a dear one, and the price is the sum.
Mixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner
From Espresso, Chicha por Gastón Acurio + Andean quinoa soup, Zig Zag + Locro de pecho (beef brisket and potato stew), Chicha por Gastón Acurio + Soft drink, Chicha por Gastón Acurio (PEN 92.00) to Americano, Chicha por Gastón Acurio + Andean quinoa soup, Zig Zag + Lomo saltado a lo pobre (stir-fried beef with fried egg and plantain), Chicha por Gastón Acurio + House-made chicha morada (purple corn drink), Chicha por Gastón Acurio (PEN 123).
Restaurants most of the time
From Espresso, Chicha por Gastón Acurio + Lake Arapa trout fillet, 200 g, on volcanic stone, Zig Zag + Soft drink, Chicha por Gastón Acurio + Lomo saltado a lo pobre (stir-fried beef with fried egg and plantain), Chicha por Gastón Acurio (PEN 149) to Americano, Chicha por Gastón Acurio + Beef tenderloin, 200 g, on volcanic stone, Zig Zag + Arequipeña beer, Chicha por Gastón Acurio + Achoma trout, Chicha por Gastón Acurio (PEN 171).
Accommodation
What the night costs, and the tax on top
There is no open source of hotel prices, and we have not sampled this city yet. So the calculator asks you for the price you have seen instead of printing one that looks plausible.
Lodging tax
No lodging tax is charged here. From the sourceOct 2026
Saving
What saves money in Arequipa
Each line is a subtraction done with the prices on this page. No tricks: just the sum.
What saves
Eating “Mixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner” instead of “Restaurants most of the time”: PEN 48.00–57.00 less per person per day.
“Lake Arapa trout fillet, 200 g, on volcanic stone, Zig Zag” (PEN 60.00) instead of “Achoma trout, Chicha por Gastón Acurio” (PEN 78.00): PEN 18.00 less each time.
Paying
Paying in Peru
What holds for the whole country: where a card is enough, where to change money, and the taxes.
Where a card is enough
Only the places a source speaks about. Where it says nothing, neither do we.
Where
How you pay
Small shops
Cash From the source
Markets and stalls
Cash From the source
Taxis
Cash From the source
Rural areas
Cash From the source
From the source means we read it where it is set: the operator, the bank, the city or the statistics office. Reported means a guide or the press says so and we have not seen the original. Where sources disagree we show both figures and leave the price out of every sum.
Where to change money
The cheapest route is usually an ATM and a card that does not charge for converting; whether yours does is up to your bank. These are the places that change cash.
Airports
Banks
Exchange counters
US dollars are accepted in many shops, restaurants, hotels and petrol stations; bring notes in good condition, as torn or worn ones are often refused.
Taxes and charges
Consumption tax: 18%.
Questions
Questions about money in Arequipa
How much money do you need for a week in Arequipa?
For seven days, PEN 1,100–1,400 per person on the “Mid-range” style with two travelling. Accommodation and flights are not included.
How much money do you need for 3 days in Arequipa?
For 3 days, PEN 470–610 per person on the “Mid-range” style with two travelling. Accommodation and flights are not included.
What is a realistic daily budget in Arequipa?
Per person per day, without accommodation or flights: PEN 120–150 on the “Budget” style, PEN 150–200 on the “Mid-range” style, and PEN 240–300 on the “Comfort” style.
Can you travel to Arequipa on a budget?
The cheapest style we work out is “Budget”: PEN 120–150 per person per day, without accommodation or flights. Set meals and the odd sit-down dinner, public transport and the odd paid sight.
How much does food cost in Arequipa?
From PEN 92.00 per person per day (“Mixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner”) to PEN 170 (“Restaurants most of the time”). The price table has what each dish costs.
How much does transport cost in Arequipa?
A ride on public transport costs PEN 1.00–1.30. That figure comes from the press, not from whoever sets the fare.
Is there a lodging tax in Arequipa?
None on record as of October 2026.
How much cash should you carry in Arequipa?
For a week on the “Mid-range” style, about PEN 250–520 per person, two travelling. It is our reading of how each kind of place takes payment, not a measurement.
Is it better to use cash or card in Arequipa?
In cash: small shops; markets and stalls; taxis; rural areas.
Sources
Where every figure comes from
Each price on this page carries its source. These are all of them. Prices reviewed: October 2026.
This page tells you how much to take. The app keeps count of what you spend.
Joru works out the budget of your itinerary day by day and sets it against what you actually spend, by category and with the exchange rate. On your phone, with no account.
