What a trip to Cusco 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 Cusco come to PEN 170–200 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 2,300–2,800
≈ $680 – $830 · rate of October 6, 2026
PEN 170–200 per person per day · 7 days and 2 people
Expected
PEN 2,300–2,800
Most trips land in here
Set aside
PEN 2,800
With this you are unlikely to run short
Cushion, kept apart
PEN 260
10% of the trip
FoodPEN 1,300–1,700
Getting aroundPEN 84–130
Sights and activitiesPEN 540
Nights outPEN 190–460
Lodging tax and odds and endsPEN 96–120
Of that, in cash: PEN 510–1,100
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 Cusco 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 140–170 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 6.00–9.00
Sights and activitiesThe odd paid sight
PEN 29.00
Sundries: luggage storage, laundry, water
PEN 6.30–8.10
Mid-range
PEN 170–200 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 6.00–9.00
Sights and activitiesOne paid sight a day
PEN 39.00
Nights outNow and then
PEN 14.00–33.00
Sundries: luggage storage, laundry, water
PEN 6.80–8.60
Comfort
PEN 250–290 per person per day
The best food level we can price, public transport, two paid sights a day.
FoodRestaurants most of the time
PEN 150–190
Getting aroundPublic transport
PEN 6.00–9.00
Sights and activitiesTwo paid sights a day
PEN 59.00
Nights outNow and then
PEN 14.00–33.00
Sundries: luggage storage, laundry, water
PEN 11.00–13.00
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 Cusco
Per person, two travelling together, without accommodation or flights.
Days
Budget
Mid-range
Comfort
3
PEN 480–580 PEN 160–190 a day
PEN 590–700 PEN 200–230 a day
PEN 830–960 PEN 280–320 a day
5
PEN 710–880 PEN 140–180 a day
PEN 840–1,000 PEN 170–200 a day
PEN 1,200–1,400 PEN 250–290 a day
7
PEN 950–1,200 PEN 140–170 a day
PEN 1,200–1,400 PEN 170–200 a day
PEN 1,700–2,000 PEN 250–290 a day
10
PEN 1,300–1,600 PEN 130–160 a day
PEN 1,600–2,000 PEN 160–200 a day
PEN 2,400–2,800 PEN 240–280 a day
14
PEN 1,800–2,200 PEN 130–160 a day
PEN 2,200–2,700 PEN 160–190 a day
PEN 3,300–3,900 PEN 240–280 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 Cusco
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
Chayro cusqueño (lamb and Andean grain soup), Pachapapa
PEN 27.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Ají de gallina (shredded chicken in yellow chilli cream), Pachapapa
PEN 44.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Whole baked trout, Pachapapa
PEN 58.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Lomo saltado (stir-fried beef or alpaca), Pachapapa
PEN 69.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Pan-fried trout, Chicha por Gastón Acurio
PEN 79.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Lomo saltado (stir-fried beef tenderloin), Chicha por Gastón Acurio
PEN 79.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Soft drink, Chicha por Gastón Acurio
PEN 11.00
From the sourceOct 2026
House-made chicha morada (purple corn drink), Chicha por Gastón Acurio
PEN 16.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Cusqueña beer, Chicha por Gastón Acurio
PEN 16.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Pisco sour, Chicha por Gastón Acurio
PEN 38.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Getting around
City bus, one trip, adult fare
PEN 1.50
ReportedMar 2026
Sights
MAP (Museum of Pre-Columbian Art), foreign visitors
PEN 20.00
From the sourceOct 2026
Boleto Turístico del Cusco, full ticket (16 sites, 10 days), foreign visitors
PEN 130
From the sourceOct 2026
“Boleto Turístico del Cusco, full ticket (16 sites, 10 days), foreign visitors” is valid for 10 days and is paid once per person per trip, not per day, and the total always includes it, even with “Almost all free”, because without it you cannot get in.
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 + Chayro cusqueño (lamb and Andean grain soup), Pachapapa + Ají de gallina (shredded chicken in yellow chilli cream), Pachapapa + Soft drink, Chicha por Gastón Acurio (PEN 92.00) to Americano, Chicha por Gastón Acurio + Chayro cusqueño (lamb and Andean grain soup), Pachapapa + Lomo saltado (stir-fried beef or alpaca), Pachapapa + House-made chicha morada (purple corn drink), Chicha por Gastón Acurio (PEN 124).
Restaurants most of the time
From Espresso, Chicha por Gastón Acurio + Whole baked trout, Pachapapa + Soft drink, Chicha por Gastón Acurio + Lomo saltado (stir-fried beef or alpaca), Pachapapa (PEN 148) to Americano, Chicha por Gastón Acurio + Pan-fried trout, Chicha por Gastón Acurio + Cusqueña beer, Chicha por Gastón Acurio + Lomo saltado (stir-fried beef tenderloin), Chicha por Gastón Acurio (PEN 186).
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
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 56.00–62.00 less per person per day.
“Lomo saltado (stir-fried beef or alpaca), Pachapapa” (PEN 69.00) instead of “Lomo saltado (stir-fried beef tenderloin), Chicha por Gastón Acurio” (PEN 79.00): PEN 10.00 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 Cusco
How much money do you need for a week in Cusco?
For seven days, PEN 1,200–1,400 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 Cusco?
For 3 days, PEN 590–700 per person on the “Mid-range” style with two travelling. Accommodation and flights are not included.
What is a realistic daily budget in Cusco?
Per person per day, without accommodation or flights: PEN 140–170 on the “Budget” style, PEN 170–200 on the “Mid-range” style, and PEN 250–290 on the “Comfort” style.
Can you travel to Cusco on a budget?
The cheapest style we work out is “Budget”: PEN 140–170 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 Cusco?
From PEN 92.00 per person per day (“Mixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner”) to PEN 190 (“Restaurants most of the time”). The price table has what each dish costs.
How much does transport cost in Cusco?
A ride on public transport costs PEN 1.50. That figure comes from the press, not from whoever sets the fare.
Is there a lodging tax in Cusco?
None on record as of October 2026.
How much cash should you carry in Cusco?
For a week on the “Mid-range” style, about PEN 260–540 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 Cusco?
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.
