Lima vs Arequipa
Which would you pick?
The short answer
Arequipa is the cheaper trip, by roughly 18% a day — $45–90 against $55–110 mid-range per person. Both Lima and Arequipa are at their best in Apr, Dec, so one trip can take in both.
Is Lima cheaper than Arequipa?
No: Arequipa is about 18% cheaper than Lima per day, at $45–90 against $55–110 for a mid-range traveller.
- A cheap local meal starts about 17% lower in Arequipa ($2.50–5) than in Lima ($3–6).
- A mid-range hotel night starts about 22% lower in Arequipa ($35–75) than in Lima ($45–95).
- A single transit ride starts about 25% lower in Arequipa ($0.30–0.50) than in Lima ($0.40–0.80).
Side by side
Lima and Arequipa side by side, mid-range per person in US dollars, both costed the same way (how we work these out).
| 🇵🇪 Lima | 🇵🇪 Arequipa | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily budgetmid-range, per person | $55–110 | $45–90cheaper |
| Cheap meallocal staple | $3–6 | $2.50–5cheaper |
| Mid-range hotelper night | $45–95 | $35–75cheaper |
| Transit ridesingle trip | $0.40–0.80 | $0.30–0.50cheaper |
| Avg. monthly salarylocal, for context | ≈ $940 | ≈ $610 |
What 3 and 7 days cost in Lima and Arequipa
| Trip, per person | Lima | Arequipa |
|---|---|---|
| 3 daysmid-range | $165–330 | $135–270 |
| 7 daysmid-range | $385–770 | $315–630 |
| 3 daysbudget | $105–195 | $75–165 |
| 7 daysbudget | $245–455 | $175–385 |
Over a full week Lima costs about $105 more per person than Arequipa — roughly one extra mid-range day in Arequipa for the same money.
Against local wages, one mid-range visitor day costs about 9% of an average monthly salary in Lima (≈ $940) and 11% in Arequipa (≈ $610).
The cheapest beds listed are $8–16 a night in Lima (Hostel dorm) against $5–12 in Arequipa (Hostel dorm), while the top tier starts around $160 in Lima and $133 in Arequipa.
Per person and before flights, from each guide's daily budget, which already includes a mid-range room; budget rows use the guides' 60% budget scale.
When to go
Filled months are the ones each guide recommends; hollow ones it warns off.
| Month | Lima | Arequipa |
|---|---|---|
| January | Good | Avoid |
| February | Good | Avoid |
| March | Good | Avoid |
| April | Good | Good |
| May | Avoid | Good |
| June | Avoid | Good |
| July | Avoid | Good |
| August | Avoid | Good |
| September | Avoid | Good |
| October | Avoid | Good |
| November | Avoid | Good |
| December | Good | Good |
Both Lima and Arequipa are in season in Apr and Dec, the window for a trip that takes in both.
In Jan–Mar only Lima is at its best, while Arequipa's guide doesn't recommend those months.
In May–Nov it flips: Arequipa is in season and Lima isn't.
Which one suits you
🇵🇪 Pick Lima over Arequipa for
- History, which only the Lima guide lists against Arequipa: Plaza Mayor & the centre (the colonial heart, with the presidential palace, cathedral and a changing of the guard).
- Coast & neighbourhoods, which only the Lima guide lists against Arequipa: Malecón cliff walk (Six kilometres of clifftop park above the Pacific, with paragliders launching over the traffic).
- Travelling in Jan–Mar, when Lima is in season and Arequipa isn't.
🇵🇪 Pick Arequipa over Lima for
- Stretching a budget: a day in Arequipa runs about 18% less than in Lima.
- The city, which only the Arequipa guide lists against Lima: Santa Catalina Monastery (a walled convent covering a full city block, closed to the outside world for…).
- Beyond the city, which only the Arequipa guide lists against Lima: Colca Canyon (Twice the depth of the Grand Canyon, with Andean condors riding the morning thermals…).
- Travelling in May–Nov, when Arequipa is in season and Lima isn't.
One day in Lima against one day in Arequipa
- Morning: in Lima, the historic centre: Plaza Mayor, the changing of the guard, and the bone-lined catacombs under San Francisco; in Arequipa, Santa Catalina Monastery, a walled city block rather than a building, and worth half a day on its own.
- Midday: in Lima, a cevichería, because ceviche is a lunch dish here and the good places sell out by mid-afternoon; in Arequipa, a picantería lunch.
- Afternoon: in Lima, the Larco Museum, which is the best introduction to pre-Inca Peru anywhere, storeroom included; in Arequipa, the Plaza de Armas and the cathedral in white sillar, then the Museo Santuarios Andinos and Juanita.
- Evening: in Lima, the Malecón at sunset, walking south into Barranco for dinner and a pisco sour; in Arequipa, across the river to the Yanahuara viewpoint for El Misti through the stone arches.
Slot by slot from each guide's one-day plan; the full Lima and Arequipa itineraries go to five days.
What you'd actually do
A few of each guide's picks, one per category before seconds — the full lists are on the guides themselves.
🇵🇪 Lima
A grey-skied capital of ten million on a desert cliff above the Pacific, and — genuinely — one of the best places to eat on earth. Most people transit through it. That's a mistake.
- Cevicherías at lunchtime$$Food
- Plaza Mayor & the centre$History
- Malecón cliff walk$Coast & neighbourhoods
- Mercado de Surquillo$Food
- Larco Museum$$History
🇵🇪 Arequipa
A city built entirely from white volcanic stone under three volcanoes, with a walled convent the size of a neighbourhood inside it. Peru's second city, lower and sunnier than Cusco, and much less visited.
- Santa Catalina Monastery$$The city
- Colca Canyon$$Beyond the city
- Picanterías$Food
- Plaza de Armas & the cathedral$The city
- Salinas y Aguada Blanca reserve$Beyond the city
Practicalities
| Lima | Arequipa | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Spanish. English is common in Miraflores and Barranco, much less so elsewhere | Spanish, with Quechua and Aymara spoken in the surrounding highlands. English in tourist businesses only |
| Time zone | PET (UTC−5). No daylight saving | PET (UTC−5) |
| Power | 220V, Types A and C — flat US-style and round European pins both common | 220V, Types A and C |
| Tap water | Not drinkable. Bottled water throughout | Not drinkable. Bottled or filtered only |
Currency, Emergency are the same in Lima and Arequipa; see either guide for the details.
Getting between Lima and Arequipa
What the Arequipa guide says about reaching Lima:
- Many visitors arrive instead on the overnight bus from Cusco or Lima, which is comfortable on the better companies.
Staying, getting around, money and safety in Lima and Arequipa
First-timers usually base themselves in Miraflores or Barranco in Lima, and in Historic centre or San Lázaro in Arequipa.
Tipping differs: in Lima, Around 10% in restaurants if service isn't already added — check the bill, as some places include it; in Arequipa, 10% in restaurants where service isn't included, rounding up for taxis, and S/30–50 a day for a guide on a Colca trip.
The Lima guide warns about 5 scams (Unlicensed airport taxis, Phone snatching, Counterfeit soles), the Arequipa guide about 4 (Unlicensed street taxis, Cheap Colca tours, Counterfeit notes).
Arriving: in Lima, Jorge Chávez is in Callao, 45–70 minutes from Miraflores depending badly on traffic; in Arequipa, Rodríguez Ballón is 20 minutes from the centre.
Day to day, the Lima guide covers getting around by taxis & ride apps, Metropolitano and Combis, the Arequipa guide by on foot, taxis and Combis.
On cash and cards, the Lima guide says cards are widely accepted in Miraflores, Barranco and San Isidro, less so in the centre and the markets, while the Arequipa guide says cash is king outside the hotels and better restaurants.
For mobile data in Lima, good 4G and 5G across the city; in Arequipa, good in the city, thinner on the Colca route and absent in parts of the canyon.
On safety, the Lima guide's verdict is “Lima requires more street awareness than most cities on this site, though the districts visitors actually use — Miraflores, Barranco, San Isidro — are well policed and comfortable to walk by day and evening” and the Arequipa guide's is “Arequipa is calm and comfortable, with less street crime than Lima and a relaxed feel in the centre by day and evening.”
Lima vs Arequipa: common questions
Is Lima cheaper than Arequipa?
No: Arequipa is about 18% cheaper than Lima per day, at $45–90 against $55–110 for a mid-range traveller. A cheap local meal starts about 17% lower in Arequipa ($2.50–5) than in Lima ($3–6).
When is the best time to visit Lima and Arequipa?
Lima is at its best in Dec–Apr and Arequipa in Apr–Dec; the months they share are Apr and Dec.
How many days do you need for Lima and Arequipa?
The Lima guide recommends two days and the Arequipa guide two days, so allow about 4 days to see both without rushing.
Can you combine Lima and Arequipa in one trip?
Yes: Lima and Arequipa are both in Peru, so one set of entry rules covers the whole trip. Many visitors arrive instead on the overnight bus from Cusco or Lima, which is comfortable on the better companies.
More comparisons with Lima or Arequipa
Or read the guides to the nearby alternatives: