Lima vs Arequipa
The short answer
Arequipa is the cheaper trip, by roughly 18% a day — $45–90 against $55–110 mid-range per person. Both are at their best in Apr, Dec, so one trip can take in both.
Side by side
Mid-range, per person, in US dollars. Both guides were costed the same way — see 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 |
When to go
Filled months are the ones each guide recommends; hollow ones it warns off.
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 |
The same in both:
- Currency
- Peruvian sol (S/), around S/3.75 = $1 in mid-2026
- Emergency
- 105 police · 116 fire · 911 general