Arequipa vs Santa Cruz de la Sierra
In short
Calculated from the figures below, with no overall “who wins” score.
Rent
✓in Santa Cruz cheaper — −45%
Family groceries
✓in Santa Cruz cheaper — −15%
Internet
✓in Santa Cruz cheaper — −27%
In numbers
Exchange rate as of the date each figure was checked.
House or apartment rent
per monthArequipa≈ $585–1,290S/ 2,000–4,420✓Santa Cruz de la Sierra≈ $342–700BOB 4,100–8,400cheaper by 45%Family groceries
per monthArequipa≈ $243S/ 830✓Santa Cruz de la Sierra≈ $208BOB 2,490cheaper by 15%Internet
per monthArequipa≈ $26S/ 89.9✓Santa Cruz de la Sierra≈ $19BOB 229cheaper by 27%Winter
averageArequipa6–21 °C6–21 °CSanta Cruz de la Sierra22 °C22 °CPrecipitation
per yearArequipa94.6 mm94.6 mmSanta Cruz de la Sierra1,372 mm1,372 mmReady-made house
purchaseArequipa$157–490k$157–490k✓Santa Cruz de la Sierra$87,900 – 180k$87,900 – 180kcheaper by 59%
By topic
A quick look at each city. Details and sources are on the city page.
Housing
Arequipa
A three-bedroom apartment in Yanahuara or Cayma is 2000–4400 soles a month, most often 2500–3000 (about 700–900 dollars). Building maintenance fees on top.
SpecialistUrbania: apartments for rent in Yanahuara · checked 29 Sep 2026
A three-bedroom apartment in Cayma by listings: 157–490k dollars, median about 225k. Sellers quote prices in dollars.
SpecialistUrbania: apartments for sale in Cayma · checked 29 Sep 2026
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
A three-bedroom house by listings costs 88-180 thousand dollars, median 123 thousand. In Urubó about 228 thousand, in the north of the city about 117 thousand.
SpecialistInfoCasas Bolivia: sale of three-bedroom houses in Santa Cruz · checked 6 Oct 2026
A three-bedroom apartment by listings costs 4100-8400 Bs a month, median about 5500 Bs (about 460 dollars at 11.97). Almost twice as much in Equipetrol.
SpecialistInfoCasas Bolivia: rental of three-bedroom apartments in Santa Cruz · checked 6 Oct 2026
Instead of renting you can give the owner a large sum for a term and live without paying: a three-bedroom apartment in anticrético is about 35-50 thousand dollars.
SpecialistInfoCasas Bolivia: three-bedroom apartments in anticrético in Santa Cruz · checked 6 Oct 2026
Money and prices
Arequipa
The average resident of the region spends 876 soles a month, which for a family of four is about 3500. Rent alone for a three-bedroom apartment in Cayma is 2500–3000.
OfficialINEI: Arequipa, statistical compendium 2025 · checked 29 Sep 2026
A rough guide is about 830 soles a month for a family of four: food accounts for 23.7% of the urban price basket, and average spending per person is 876 soles.
OfficialINEI: Arequipa, statistical compendium 2025 · checked 29 Sep 2026
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
A family of four in Santa Cruz is considered poor with an income below 4917 Bs a month (about 410 dollars). This is the lowest line among the cities in the INE table.
OfficialINE: poverty line and extreme poverty line per person per month by city, 2016 - December 2025 · checked 6 Oct 2026
The minimum food basket for a family of four in Santa Cruz is about 2490 Bs a month (about 210 dollars) by the INE extreme poverty line for December 2025.
OfficialINE: poverty line and extreme poverty line per person per month by city, 2016 - December 2025 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Family and kids
Arequipa
Almost every second pupil in Arequipa attends a private school: 47% across the two city education authorities, 54% in the northern one (2024 census).
OfficialINEI: Arequipa, statistical compendium 2025 · checked 29 Sep 2026
The most expensive schools in the city charged 750–1775 soles a month in 2024. In 80% of private schools the fee is below 400 soles a month.
SpecialistEncuentro: 80% of private schools in Arequipa charge under 400 soles, table of monthly fees 2023-2024 from Identicole · checked 29 Sep 2026
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
In 2025 the department of Santa Cruz had 822 thousand students, about 104 thousand (12.6%) in private schools and kindergartens. Private school fees: not found.
OfficialINE with Ministry of Education data: students in public and private schools by department, 2011 - 2025 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Healthcare
Arequipa
The city is at 2335 m, just below the CDC altitude sickness threshold (2450 m). For children the CDC sees no particular risk, and it advises caution with infants under 6 weeks.
OfficialCDC Yellow Book: high-altitude travel and altitude sickness · checked 29 Sep 2026
The level III public hospital Honorio Delgado: paediatrics, neonatology, intensive care, neurosurgery, oncology. The social insurer EsSalud has 29 facilities in the region.
OfficialHospital Regional III Honorio Delgado: website and list of services · checked 29 Sep 2026
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
The department of Santa Cruz had 5131 hospital beds in 2024, about 691 inhabitants per bed. This is slightly worse than the national average (669).
OfficialINE with Ministry of Health data: hospital beds and inhabitants per bed by department, 2005 - 2024 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Transport
Arequipa
The airport is 8 km from the centre and is open between 5 and 22 hours. The departures board on 29 September 2026 showed 22 departures: 20 to Lima and 2 to Cusco, with no international ones.
SpecialistAeropuertos Andinos del Perú: Arequipa airport and departures board · checked 29 Sep 2026
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
INE names Viru Viru near Santa Cruz one of the three key international airports; the city also has El Trompillo. A highway runs to Cochabamba and La Paz.
OfficialINE: geographic information on Bolivia (roads and international airports) · checked 6 Oct 2026
Climate
Arequipa
In winter it is about 5.5 degrees at night and 21–22 during the day. Daytime temperature is almost the same all year round, with a day-night difference of 13–16 degrees.
OfficialWMO, World Weather Information Service: climate normals of Arequipa · checked 29 Sep 2026
About 95 mm a year, and almost all of it in January–March. From April to November, 0 to 2 mm a month falls.
OfficialWMO, World Weather Information Service: climate normals of Arequipa · checked 29 Sep 2026
Even in July, SENAMHI forecast an ultraviolet index of 8–12 for Arequipa, from “very high” to “extreme”. The weather service advises staying out of the sun from 9 to 16.
SpecialistInfobae: SENAMHI warns of extreme ultraviolet in the southern sierra, 4-6 July 2026 · checked 29 Sep 2026
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
About 1370 mm of precipitation a year, from 980 to 1740 mm in different years. The rainiest are December and January (about 180 mm), the driest is July (about 26 mm).
OfficialINE with SENAMHI data: mean temperature and precipitation by city by month, 1990 - 2026; annual tables by weather station, 2005 - 2024 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Winter is warm: the mean temperature in June-August is about 21.7 degrees. But the yearly absolute minimum at the city weather station is 2-9 degrees.
OfficialINE with SENAMHI data: mean temperature and precipitation by city by month, 1990 - 2026; annual tables by weather station, 2005 - 2024 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Safety
Arequipa
IGP calls Misti the most dangerous volcano in Peru: more than a million people live on its slopes and around it. The last eruption was in the fifteenth century.
OfficialIGP: volcanic Arequipa, 5 facts about active volcanoes · checked 29 Sep 2026
The 2001 earthquake of magnitude 8.2 caused shaking of intensity VIII on the Mercalli scale in Arequipa. According to IGP, about 30% of the energy off the southern coast has still not been released.
OfficialIGP: memories of the earthquake that will happen again (Arequipa, 2001) · checked 29 Sep 2026
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
In 2024 police in the department of Santa Cruz got 15.6 thousand crime reports, 5.1 thousand on robberies. Homicide reports in 2023: 228, three times La Paz.
OfficialINE with police data: crime reports in the department of Santa Cruz by type, 2007 - 2024 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Internet and phone
Arequipa
Movistar sells home fibre at 400 Mbit/s for 89.90 soles a month, 79.90 for the first two months. Arequipa is on Movistar's list of fibre zones.
SpecialistMovistar Perú: “Solo internet” plans · checked 29 Sep 2026
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
The state operator Entel sells home fiber at 200 Mbps for 229 Bs a month, 1000 Mbps for 450 Bs. Installation is 200 Bs, subject to an address check.
SpecialistEntel: home fiber internet, Simple plans · checked 6 Oct 2026
Services
Arequipa
For consumption above 140 kWh, electricity costs 0.66 soles per kWh plus 3.60 soles a month, without IGV tax. 200 kWh is about 136 soles before tax.
OfficialSEAL: tariff schedule No. 003-2026 for end users, from 4 February 2026 · checked 29 Sep 2026
Water and sewerage: the first 10 m³ at 1.65 soles, then 2.96 and 6.00. A bill for 15 m³ is about 41 soles with tax; this is a calculation based on the SEDAPAR tariff.
OfficialSunass: resolution 00146-2025-SUNASS-CD, SEDAPAR tariff structure for year 5 of the 2021-2026 period · checked 30 Sep 2026
There is no piped gas concessionaire in Arequipa; the network is being built under the state Bonogas programme in five districts. The rest cook on cylinders, and we did not find their price.
OfficialMINEM: first stage of gas network construction in Arequipa, Moquegua and Tacna (Sur Oeste concession) · checked 30 Sep 2026
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Liquefied gas at a regulated price of 2.25 Bs per kg, a 10 kg cylinder is 22.50 Bs (under 2 dollars). We did not find the piped gas tariff.
OfficialANH: regulated prices of petroleum products on the domestic market, including liquefied gas (GLP) · checked 6 Oct 2026
The average residential tariff of the CRE cooperative in 2024 was 11 US cents per kWh without VAT, about 0.77 Bs. 300 kWh a month is about 230 Bs before tax.
OfficialAETN: statistical yearbook 2024, average tariff for the final consumer by category (CRE, Área Integrada) · checked 6 Oct 2026
The SAGUAPAC water utility received on average about 7 Bs per billed m³ in 2025. Only two thirds of residents in its area have sewerage.
OfficialSAGUAPAC: annual report (Memoria) for 2025 · checked 6 Oct 2026

