Cusco
A city at 3,414 m: winter nights around zero, UV index 8-12, rains from December to March. In 2025 the airport handled 4.57 million domestic passengers; the poverty line for a family is 1,620 soles.
Key figures
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Housing and money
Updated 6 Oct 2026
A family of four in highland cities counts as poor with spending below 1,620 soles a month (INEI line, 2025). In the Cusco department 18.8% are poor.
OfficialINEI: Peru, evolution of monetary poverty 2016-2025 · 6 Oct 2026
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INEI, monetary poverty report for 2025 (May 2026). The poverty line (food plus housing, transport, clothing, education, health and other items) for the urban highlands domain, which includes the city of Cusco: 405 soles per person per month, 399 in 2024; for Lima and Callao 568. INEI does not publish a separate line for the city of Cusco, so the domain line is used. For a family of four that is 1,620 soles; the multiplication is ours. In 2025, 18.8% of the population of the Cusco department were poor. Average nominal spending per person in the department is 693 soles a month, about 2,772 for four, also our multiplication; this is an average for the whole department, including rural areas. The line does not include rent in the historic centre or a private school, so the budget of a newly arrived family is noticeably higher.
The INEI minimum food basket for highland cities is 235 soles per person a month, 940 soles for a family of four. Figures for 2025.
OfficialINEI: Peru, evolution of monetary poverty 2016-2025 · 6 Oct 2026
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INEI calculates the extreme poverty line as the cost of a minimum food basket per person per month, separately for each domain of the country. There is no separate figure for the city of Cusco; it belongs to the urban highlands domain (Sierra urbana): 235 soles per person in 2025, 231 in 2024. For a family of four that is 940 soles; the multiplication is ours. For comparison, the same basket costs 307 soles per person in Lima and Callao. This is the minimum below which a family counts as extremely poor, not an actual supermarket bill, and prices in the tourist centre of Cusco may be higher than the domain average.
Shared data (Peru): 3 factsOpen
A foreigner becomes a tax resident after 183 days in Peru within 12 months, from the following year. Income from work and from abroad is taxed on a scale of 8–30%.
OfficialSUNAT: clarification No. 000052-2025 on tax residency and the income tax scale for employment income · 29 Sep 2026
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SUNAT, clarification No. 000052-2025 of 13 May 2025, referring to articles 7 and 8 of the income tax law: a foreigner is considered a tax resident (domiciliado) if they spent more than 183 calendar days in Peru in any period of 12 months; the status applies from the following tax year. For a resident, net income from work is added to net income from foreign sources and taxed on a progressive scale: up to 5 UIT 8%, from 5 to 20 UIT 14%, from 20 to 35 17%, from 35 to 45 20%, above 45 UIT 30%. 7 UIT is deducted from income from work every year. The UIT in 2026 equals 5500 soles: Migraciones on the citizenship page equates 10 UIT to 55,000 soles. So the untaxed 7 UIT is 38,500 soles, and the 30% rate starts from 247,500 soles of taxable income a year; this is our recalculation. About benefits for new residents this document says nothing.
INEI, July 2025 – June 2026: an average of 1,966 soles a month, about $575, and 2,313 in Lima. The minimum wage from 1 October 2026 is 1,230 soles.
OfficialINEI - Perú: Comportamiento de los Indicadores del Mercado Laboral a Nivel Nacional, II trimestre 2026 · 1 Oct 2026
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The statistics institute INEI, from the EPEN survey: the average monthly income from work nationwide for July 2025 – June 2026 is 1,966.3 soles, up from 1,805.7 a year earlier. In cities it is 2,135.1, in rural areas 1,014.5. In Lima for May–July 2026 it is 2,312.6 soles, for employees in Lima 2,476.0, and for the self-employed 1,969.0. Caveats: this is an average, not a median; the national income includes one-off payments, the Christmas and July bonuses (gratificaciones) and profit sharing; it covers both employees and the self-employed, and 69.3% of employed people work informally. The minimum wage: 1,130 soles since January 2025 (Decreto Supremo 006-2024-TR); on 28 September 2026 the president signed a decree raising it to 1,230 soles from 1 October 2026, and later, after the El Niño phenomenon, to 1,300. In dollars at the end-of-September 2026 rate (3.42): the national average is about 575, Lima about 676, the minimum wage about 360.
From 1 October 2026: 1,230 soles a month, about $360. It was 1,130 before.
OfficialPresidency of Peru: decree signed raising the minimum wage to 1,230 and then 1,300 soles · 1 Oct 2026
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The minimum wage: 1,130 soles since January 2025 (Decreto Supremo 006-2024-TR). On 28 September 2026 the president signed a decree raising it to 1,230 soles from 1 October 2026, and later, after the El Niño phenomenon, to 1,300. In dollars at the end-of-September 2026 rate (3.42): about 360.
For consumption above 140 kWh, electricity costs 0.82 soles per kWh plus 4 soles a month, without IGV. 300 kWh comes to about 250 soles before tax, about 295 with IGV.
OfficialElectro Sur Este: tariff schedule for end users from 4 August 2026 · 6 Oct 2026
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Electro Sur Este tariff schedule in force from 4 August 2026, Cusco electrical system, residential tariff BT5B; the header states that the rates exclude IGV. For consumption up to 140 kWh a month: the first 30 kWh at 56.06 centimos and a fixed charge of 3.91 soles; from 31 to 140 kWh, 16.82 soles for the first 30 kWh and 80.08 centimos for each following one. Above 140 kWh, 81.92 centimos per kWh for the whole volume and 4.00 soles a month. Our arithmetic, not a company bill: 300 kWh (a family with an electric heater or water heater) - 4 + 300 × 0.8192 = 249.76 soles before tax, about 294.72 with 18% IGV; 200 kWh - about 168 soles before tax. Tariffs are revised several times a year, so the latest schedule on the company's gob.pe page should be checked before calculating. Water (SEDACUSCO) and gas are not part of this fact; we did not find their tariffs.
Documents
Updated 4 Oct 2026
Shared data (Peru): 3 factsOpen
Russians and Ukrainians do not need a tourist visa: 90 days in every 180. Belarusians: 90 days with an extension. Citizens of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Armenia need a visa.
OfficialPeru's Ministry of Foreign Affairs: visa requirements and exemptions for ordinary passports · 29 Sep 2026
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Table of the Peruvian Foreign Ministry “Requerimientos y exoneración de visas” for ordinary passports, version of 16 July 2026. Russia: tourism without a visa, 90 days in every 180 days from the first entry; for a business trip (negocios) a visa is needed. Ukraine: the same, 90 of 180 for tourism, a visa for business. Belarus and Moldova: 90 days for tourism with the right to extend once for the same period within 365 days from the first entry, a visa for business. Georgia: 90 of 180 for tourism. A visa for both tourism and business is required of citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. According to the table, those exempt from a visa are admitted with the status of a tourist or businessperson, depending on the purpose of the trip; to live in the country, a separate residence (calidad migratoria) is needed, see the neighbouring fact.
Without work in Peru, the rentista status fits: a pension or permanent income from abroad of 1000 dollars a month or more, and the status is indefinite. With work, the trabajador visa.
OfficialMigraciones: rentista status, application from abroad · 29 Sep 2026
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Migraciones pages on gob.pe. Rentista: for those who receive a pension or a permanent rent from Peru or from abroad. For income from abroad, a document on net permanent income of at least 1000 dollars a month is needed, plus a declaration that the money arrives through a bank supervised by SBS. The application must be filed while outside Peru, fee 58.80 soles; changing the status to rentista from inside the country costs 161.40 soles and requires an apostille or consular legalisation of the income document. The rentista status gives indefinite stay. Trabajador: for work as an employee or independently; it requires an employment contract of at least one year approved by the labour inspectorate and a declaration from the employer, who must be active in SUNAT; with a contract shorter than a year, a temporary work status. For all, criminal record certificates are needed from the country of origin and from the countries where the person lived for 5 years before arrival.
For now: after 2 years of continuous legal residence, income of 55,000 soles a year or more and an exam. Law 32421 will raise this to 5 years, but only once its regulation is out.
OfficialMigraciones: Peruvian citizenship by naturalization · 4 Oct 2026
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Migraciones, page on naturalisation: one can apply from age 18 after at least two years of continuous legal residence, with a valid carné de extranjería; when counting, the limits on departures from article 63 of the regulation of the migration law are taken into account. Required: proof of income of at least 10 UIT, that is 55,000 soles gross a year, an exam, an Interpol certificate not older than 6 months, an apostilled birth certificate and a declaration on health, address and absence of a criminal record; fee 301.50 soles, response within 30 working days, then an oath ceremony and obtaining a DNI at Reniec. INDECOPI had recognised the Interpol certificate and the health declaration as illegal barriers, but in January 2024 a court suspended that decision, and now both documents are on the list of requirements. Permanent residence (permanente): after three years in a row in the status of worker, investor, researcher or member of a religious community; during these three years one may not be absent for more than 183 days in a row in any period of 365 without permission; an income of 55,000 soles a year for the previous tax year is required, fee 162.50 soles, response in 30 working days. Note: for citizenship two years of legal residence are enough, while permanent residence requires three. This may change soon: the new nationality law 32421 (El Peruano, 15.08.2025) raises the requirement to 5 years of continuous legal residence, and for marriage to a Peruvian citizen to 4 years of marriage, and adds an exam on language, history, geography, the Constitution and culture. The law will enter into force the day after its regulation is published; applications filed earlier are processed under the old rules. The deadline the law set for the regulation has passed, but as of 04.10.2026 we found no published regulation, and the Migraciones naturalisation page (last changed 27.01.2026) still says 2 years. Before applying, check whether the regulation has come out.
Family and health
Updated 6 Oct 2026
In the Cusco department about 18% of children attend private schools: 27 thousand of 152 thousand in primary school and 22 of 122 thousand in secondary (2024).
OfficialINEI: Cusco, statistical compendium 2025 · 6 Oct 2026
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INEI compendium for Cusco 2025, Ministry of Education (ESCALE) data for 2024. Primary school: 151.5 thousand pupils, 27.2 thousand of them in private schools; secondary: 121.8 thousand, 21.6 thousand of them in private ones; kindergarten (inicial): 69.1 thousand, 11.2 thousand of them in private ones. The private share is about 18% in primary and secondary school and about 16% in kindergarten; this is our calculation. The figures cover the whole department, including villages; the table has no breakdown for the city. The number of pupils in private secondary schools grew from 15.7 to 21.6 thousand since 2021. We did not collect private school fees in Cusco; they can be checked for a specific school in the Ministry of Education app Identicole.
The Cusco department has 24 hospitals, including private clinics, and 2,504 hospital beds (2024). The social insurer EsSalud has 5 hospitals in the region.
OfficialINEI: Cusco, statistical compendium 2025 · 6 Oct 2026
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INEI compendium for Cusco 2025. According to SuSalud, in 2024 the department had 24 hospitals (the count includes hospitals of the Ministry of Health, EsSalud, the regional government, the armed forces and police, municipalities, and private clinics), 220 health centres, 308 health posts and 497 private and other doctors' offices. According to the Ministry of Health, there are 2,504 hospital beds in the department. The social insurer EsSalud has 18 facilities in the region, 5 of them hospitals. These are figures for the whole department (1.4 million residents); the tables have no breakdown for the city. We did not check specialists or waiting times compared with Lima.
Shared data (Peru): 1 factOpen
An employee is treated in EsSalud: the employer pays 9% of the salary, and the spouse and minor children are covered. For everyone else there is the public SIS, which has a free plan.
OfficialSUNAT: EsSalud contributions collected by the tax authority · 29 Sep 2026
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Two systems. EsSalud, per the SUNAT page: a contribution of 9% of the worker's monthly income is paid by the employer, and the base cannot be lower than the minimum wage of 1130 soles; covered are the worker, the spouse or partner, minor children, children with total disability and a pregnant woman. SIS (Seguro Integral de Salud): the SIS Para Todos plan is for any resident of the country without other insurance, regardless of income; enrolment and treatment in public facilities of the Ministry of Health and the regions are free, and there is no contribution; a DNI or carné de extranjería is needed. The paid plan SIS Independiente costs from 39 soles a month for one person to 115 for a family of four or more. Private clinics are not included in either plan; they are paid for out of pocket or through private insurance; we did not check its prices.
The city stands at 3,414 m above sea level. Even in winter SENAMHI forecasts an ultraviolet index of 8-12 for Cusco, from "very high" to "extremely high".
OfficialINEI: Cusco, statistical compendium 2025 · 6 Oct 2026
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According to the INEI compendium, Cusco, the capital of the province and department, stands at 3,414 metres above sea level. A flight from Lima takes you to this altitude at once, without gradual acclimatisation; how the altitude is tolerated, especially by children, is best discussed with a doctor in advance. Ultraviolet: according to the SENAMHI forecast for 4-6 July 2026, that is, for the local winter, as retold by Infobae, the departments of Apurímac, Cusco, Arequipa, Moquegua and Puno will have a UV index of 8-12; on the international scale 8-10 is "very high" and 11 and above is "extremely high". We have not yet collected data on seismic hazard or crime in the city itself.
Place
Updated 6 Oct 2026
In 2025 Cusco airport handled 4.57 million domestic passengers and only 203 thousand international ones, 22 times fewer.
OfficialCORPAC: passenger movement at network airports, domestic flights, 2025 · 6 Oct 2026
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CORPAC "Movimiento general de pasajeros" tables for 2025, CUSCO row. Domestic flights: 2,284,439 arriving and 2,282,905 departing, 4,567,344 in total, about 14% of all domestic passenger traffic at CORPAC network airports. International: 96,026 arriving and 107,155 departing, 203,181 in total. The busiest months are July and August, with 450-460 thousand domestic passengers each. That the international flow is 22 times smaller than the domestic one is our division; the table does not give flight destinations.
About 710 mm a year, almost three quarters of it from December to March. From May to August it is dry: 1.5-9 mm a month.
OfficialWMO, World Weather Information Service: climate normals of Cusco · 6 Oct 2026
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By WMO normals (SENAMHI data), monthly precipitation in Cusco: January 145.3 mm, February 133.7, March 107.0, April 43.2, May 8.7, June 1.5, July 4.0, August 8.6, September 21.8, October 39.4, November 71.9, December 122.7. The total is 707.8 mm, of which 508.7 mm, about 72%, falls in December-March; this is our sum, as the source has no annual row. According to annual SENAMHI data in the INEI compendium, 665.3 mm fell in 2023 and 640.8 mm in 2024. The dry season, May-September, coincides with winter and the coldest nights.
In June-July it averages about 0 degrees at night and 19-20 during the day. Daytime temperature is almost the same all year, but winter nights are 6 degrees colder than summer ones.
OfficialWMO, World Weather Information Service: climate normals of Cusco · 6 Oct 2026
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Climate normals of Cusco in the WMO handbook, SENAMHI data: average minimum 0.3 degrees in June, 0.1 in July, 1.6 in August; average maximum in these months 19.1-19.8. The warmest nights are in January-February, 6.5-6.6 degrees, while the average maximum over the year ranges only from 18.8 to 20.9. The WMO does not state the averaging period. Recent annual SENAMHI data in the INEI compendium: average minimum for 2024 of 4.5 degrees, average maximum 22.6, mean 13.5.
Movistar sells home fibre at 400 Mbit/s for 89.90 soles a month, 79.90 for the first two months. The Cusco department is on the list of fibre coverage areas.
SpecialistMovistar Perú: "Solo internet" plans and fibre coverage areas · 6 Oct 2026
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Movistar Perú "Solo internet" plans page on 6 October 2026: fibre at 400 Mbit/s with symmetric speed, raised to 1000 Mbit/s for the first year as a promotion; the price is 79.90 soles a month for two months, then 89.90. The bundle with a mobile line is 109.90 soles a month, with television 154.90 for the first two months and then 174.90. Movistar names Cusco among the departments with fibre coverage; connection of a specific building is checked by address. The prices on the page are nationwide; there is no separate price list for Cusco. We did not compare other providers.
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