Explore Cities/Compare Cities/Cuenca vs Cusco

Cuenca vs Cusco

Side-by-side comparison for digital nomads

Cusco +90 Mbps Moderate / N/A

Cuenca

Fernando Tapia/Unsplash

Cusco

Stefano Garay/Unsplash

Nomad Cost

$1,294

Cuenca

$1,326

Cusco

Internet

110

Mbps

200

Mbps

Safety

Moderate

Cuenca

N/A

Cusco

Air Quality

5/5

Cuenca

5/5

Cusco

Healthcare

Moderate

Cuenca

N/A

Cusco

Population

331.9k

Cuenca

427.2k

Cusco

Cuenca (Ecuador) and Cusco (Peru) are both in Latin America, offering different takes on the nomad lifestyle. Here is how they compare across the metrics that matter most.

Cost of Living

Both cities sit in a similar price range — Cuenca at $1294/mo and Cusco at $1326/mo — so cost alone is not a deciding factor here.

For families, Cuenca costs $2675.15625/mo compared to Cusco's $1784.117605566994/mo.

Internet & Infrastructure

Remote workers will appreciate Cusco's 200 Mbps (global #0) — considerably faster than Cuenca's 110 Mbps (#0).

Quality of Life

Both Cuenca and Cusco share the same safety rating — travelers can feel equally comfortable in either city.

Healthcare quality is rated similarly in both Cuenca and Cusco.

Monthly Weather Comparison

The best time to visit Cuenca is November (around 24 degrees, 0mm rain, score 414), while Cusco peaks in June (13 degrees, 0mm rain, score 368). Timing your stay around these months can make a big difference in your experience.

Cost of Living

CuencaCusco

Nomad$1,294/mo$1,326/mo

Expat$977/mo$714/mo

Local$764/mo$510/mo

Family$2,675/mo$1,784/mo

Internet & Infrastructure

CuencaCusco

City Speed

110 Mbps

200 Mbps

Country Speed110 Mbps200 Mbps

Environment & Health

CuencaCusco

Air Quality Score5/55/5

PollutionModerateN/A

ClimateHighN/A

Humidity8682

Quality of Life

CuencaCusco

SafetyModerateN/A

HealthcareModerateN/A

Monthly Weather Comparison

Cuenca

Cusco

Jan

22°

3mm311

14°

6mm148

Feb

23°

7mm250

14°

6mm194

Mar

22°

3mm311

14°

5mm255

Apr

22°

8mm219

14°

1mm286

May

22°

6mm234

14°

0mm353

Jun

20°

3mm296

13°

0mm368

Jul

17°

0mm379

12°

0mm368

Aug

19°

1mm385

13°

0mm356

Sep

20°

0mm399

15°

1mm344

Oct

23°

2mm332

15°

2mm286

Nov

24°

0mm414

14°

9mm171

Dec

22°

9mm250

14°

5mm178

Who Should Choose Cuenca?

Great for budget nomads — monthly costs around $1294
Excellent for video calls and large uploads with 110 Mbps
Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
Family-friendly at $2675.15625/mo for families
Smaller city feel with 331.9k residents
Peak season in November — 24 degrees, score 414

Who Should Choose Cusco?

Great for budget nomads — monthly costs around $1326
Excellent for video calls and large uploads with 200 Mbps
Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
Family-friendly at $1784.117605566994/mo for families
Smaller city feel with 427.2k residents
Peak season in June — 13 degrees, score 368

Overall Verdict

For the typical digital nomad, Cuenca is the stronger pick. At $1294/mo it beats Cusco's $1326/mo by 2%, and the 110 Mbps internet handles video calls without issues.

Granular Price Comparison

Cuenca Cusco

ItemCuencaCuscoDiff

🍽️Restaurants8 items

Meal, inexpensive restaurant$10.54$1.96

81%

Meal for 2, mid-range (3-course)$34.25$26.11

24%

McMeal or equivalent combo$7.9$5.74

27%

Cappuccino (regular)$1.26$1.57

20%

Domestic beer (0.5L draught)$2.11$2.09

Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$2.63$3.92

33%

Coke/Pepsi (0.33L)$1.83$0.67

63%

Water (0.33L)$0.97$0.48

51%

🛒Markets19 items

Milk (1L)$0.68$1.2

43%

White bread (500g)$0.66$1.82

64%

White rice (1kg)—$1.11

—

Eggs (12)$1.99$2.09

Chicken fillets (1kg)$5.09$6.4

20%

Beef round (1kg)$8.96$6.13

32%

Local cheese (1kg)$10.54$4.96

53%

Apples (1kg)$1.57$1.65

Bananas (1kg)$1.46$1.24

15%

Oranges (1kg)$0.63$1.7

63%

Tomatoes (1kg)$3.09$1.49

52%

Potatoes (1kg)$0.63$1.37

54%

Onions (1kg)$1.12$1.27

12%

Lettuce (1 head)$1.05$0.91

13%

Water (1.5L bottle)$1.02$0.92

10%

Wine, mid-range bottle$3.16$9.01

65%

Domestic beer (0.5L bottle)$0.48$2.19

78%

Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$1.11$3.44

68%

Cigarettes (pack of 20)$5.48$4.57

17%

🚌Transport8 items

One-way local transport ticket$1.11$0.26

77%

Monthly transport pass—$15.66

—

Taxi start (normal tariff)$3.74$1.31

65%

Taxi per 1km$0.9$1.17

23%

Taxi 1hr waiting$18.97$5.22

72%

Gasoline (1L)$1.52$1.13

26%

Volkswagen Golf (new)$20,021.16$19,006.4

Toyota Corolla (new)$21,074.9$19,506.51

⚡Utilities3 items

Utilities, 85m² apartment/mo$152.79$60.83

60%

Internet 60+ Mbps/mo$56.2$35.68

37%

Mobile prepaid per minute—$0.19

—

🏋️Sport & Leisure3 items

Fitness club, monthly$36.88$33.07

10%

Tennis court rent (1hr weekend)$10.54$5.22

50%

Cinema, 1 ticket$7.64$5.22

32%

👶Childcare2 items

Preschool, full-day private/mo—$130.53

—

International primary school/yr$3,161.24$6,056.65

48%

👗Clothing4 items

Jeans (Levi's 501 or similar)$59.71$48.64

19%

Summer dress (chain store)$29.86$20.8

30%

Nike running shoes (mid-range)$89.57$82.67

Men's leather business shoes$77.27$69.18

10%

🏠Rent4 items

1-bedroom apartment, city centre—$358.96

—

1-bedroom apartment, outside centre—$254.54

—

3-bedroom apartment, city centre—$663.1

—

3-bedroom apartment, outside centre—$475.13

—

🏗️Buy2 items

Price per m², city centre$2,212.86$3,959.45

44%

Price per m², outside centre$1,264.49$2,339.76

46%

💰Finance2 items

Average monthly net salary$1,185.46$435.1

63%

Mortgage interest rate (20yr fixed)$3.52$11

68%

Lower is better for all cost items.

Data from Open-Meteo (weather) and global internet speed rankings. Updated monthly.

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