Cost per day · Peru
Cusco on $30, $100 or $400 a day
How much does Cusco cost per day? Budget travellers get by on about $30 a day, mid-range trips run around $100, and luxury starts near $400 — accommodation, food, transport and activities included.
That makes Cusco the 32nd cheapest of 100 cities for a mid-range trip — see all 100 ranked.
The Inca capital sits at 3,400 metres, its Spanish churches built straight onto Inca walls whose stones fit without mortar. It is the base for the Sacred Valley, the Rainbow Mountain and Machu Picchu, and a city of markets, alpaca wool and some of Peru's best restaurants in its own right.
Cusco is cheap to live in day to day — a set-menu lunch costs a few dollars and hostels are inexpensive — but Machu Picchu is not. Budget for the entrance and the train or a trek, and keep the rest simple.
✈️ How to Get There
🗺️ What to Do
The Jesuits' baroque church on the main square, rivalling the cathedral
Get tickets on Tiqets →A Spanish cathedral on an Inca palace, with a Last Supper of roast guinea pig
Get tickets on Tiqets →Cusco School paintings in the Archbishop's palace on Inca foundations
Get tickets on Tiqets →🏨 Where to Stay
Colonial courtyard hostel with tours and a bar
Busy hostel a block from the main square with coworking and private rooms
Clean, friendly hotel near the Plaza de Armas with oxygen on request
Sample 3-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Acclimatise slowly ~$25
Day 2: The Sacred Valley by colectivo ~$40
Day 3: Inca walls ~$35
Eat the menú del día at a local restaurant or in San Pedro market. The Boleto Turístico covers sixteen sites including Sacsayhuamán and the Sacred Valley ruins. Take a colectivo to the Sacred Valley rather than a tour.
Mid-range buys a colonial hotel with oxygen-enriched rooms, a guided Sacred Valley day, the Vistadome train to Machu Picchu with a guide, and dinners at Cusco's best Peruvian restaurants.
✈️ How to Get There
🗺️ What to Do
Cusco School paintings in the Archbishop's palace on Inca foundations
Get tickets on Tiqets →A dawn start to the striped peak of Vinicunca at 5,000 metres
Get tickets on Tiqets →Pisac's terraces and market, Ollantaytambo's fortress and a valley lunch
Get tickets on Tiqets →🏨 Where to Stay
Colonial house in the artisans' quarter of San Blas
An eighteenth-century mansion around a stone courtyard
Built on the site of an old market, near San Pedro
Sample 3-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Colonial Cusco ~$110
Day 2: Sacred Valley ~$160
Day 3: Machu Picchu ~$400
Book Machu Picchu entry and the train weeks ahead in the dry season. Spend a night in the Sacred Valley first — it is lower and helps with altitude. Rainbow Mountain is spectacular but brutal at 5,000 metres.
Luxury Cusco is a former Inca palace or monastery hotel, the Hiram Bingham train to Machu Picchu, a night at the Sanctuary Lodge beside the ruins and a tasting menu at MIL above Moray.
✈️ How to Get There
🗺️ What to Do
A guided day hike through villages and terraces of the Sacred Valley
Get tickets on Tiqets →A working convent's museum of colonial art, built on the House of the Chosen Women
Get tickets on Tiqets →The Jesuits' baroque church on the main square, rivalling the cathedral
Get tickets on Tiqets →🏨 Where to Stay
An eleven-suite colonial mansion on a quiet square
A sixteenth-century seminary with a chapel and oxygenated rooms
An Inca palace and convent turned all-suite hotel with a heated pool
Sample 3-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Palaces of Cusco ~$900
Day 2: Moray and MIL ~$1100
Day 3: Machu Picchu in style ~$2000
The Belmond Monasterio and the Palacio Nazarenas are the addresses in town. The Hiram Bingham train includes lunch and the ruins with a guide. MIL, Virgilio Martínez's restaurant at 3,500 metres, is worth the drive.
About Cusco
Highland subtropical: dry season days are sunny and mild (19–21°C) with cold nights near freezing; the wet season (November–March) brings afternoon rain.
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| 13° | 13° | 13° | 12° | 11° | 10° | 10° | 11° | 12° | 13° | 13° | 13° |
| 18d | 16d | 14d | 8d | 3d | 2d | 2d | 3d | 5d | 8d | 11d | 15d |
| low | low | low | mid | high | high | high | high | high | mid | mid | low |
The historic centre is walkable, though steep at altitude. Taxis are cheap; agree the fare first or use an app. Trains to Machu Picchu leave from Poroy and Ollantaytambo. No metro.
A travel eSIM gets you online the moment you land in Peru — data plans start at $4.50 — no roaming bill, no queue for a local SIM, and nothing to swap in and out of your phone. Install it before you fly.
The main square and the streets around it, with the cathedral, restaurants and hotels at every price.
Best for midrangeThe hillside artisans' quarter of whitewashed houses, workshops, cafés and boutique hotels, with views over the roofs.
Best for midrangeAround the central market and the station, with budget hostels and everyday Cusco life.
Best for budgetAbove the main square toward Sacsayhuamán, quieter streets with views over the city.
Best for budgetA small square above the centre with the Monasterio, the Nazarenas and Inkaterra La Casona.
Best for luxuryAn hour away and 500 metres lower, a valley of resorts and lodges that eases altitude sickness.
Best for luxury- ✓Take it easy for a day or two and drink coca tea for the altitude
- ✓Book Machu Picchu tickets and trains weeks ahead in the dry season
- ✓Ask before photographing people in traditional dress; many expect a tip
- ✓Learn a few words of Quechua — "sulpayki" (thank you) delights people
- ✓Carry small notes and coins; change is often scarce
- ✓Respect the rules at Machu Picchu: fixed circuits and time slots
- ✗Drink tap water
- ✗Drink heavily on your first night at altitude
- ✗Climb on Inca walls or touch the stonework
- ✗Take unofficial taxis at night
- ✗Buy products made from vicuña unless certified
- ✗Fly drones near the archaeological sites
Travel Insurance for Cusco
Travel insurance is strongly recommended for any trip to Cusco. Safety is rated Generally safe for visitors. Watch for pickpockets in the San Pedro market and the Plaza de Armas, use registered taxis at night, and take altitude seriously — rest on the first day. — even in safe destinations, unexpected medical emergencies or trip cancellations can be costly. Make sure your policy covers emergency medical treatment, hospitalisation, trip cancellation, and emergency evacuation.
Visa note: Visa-free for up to 90 days (often 183 at the border officer's discretion) for UK, US, EU, Canadian and Australian passports.. Some countries require proof of travel insurance as part of the visa application.
Get travel insurance for Cusco →FAQ: Cusco Travel Questions
Is Cusco safe to visit? ▾
Generally safe for visitors. Watch for pickpockets in the San Pedro market and the Plaza de Armas, use registered taxis at night, and take altitude seriously — rest on the first day.
When is the best time to visit Cusco? ▾
May–September, the dry season, for clear skies and the Inti Raymi festival on 24 June. The Inca Trail closes in February for maintenance. Highland subtropical: dry season days are sunny and mild (19–21°C) with cold nights near freezing; the wet season (November–March) brings afternoon rain.
How much does a trip to Cusco cost per day? ▾
- budget: $30–$55/day
- midrange: $100–$180/day
- luxury: $400–$900/day
Do I need a visa to visit Peru? ▾
Visa-free for up to 90 days (often 183 at the border officer's discretion) for UK, US, EU, Canadian and Australian passports.
How do I get around Cusco? ▾
The historic centre is walkable, though steep at altitude. Taxis are cheap; agree the fare first or use an app. Trains to Machu Picchu leave from Poroy and Ollantaytambo. No metro. Taxi base fare ~$2. Day pass ~$2.
Is tipping expected in Cusco? ▾
Leave 10% in restaurants if service is not included, tip guides and porters on treks, and small change for musicians.
What currency is used in Peru? ▾
The local currency is PEN, and the official language is Spanish, Quechua.