Cusco logs 0 outdoor-dinner months a year to Lima's 8 — Lima wins by 8. Lima also leads on sunny days by 78.

Cusco runs about $974/mo for a balanced lifestyle against Lima's $1,015/mo — Cusco comes in $41 cheaper each month, roughly 4% less.

On mobility, Lima scores 2.2 vs Cusco's 1.6 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on motorbike/scooter efficiency. Cusco still holds an edge on walkability.

Lima's culture score of 3.5 sits well above Cusco's 3.3, with the biggest gap on arts & culture. Cusco still holds an edge on history museums.

Cusco's nature & outdoors score of 4.0 sits well above Lima's 3.5, with the biggest gap on mountain access. Lima still holds an edge on sea access.

Cusco's safety score is ~1.8× Lima's — below average, while Lima lands near the floor, with the biggest gap on road safety. Lima still holds an edge on flooding safety.

Lima's career score of 3.2 sits well above Cusco's 1.6, with the biggest gap on career opportunities.

Lima's social & community score is ~1.3× Cusco's — in the middle of the scale, while Cusco lands below average, with the biggest gap on expat integration experience.

On food & dining, Lima scores 3.6 vs Cusco's 2.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on food delivery.

On family, Lima scores 2.5 vs Cusco's 1.3 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on universities. Cusco still holds an edge on playgrounds.

On healthcare, Lima scores 2.4 vs Cusco's 2.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on private healthcare quality. Cusco still holds an edge on public healthcare quality.

Cusco averages 16.7 µg/m³ (sensitive-groups) PM2.5 annually versus Lima's 26.7 µg/m³ (unhealthy) — Cusco breathes ~37% cleaner air (10.0 µg/m³ lower).

Who Thrives Here