Living Conditions in Peru

General considerations

To learn more about living and working in Peru, applicants are encouraged to connect with a recruiter to discuss any specific considerations that could affect their service. In addition, please visit the U.S. Department of State's Peru travel information pages for the latest on travel advisories, local laws, and special circumstances.

Applicants who undergo an interview will have additional opportunities to raise questions or concerns. If, upon learning more information, an applicant would like to be considered for a different assignment from the one they have been assigned to serve in, the Peace Corps can often find an alternate option that may be a better fit.

Geography and climate

Peru has three primary geographic regions: Pacific coast, Andean mountains, and Amazon rainforest. The climatic conditions in each of these 3 regions are vastly different depending on the time of year. Coastal sites can experience hotter, drier climates year-round with little to no rainfall. The mountain areas are often high-altitude sites with cold weather, experiencing a wet and dry season. Rainforest communities experience more rain throughout the year and sometimes hotter climate. 

Communications

Mail

In general, airmail takes about two weeks to and from Peru. During training, you can receive mail at the Peace Corps:

Cuerpo de Paz - Peru
"Your Name," PCT
Via Lactea 132
Surco
Lima, Peru

Once you are sworn in as a Volunteer, you will be assigned a regional post office box in a city convenient to your site or will be asked to use your host family’s address as your mailing address.

Telephones

Mobile phone usage is very widespread throughout Peru. Most Volunteers find purchasing a local SIM card to be the most convenient and cost-effective way to communicate. You can bring your own unlocked GSM phone from home, ensuring it is compatible with local networks. Various mobile phone plans are available in Peru, offering competitive rates for both domestic and international calls, as well as data. International calling is readily accessible through these plans. While landlines exist, they are less common, especially outside of major cities.

Internet

Internet access in Peru has expanded significantly in recent years. While internet cafés still exist, particularly in tourist areas, most people rely on mobile data for connectivity. The country has extensive 4G coverage, with 5G becoming increasingly available in urban centers.

Many Volunteers choose mobile data plans for their phones, which generally provide reliable internet access. Wi-Fi is also common in homes, businesses, and public spaces. However, internet availability at a Volunteer’s permanent site can vary, with rural areas often experiencing slower speeds or occasional disruptions. While 4G is widely accessible, it may sometimes drop to 3G in remote locations.

Having a personal mobile data plan is highly recommended. During pre-service training, Volunteers will receive information on communication options and will better understand their internet access once they are assigned to their region and site placement. Being prepared for occasional connectivity issues, especially in rural areas, is advisable.

Housing and site location

All two-year Volunteers are required to live with a host family during the 11 weeks of pre-service training and for the 24 months of service. Couples will live with the same host family. The homestay experience is often one of the most rewarding experiences for Volunteers. It helps facilitate stronger community relationships, engagement, and integration and improves safety and security during service. Peace Corps Response Volunteers live independently during their entire service.

Assignments may be in a city, a mid-sized town, a small town, or a rural village. Housing is usually made of cement or adobe blocks, sometimes covered with stucco. Roofs are made of tile, corrugated tin, or thatch. Volunteers will have their own room, which may be within the larger house or a separate room within (or close to) a family compound. Volunteers will likely have electricity and occasional running water, although not all Volunteers do. The electric current in Peru is 220 volts. Volunteer will have access to either indoor plumbing or a latrine.

Living allowance and money management

Volunteers receive a monthly allowance in local currency that is sufficient to live at the level of the local people. The allowance covers food, household supplies, clothing, transportation to and from work, utilities, recreation and entertainment, and incidental expenses. Peace Corps Volunteers are expected to live at a level that is comparable with that of their host country counterparts. The Peace Corps discourages Volunteers from supplementing their living allowance with funds from home. However, Volunteers often wish to bring additional money for vacation travel to other countries. For this, credit cards and traveler’s checks are preferable to cash. If you choose to bring extra money, bring the amount that will suit your own travel plans and needs.  

Diet

Peruvian diet varies based on geographic location, but in general will include a large amount of starch (potatoes, rice, or cassava) with an option of meat, chicken, or fish. Host families will prepare meals based on what’s available in their areas, and Volunteers should be prepared to eat with host families to show respect for their hospitality and culture. Host families are not accustomed to eating as many fruits and vegetables as Volunteers may be, and they are not expected to prepare special meals for you. Maintaining a vegan or vegetarian diet is possible but may present challenges while serving in Peru. Volunteers will need to adapt to a new diet and be willing to be flexible in their dietary habits. 

Transportation

All Volunteers will have access to regular transportation options in their communities; some may be required to walk up to an hour to get access. Volunteers typically take large, double-decker buses that provide for a comfortable experience on long journeys.  

Cultural attitudes and customs in the workplace

While Peruvians tend to be hardworking and industrious, there is a tendency for activities and meetings to start late, and for business to take longer than anticipated. The concept of teamwork and team building might be relatively new for community partners and colleagues. The pace of life in small and rural communities can pose challenges to keeping people focused on the work at hand, and their ability to provide consistent project support and supervision. Time and energy will need to be invested in relationship building with Peruvian community partners before work results can be achieved. It’s important to consider how to create the best working relationships with different community stakeholders.  

Social activities

As in most Latino countries and cultures, Peruvians love to spend time with family and friends, and almost every activity they undertake includes lots of them. There’s also a big religious influence and many social activities revolve around religious festivals and being together on Sundays. An important social activity for Volunteers is spending time sitting outside the house, socializing with family members and community members in the main square or main plaza (park) in town.

Family celebrations/gatherings

Birthdays are special for most Peruvians and people like to celebrate by cooking a nice meal with their closest family members and friends. It is customary to expect visitors to arrive without an invitation to join the celebration. There are special celebrations for women on their fifteenth birthday, and for men on their eighteenth birthday. Birthday celebrations might include a pre-party get together the night before the actual birthday. Some people like to wait until midnight to give birthday wishes to the person who is celebrating.

Peruvian culture centers around food, and most celebrations include traditional food and drink with an extended mid-day or evening meal. In most communities, markets are more than just a place to buy needed goods. The market is the place to meet and visit with people to exchange news and have discussions. Depending on the community, there will be a regular market day, where people from neighboring communities will bring products to a central location in town.

Religious festivals and holidays

Going to church or another religious service on the weekends is an activity that most Peruvians engage in. Volunteers most likely will be invited by their host families to go to church and it’s important to understand the social value of this activity. As a predominantly Catholic country, Peru has many holidays with religious overtones.

Some common religious celebrations include christenings, confirmations, communions, marriages, and funerals. Some people will throw big parties, especially for christenings and marriages. Funerals might vary depending on the region, but most families will have an open casket wake for a couple of days before the actual date of the burial, followed by a meal with family and friends.

Most communities have an annual civic celebration in the center of town aligned to a patron saint or other attribute that is unique to the community. These events typically include a parade, food, music and dancing, and sporting events such as a soccer match, volleyball match, or rodeo. Depending on the community, these celebrations might take anywhere from one day to three or four weeks.

Sports

Peru has a national soccer league which brings family and friends together to watch games on television. Peruvians have a sense of pride whenever the national team plays, and most people will get together to eat traditional food and drink while watching the game.

Playing soccer or volleyball at night with friends or colleagues is a common activity in most communities. Winning a soccer game, or even losing, creates a sense of solidarity and identity. For most Volunteers, getting involved with sporting events and these local activities is the easiest way to integrate fully into your community. If Volunteers actively engage in the sport, showing an interest and appreciation for the game will go a long way to creating connections with families and community members.

Clubs and bars

Some bigger towns and regional capitals will offer bars and clubs where locals will go on the weekends or the day before a national holiday

Professionalism, appearance, dress, and behavior

Professionalism in the Peace Corps requires an awareness of the host community workplace culture, community values, and Volunteers' self-presentation. To maintain a positive, culturally appropriate professional standing within a host community or workplace, Volunteers may need to adjust their style of dress, hair style, facial hair, make-up, piercings, manner of greeting others, etc., to demonstrate respect for local culture and customs. How they present themselves, in both informal and professional settings, reflects on them as individuals and of them as representatives of the Peace Corps and the United States. In the U.S., dress (and other elements of personal appearance) may be seen as an expression of personal freedom and identity. In many host countries where Peace Corps Volunteers serve, the way people dress and present themselves may be interpreted as an expression of regard—or disregard—for those host community members around them.

Volunteers are encouraged to spend time in their communities, develop their language skills, and get to know the individual members of their community in order to better understand their traditions, culture, and local norms. As mutual trust is established over time, there may be opportunities for Volunteers to adjust their personal appearance and dress outside of the more rigid local standards. Volunteers are encouraged to discuss these potential adjustments with staff and other cultural mentors.

To make a smooth transition to life in Peru, Volunteers may need to make some temporary, yet fundamental, compromises in how they present themselves as U.S. citizens and as individuals and will need to develop techniques and personal strategies for coping with challenges. During pre-service training, staff will provide strategies on how to adapt personal choices and behavior to be respectful of the host country culture and will be available for ongoing support.