Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ayacucho and Cajamarca

For one person, living is cheaper in Ayacucho: $474 a month against $706 in Cajamarca, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Ayacucho, Peru
Cajamarca, Peru
Ayacucho
🇵🇪 Peru
$474
/mo nomad
Cajamarca
🇵🇪 Peru
$706
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ayacucho and in Cajamarca

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ayacucho and in Cajamarca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $474 in Ayacucho versus $706 in Cajamarca.

  • Ayacucho $474
  • Cajamarca $706

Estimated couple costs with rent: $766 in Ayacucho versus $1,185 in Cajamarca.

  • Ayacucho $766
  • Cajamarca $1,185

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,058 in Ayacucho versus $1,664 in Cajamarca.

  • Ayacucho $1,058
  • Cajamarca $1,664

Living in Ayacucho costs roughly 33% less than in Cajamarca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ayacucho 65% lower, Cajamarca 48% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ayacucho
Cajamarca
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.69 PEN 5.82
$3.25 PEN 11.19
-48.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
-
$29.07 PEN 100
-
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
-
$5.67 PEN 19.53
-
Cappuccino
$1.78 PEN 6.12
$2.84 PEN 9.79
-37.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 PEN 3.14
$0.69 PEN 2.39
31.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 PEN 1.04
$0.55 PEN 1.90
-45.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.47 PEN 5.08
$2.67 PEN 9.19
-44.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 PEN 15.09
$3.54 PEN 12.19
23.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ayacucho
Cajamarca
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
-
$1.36 PEN 4.68
-
White Bread (500g)
-
$3.12 PEN 10.74
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.56 PEN 1.93
$1.25 PEN 4.32
-55.20%
Eggs
$1.79 PEN 6.17
$2.28 PEN 7.84
-21.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$2.95 PEN 10.18
$7.01 PEN 24.17
-57.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.27 PEN 14.73
$7.52 PEN 25.94
-43.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.66 PEN 19.50
$15.82 PEN 54.5
-64.22%
Apples (1kg)
$1.18 PEN 4.08
$0.85 PEN 2.93
38.82%
Banana (1kg)
$0.57 PEN 1.96
$0.90 PEN 3.10
-36.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.60 PEN 2.09
$1.14 PEN 3.93
-47.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.56 PEN 1.93
$0.89 PEN 3.06
-37.08%
Potato (1kg)
$0.30 PEN 1.05
$0.84 PEN 2.88
-64.29%
Onion (1kg)
$0.30 PEN 1.04
$0.71 PEN 2.45
-57.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.28 PEN 0.95
$0.90 PEN 3.11
-68.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 PEN 3.03
$0.76 PEN 2.60
15.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$7.41 PEN 25.55
-
Wine (Bottle)
$5.90 PEN 20.32
$11.68 PEN 40.25
-49.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.98 PEN 10.27
$2.53 PEN 8.73
17.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.40 PEN 15.16
$2.66 PEN 9.16
65.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Ayacucho
Cajamarca
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.61 PEN 2.10
$0.61 PEN 2.10
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$35.47 PEN 122
$8.76 PEN 30.21
304.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.26 PEN 7.80
$2.59 PEN 8.93
-12.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.15 PEN 3.95
$1.70 PEN 5.87
-32.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.31 PEN 14.85
$5.75 PEN 19.83
-25.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.71 PEN 5.88
$1.40 PEN 4.83
22.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$9,956 PEN 34.3K
$23.1K PEN 79.7K
-56.92%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$12.3K PEN 42.5K
$28.5K PEN 98.3K
-56.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ayacucho
Cajamarca
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
-
$57.7 PEN 199
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.47 PEN 39.52
$9.57 PEN 32.98
19.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.16 PEN 59.2
$20.41 PEN 70.3
-15.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ayacucho
Cajamarca
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$14.48 PEN 49.91
$33.27 PEN 115
-56.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.41 PEN 101
$17.16 PEN 59.2
71.39%
Cinema Ticket
$4.44 PEN 15.31
$3.76 PEN 12.96
18.09%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ayacucho
Cajamarca
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$72.4 PEN 250
$146 PEN 503
-50.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$4,405 PEN 15.2K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ayacucho
Cajamarca
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$17.29 PEN 59.6
$42.92 PEN 148
-59.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.45 PEN 91.2
$28.76 PEN 99.1
-8.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 PEN 353
$71.8 PEN 248
42.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 PEN 355
$72.4 PEN 250
42.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ayacucho
Cajamarca
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$342 PEN 1,180
$197 PEN 681
73.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$88.5 PEN 305
$114 PEN 393
-22.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$861 PEN 2,968
$530 PEN 1,828
62.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$232 PEN 799
$317 PEN 1,092
-26.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,884 PEN 6,493
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,739 PEN 5,995
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ayacucho
Cajamarca
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$471 PEN 1,624
$549 PEN 1,892
-14.13%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
11
-

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ayacucho: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cajamarca: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Ayacucho
$120 *
Cajamarca
$242 102% $122
Clothing & Footwear
Ayacucho
$112
Cajamarca
$97 13.3% $15
Accommodation & Living
Ayacucho
$88
Cajamarca
$114 29% $26
Eating Out
Ayacucho
$56 *
Cajamarca
$102 83.5% $47
Getting Around
Ayacucho
$46
Cajamarca
$22 51.4% $24
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ayacucho
$29 *
Cajamarca
$88 206% $59
Sport & Entertainment
Ayacucho
$23
Cajamarca
$41 74.6% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $342 in Ayacucho and $197 in Cajamarca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cajamarca pays 16% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know
🇵🇪 Ayacucho
🇵🇪 Cajamarca
🕒 Local time
17:57 5:57 PM
17:57 5:57 PM
Same time as Ayacucho
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
99,427
218,741
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.261 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ayacucho Cajamarca 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Ayacucho
  • Cajamarca

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Ayacucho vs Cajamarca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ayacucho or Cajamarca?
Ayacucho wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Cajamarca. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ayacucho the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Ayacucho or in Cajamarca?
On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Ayacucho. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Ayacucho compared to Cajamarca?
Rent for a central apartment: $342 in Ayacucho versus $197 in Cajamarca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Ayacucho and in Cajamarca?
Childcare runs $72 in Ayacucho versus $146 in Cajamarca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How expensive is transport in Ayacucho compared to Cajamarca?
A monthly transit pass in Cajamarca runs roughly 75% less than in Ayacucho. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Can you live on $800/month in Ayacucho or in Cajamarca?
Either city works on $800 a month, though Ayacucho gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How safe is Ayacucho compared to Cajamarca?
Safety-wise, Ayacucho and Cajamarca are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Should I move to Ayacucho or to Cajamarca?
It comes down to priorities – Ayacucho wins on affordability, Cajamarca on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Ayacucho vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?