Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Cajamarca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cajamarca: $706 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Cajamarca
Learn more

Cajamarca Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Peru

$706

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona 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 Barcelona and in Cajamarca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $706 in Cajamarca.

Barcelona $2,453
Cajamarca $706

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,185 in Cajamarca.

Barcelona $3,509
Cajamarca $1,185

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,664 in Cajamarca.

Barcelona $4,564
Cajamarca $1,664

Living in Barcelona is roughly 247% more expensive than in Cajamarca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Cajamarca is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$3.25 PEN 11.20

441.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$29.07 PEN 100

132.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$5.67 PEN 19.55

138.62%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.84 PEN 9.80

12.32%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 €2.61

$0.69 PEN 2.40

321.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.55 PEN 1.90

243.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$2.67 PEN 9.20

50.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.54 PEN 12.21

27.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.36 PEN 4.69

-3.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$3.12 PEN 10.76

-35.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.25 PEN 4.32

48.00%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.28 PEN 7.85

111.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$7.01 PEN 24.20

138.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$7.52 PEN 25.97

21.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$15.82 PEN 54.6

24.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$0.85 PEN 2.94

250.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.90 PEN 3.10

124.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.14 PEN 3.94

136.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$0.89 PEN 3.07

214.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.84 PEN 2.89

148.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.71 PEN 2.45

191.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.90 PEN 3.12

62.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.76 PEN 2.61

23.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$7.41 PEN 25.58

-7.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$11.68 PEN 40.30

-32.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.53 PEN 8.74

-44.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.66 PEN 9.18

-4.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.61 PEN 2.10

414.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$8.76 PEN 30.24

190.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.59 PEN 8.95

15.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.70 PEN 5.88

-12.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$5.75 PEN 19.86

480.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.40 PEN 4.84

28.57%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$33.2K €29.7K

$23.1K PEN 79.8K

43.61%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$31.7K €28.4K

$28.5K PEN 98.4K

11.21%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$180 €162

$57.7 PEN 199

212.78%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.84 €12.40

$9.57 PEN 33.02

44.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$20.41 PEN 70.4

65.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$33.27 PEN 115

54.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$17.16 PEN 59.2

-6.99%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$3.76 PEN 12.97

192.29%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$917 €821

$146 PEN 503

528.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$4,405 PEN 15.2K

274.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$42.92 PEN 148

102.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$28.76 PEN 99.3

33.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$71.8 PEN 248

47.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$72.4 PEN 250

65.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$197 PEN 681

760.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$114 PEN 394

1087.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$530 PEN 1,830

390.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$317 PEN 1,093

550.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$549 PEN 1,894

302.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

-70.18%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cajamarca: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Cajamarca

$114 16.2% 91.6% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Cajamarca

$242 34.2% 24.9% $80

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Cajamarca

$102 14.5% 61.8% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Cajamarca

$88 12.4% 61.5% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Cajamarca

$97 13.8% 38.5% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Cajamarca

$41 5.8% 44.5% $33

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Cajamarca

$22 3.2% 54% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $197 in Cajamarca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $29 in Cajamarca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $242 per month, with Cajamarca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇵🇪 Cajamarca

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

02:31 2:31 AM

6 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

218,741

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Cajamarca 9,770 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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

Barcelona vs Cajamarca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $706 in Cajamarca, so Cajamarca is about 71% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $197 in Cajamarca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $146 in Cajamarca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $706 in Cajamarca versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cajamarca but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Cajamarca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Cajamarca are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Cajamarca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.