Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cajamarca and Arequipa

For one person, living costs are similar in Cajamarca and in Arequipa: $714 and $709 a month, rent and utilities included.

34

Cost of Living Index in Cajamarca
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Cajamarca Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

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Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Peru

$714

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cajamarca and in Arequipa

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

A single person spends $714 per month in Cajamarca vs $709 in Arequipa, rent included.

Cajamarca $714
Arequipa $709

A couple spends around $1,196 per month in Cajamarca vs $1,117 in Arequipa, rent included.

Cajamarca $1,196
Arequipa $1,117

A family of three spends $1,679 per month in Cajamarca vs $1,524 in Arequipa, rent included.

Cajamarca $1,679
Arequipa $1,524

Cajamarca costs about 1% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cajamarca and Arequipa are more affordable than the global median – Cajamarca 47% lower, Arequipa 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.15 PEN 10.82

$3.46 PEN 11.87

-8.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.16 PEN 100

$27.89 PEN 95.8

4.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.92 PEN 20.32

$5.93 PEN 20.37

-0.17%

Cappuccino

$2.82 PEN 9.67

$2.42 PEN 8.31

16.53%

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

$0.70 PEN 2.40

$0.81 PEN 2.78

-13.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 PEN 1.92

$0.39 PEN 1.33

43.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 PEN 9.04

$2.09 PEN 7.16

25.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 PEN 11.85

$4.27 PEN 14.68

-19.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 PEN 4.45

$1.34 PEN 4.61

-2.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.27 PEN 11.23

$1.36 PEN 4.66

140.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 PEN 4.15

$1.45 PEN 4.99

-16.55%

Eggs

$2.26 PEN 7.76

$2.29 PEN 7.85

-1.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.19 PEN 24.70

$6.25 PEN 21.47

15.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.63 PEN 26.20

$4.59 PEN 15.75

66.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.12 PEN 55.4

$7.33 PEN 25.16

119.92%

Apples (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.04

$1.76 PEN 6.03

-50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.93

$1.18 PEN 4.05

-27.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 PEN 3.88

Tomato (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.12

$0.99 PEN 3.41

-8.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 PEN 3.08

$0.67 PEN 2.29

34.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 PEN 2.57

$0.67 PEN 2.31

11.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 PEN 2.91

$0.56 PEN 1.91

51.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 PEN 2.47

$0.76 PEN 2.60

-5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.15 PEN 24.55

$5.13 PEN 17.62

39.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.65 PEN 40.02

$5.18 PEN 17.80

124.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 PEN 9.14

$2.67 PEN 9.17

-0.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 PEN 9.04

$2.30 PEN 7.90

14.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 PEN 1.92

$0.28 PEN 0.95

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 PEN 29.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 PEN 8.73

$2.02 PEN 6.92

25.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 PEN 6.09

$2.01 PEN 6.92

-11.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 PEN 19.76

$13.01 PEN 44.68

-55.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 PEN 4.79

$1.54 PEN 5.28

-9.09%

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

$23.5K PEN 80.6K

$18.9K PEN 65.0K

23.98%

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

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

$25.1K PEN 86.3K

13.81%

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

$58.8 PEN 202

$23.36 PEN 80.2

151.67%

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

$9.55 PEN 32.79

$10.26 PEN 35.24

-6.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 PEN 70.7

$23.44 PEN 80.5

-12.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.79 PEN 116

$25.08 PEN 86.1

34.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.60 PEN 60.4

$8.00 PEN 27.47

120.00%

Cinema Ticket

$3.79 PEN 13.01

$7.35 PEN 25.24

-48.44%

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

$148 PEN 507

$75.3 PEN 258

96.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,314 PEN 14.8K

$6,598 PEN 22.7K

-34.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.94 PEN 147

$47.74 PEN 164

-10.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.55 PEN 98.1

$26.42 PEN 90.7

8.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.6 PEN 249

$67.6 PEN 232

7.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.1 PEN 251

$57.5 PEN 198

27.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$196 PEN 674

$347 PEN 1,192

-43.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$118 PEN 404

$237 PEN 813

-50.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 PEN 1,775

$719 PEN 2,471

-28.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 PEN 1,106

$419 PEN 1,439

-23.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,963 PEN 6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$989 PEN 3,397

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$548 PEN 1,882

$619 PEN 2,125

-11.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

-26.67%

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

Last update for Cajamarca: October 17, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cajamarca

$244 34.2%

Arequipa

$174 24.5% 28.8% $70

Accommodation & Living

Cajamarca

$118 16.5%

Arequipa

$237 33.4% 101% $119

Eating Out

Cajamarca

$102 14.3%

Arequipa

$98 13.9% 3.5% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Cajamarca

$98 13.7%

Arequipa

$90 12.7% 8.2% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cajamarca

$89 12.5%

Arequipa

$57 8.1% 35.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Cajamarca

$41 5.8%

Arequipa

$40 5.6% 3.8% $1.6

Getting Around

Cajamarca

$22 3.1%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9% 40.9% $9.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $196 in Cajamarca versus $347 in Arequipa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 13% higher in Arequipa, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Cajamarca versus $28.00 in Arequipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $174 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

Same time as Cajamarca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,741

17,062

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cajamarca Arequipa 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Cajamarca
Arequipa

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

Cajamarca vs Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cajamarca costs about 1% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,071 per month in Cajamarca and $1,063 in Arequipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arequipa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Cajamarca and $28.00 in Arequipa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Cajamarca, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $714 in Cajamarca and $709 in Arequipa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arequipa costs $709 versus $714 in Cajamarca. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Arequipa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cajamarca makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.