Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cajamarca and Cerro de Pasco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco: $548 a month against $712 in Cajamarca, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Cajamarca
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Cajamarca Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Cerro de Pasco
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Cerro de Pasco Living Index

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Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Peru

$712

/mo nomad

Cerro de Pasco

🇵🇪 Peru

$548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cajamarca and in Cerro de Pasco

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 Cerro de Pasco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $712 in Cajamarca versus $548 in Cerro de Pasco.

Cajamarca $712
Cerro de Pasco $548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,196 in Cajamarca versus $883 in Cerro de Pasco.

Cajamarca $1,196
Cerro de Pasco $883

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,680 in Cajamarca versus $1,218 in Cerro de Pasco.

Cajamarca $1,680
Cerro de Pasco $1,218

Living in Cajamarca is roughly 30% more expensive than in Cerro de Pasco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cajamarca 47% lower, Cerro de Pasco 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.11 PEN 10.74

$2.98 PEN 10.27

4.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.13 PEN 100

$28.85 PEN 99.5

0.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.82 PEN 20.08

$6.77 PEN 23.37

-14.03%

Cappuccino

$2.86 PEN 9.87

$1.99 PEN 6.87

43.72%

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

$0.71 PEN 2.44

$0.75 PEN 2.58

-5.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 PEN 2.09

$0.45 PEN 1.56

35.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 PEN 8.80

$2.66 PEN 9.17

-4.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 PEN 12.04

$4.31 PEN 14.86

-19.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 PEN 4.72

$1.54 PEN 5.33

-11.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 PEN 11.00

$2.36 PEN 8.13

35.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 PEN 4.35

$1.25 PEN 4.31

0.80%

Eggs

$2.29 PEN 7.91

$2.38 PEN 8.22

-3.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.10 PEN 24.49

$9.08 PEN 31.33

-21.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 PEN 27.15

$5.71 PEN 19.71

37.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.03 PEN 55.3

$8.33 PEN 28.73

92.44%

Apples (1kg)

$0.89 PEN 3.06

$2.04 PEN 7.03

-56.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.13

$0.74 PEN 2.56

22.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 PEN 3.88

$0.45 PEN 1.56

151.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.83 PEN 2.87

$1.14 PEN 3.94

-27.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 PEN 2.87

$0.75 PEN 2.58

10.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 PEN 2.41

$0.50 PEN 1.74

40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 PEN 2.87

$0.90 PEN 3.11

-7.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 PEN 2.46

$0.89 PEN 3.06

-20.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.29 PEN 25.16

$5.69 PEN 19.63

28.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.73 PEN 40.47

$7.43 PEN 25.63

57.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 PEN 8.89

$1.91 PEN 6.60

35.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 PEN 8.76

$2.67 PEN 9.21

-4.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 PEN 2.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.85 PEN 30.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 PEN 8.79

$3.44 PEN 11.87

-25.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 PEN 5.92

$2.01 PEN 6.94

-14.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.94 PEN 20.50

$7.69 PEN 26.52

-22.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 PEN 4.87

$1.72 PEN 5.92

-18.02%

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

$22.9K PEN 79.1K

$21.9K PEN 75.5K

4.74%

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

$29.1K PEN 100.3K

$29.0K PEN 100.2K

0.10%

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

$58.4 PEN 201

$67.5 PEN 233

-13.49%

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

$9.25 PEN 31.91

$15.47 PEN 53.4

-40.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.07 PEN 69.2

$26.37 PEN 91.0

-23.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.83 PEN 117

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.15 PEN 59.2

Cinema Ticket

$3.79 PEN 13.07

$7.04 PEN 24.28

-46.16%

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

$147 PEN 508

$308 PEN 1,063

-52.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,336 PEN 15.0K

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

-66.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.83 PEN 151

$53.1 PEN 183

-17.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.18 PEN 101

$35.10 PEN 121

-16.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 PEN 251

$83.6 PEN 288

-13.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.3 PEN 246

$78.9 PEN 272

-9.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$193 PEN 665

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$117 PEN 405

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$520 PEN 1,794

$412 PEN 1,421

26.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$324 PEN 1,119

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$549 PEN 1,892

$470 PEN 1,620

16.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

25.28%

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

Last update for Cajamarca: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cerro de Pasco: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cajamarca

$244 34.3%

Cerro de Pasco

$204 37.2% 16.6% $40

Accommodation & Living

Cajamarca

$117 16.5%

Cerro de Pasco

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Cajamarca

$102 14.3%

Cerro de Pasco

$95 17.3% 6.8% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Cajamarca

$98 13.7%

Cerro de Pasco

$113 20.6% 15.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cajamarca

$88 12.3%

Cerro de Pasco

$109 19.9% 24.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Cajamarca

$41 5.8%

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.6% 66% $27

Getting Around

Cajamarca

$22 3.1%

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.5% 39.7% $8.9

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

Cost Breakdown

Cajamarca pays 17% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $29 in Cajamarca vs $29 in Cerro de Pasco. Groceries flip the comparison at $244 vs $204, with Cerro de Pasco cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Cerro de Pasco

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

Same time as Cajamarca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,741

58,899

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Cajamarca Cerro de Pasco 460 km

From you

Cajamarca
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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 Cerro de Pasco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cerro de Pasco is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Cajamarca, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Cajamarca. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Childcare runs $147 in Cajamarca versus $308 in Cerro de Pasco. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Cerro de Pasco gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

It comes down to priorities – Cerro de Pasco wins on affordability, Cajamarca on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.