Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cajamarca and Chiclayo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cajamarca: $706 a month against $998 in Chiclayo, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Cajamarca
Learn more

Cajamarca Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Chiclayo
Learn more

Chiclayo Living Index

Jump to prices

Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Peru

$706

/mo nomad

Chiclayo

🇵🇪 Peru

$998

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cajamarca and in Chiclayo

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 Chiclayo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $706 in Cajamarca versus $998 in Chiclayo.

Cajamarca $706
Chiclayo $998

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,185 in Cajamarca versus $1,584 in Chiclayo.

Cajamarca $1,185
Chiclayo $1,584

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,664 in Cajamarca versus $2,170 in Chiclayo.

Cajamarca $1,664
Chiclayo $2,170

Living in Cajamarca costs roughly 29% less than in Chiclayo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cajamarca 48% lower, Chiclayo 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.25 PEN 11.20

$5.15 PEN 17.76

-36.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.07 PEN 100

$34.69 PEN 120

-16.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.67 PEN 19.55

$8.75 PEN 30.20

-35.20%

Cappuccino

$2.84 PEN 9.80

$4.23 PEN 14.61

-32.86%

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

$0.69 PEN 2.40

$0.91 PEN 3.14

-24.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 PEN 1.90

$0.46 PEN 1.58

19.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 PEN 9.20

$8.44 PEN 29.15

-68.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 PEN 12.21

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 PEN 4.69

$2.25 PEN 7.75

-39.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 PEN 10.76

$2.28 PEN 7.87

36.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PEN 4.32

$2.19 PEN 7.56

-42.92%

Eggs

$2.28 PEN 7.85

$2.38 PEN 8.23

-4.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.01 PEN 24.20

$6.53 PEN 22.52

7.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.52 PEN 25.97

$6.10 PEN 21.07

23.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.82 PEN 54.6

$9.88 PEN 34.11

60.12%

Apples (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.94

$2.45 PEN 8.45

-65.31%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.91 PEN 6.59

-52.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.14 PEN 3.94

$2.47 PEN 8.51

-53.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.80 PEN 6.21

-50.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 PEN 2.89

$1.17 PEN 4.02

-28.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 PEN 2.45

$2.23 PEN 7.70

-68.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 PEN 3.12

$0.65 PEN 2.24

38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 PEN 2.61

$0.91 PEN 3.15

-16.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.41 PEN 25.58

$5.23 PEN 18.06

41.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.68 PEN 40.30

$12.15 PEN 41.92

-3.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 PEN 8.74

$1.50 PEN 5.16

68.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 PEN 9.18

$1.79 PEN 6.18

48.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 PEN 2.10

$0.78 PEN 2.68

-21.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.76 PEN 30.24

$29.38 PEN 101

-70.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 PEN 8.95

$3.20 PEN 11.04

-19.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 PEN 5.88

$2.92 PEN 10.09

-41.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 PEN 19.86

$6.29 PEN 21.70

-8.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 PEN 4.84

$1.31 PEN 4.52

6.87%

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

$23.1K PEN 79.8K

$24.3K PEN 83.9K

-4.93%

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

$28.5K PEN 98.4K

$24.5K PEN 84.6K

16.26%

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

$57.7 PEN 199

$48.50 PEN 167

18.93%

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

$9.57 PEN 33.02

$26.67 PEN 92.1

-64.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.41 PEN 70.4

$31.71 PEN 109

-35.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.27 PEN 115

$61.5 PEN 212

-45.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 PEN 59.2

$25.15 PEN 86.8

-31.77%

Cinema Ticket

$3.76 PEN 12.97

$7.82 PEN 27.01

-51.92%

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

$146 PEN 503

$248 PEN 855

-41.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,405 PEN 15.2K

$4,008 PEN 13.8K

9.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.92 PEN 148

$50.2 PEN 173

-14.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.76 PEN 99.3

$59.7 PEN 206

-51.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 PEN 248

$198 PEN 685

-63.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.4 PEN 250

$147 PEN 508

-50.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$197 PEN 681

$239 PEN 824

-17.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 PEN 394

$150 PEN 516

-23.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 PEN 1,830

$447 PEN 1,542

18.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$317 PEN 1,093

$254 PEN 877

24.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,106 PEN 3,817

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,073 PEN 3,705

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$549 PEN 1,894

$504 PEN 1,741

8.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Cajamarca: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiclayo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cajamarca

$242 34.2%

Chiclayo

$243 24.3% 0.5% $1.2

Accommodation & Living

Cajamarca

$114 16.2%

Chiclayo

$150 15% 31.1% $35

Eating Out

Cajamarca

$102 14.5%

Chiclayo

$166 * 16.6% 62% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Cajamarca

$97 13.8%

Chiclayo

$205 20.6% 111% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cajamarca

$88 12.4%

Chiclayo

$107 10.7% 21.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Cajamarca

$41 5.8%

Chiclayo

$77 7.7% 89.1% $36

Getting Around

Cajamarca

$22 3.2%

Chiclayo

$50 5% 126% $28

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 $197 in Cajamarca and $239 in Chiclayo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cajamarca pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29 in Cajamarca vs $35 in Chiclayo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $242 vs $243 per month, with Cajamarca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Chiclayo

🕒 Local time

01:27 1:27 AM

Same time as Cajamarca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,741

60,325

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cajamarca Chiclayo 150 km

From you

Cajamarca
Chiclayo

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 Chiclayo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cajamarca is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Cajamarca, 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: $197 in Cajamarca versus $239 in Chiclayo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $146 in Cajamarca versus $248 in Chiclayo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cajamarca – a meal for two runs $29 versus $35 in Chiclayo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.