Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cajamarca and Cusco

For one person, living costs are similar in Cajamarca and in Cusco: $711 and $692 a month, rent and utilities included.

35

Cost of Living Index in Cajamarca
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Cajamarca Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
Learn more

Cusco Living Index

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Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Peru

$711

/mo nomad

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cajamarca and in Cusco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $711 in Cajamarca versus $692 in Cusco.

Cajamarca $711
Cusco $692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,189 in Cajamarca versus $1,102 in Cusco.

Cajamarca $1,189
Cusco $1,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,666 in Cajamarca versus $1,512 in Cusco.

Cajamarca $1,666
Cusco $1,512

Living in Cajamarca is roughly 3% more expensive than in Cusco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cajamarca 47% lower, Cusco 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.11 PEN 10.70

$2.07 PEN 7.11

50.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.79 PEN 98.9

$20.09 PEN 69.0

43.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 PEN 20.20

$6.49 PEN 22.28

-9.40%

Cappuccino

$2.88 PEN 9.89

$2.18 PEN 7.48

32.11%

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

$0.77 PEN 2.63

$0.78 PEN 2.67

-1.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 PEN 1.94

$0.33 PEN 1.12

69.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 PEN 8.75

$1.70 PEN 5.83

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 PEN 11.99

$4.23 PEN 14.51

-17.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 PEN 4.63

$1.26 PEN 4.33

7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 PEN 10.69

$2.31 PEN 7.92

34.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 PEN 4.35

$1.30 PEN 4.46

-2.31%

Eggs

$2.39 PEN 8.19

$3.52 PEN 12.07

-32.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.25 PEN 24.91

$4.68 PEN 16.07

54.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.63 PEN 26.20

$4.39 PEN 15.08

73.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.10 PEN 55.3

$7.12 PEN 24.44

126.12%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 PEN 2.88

$2.66 PEN 9.15

-68.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.12

$0.82 PEN 2.81

10.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.14 PEN 3.92

$1.42 PEN 4.89

-19.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.84 PEN 2.87

$0.90 PEN 3.09

-6.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.03 PEN 3.55

-14.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 PEN 2.63

$1.12 PEN 3.85

-31.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.04

$0.53 PEN 1.84

67.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 PEN 2.57

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 PEN 24.34

Wine (Bottle)

$11.58 PEN 39.76

$5.86 PEN 20.13

97.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 PEN 9.18

$1.93 PEN 6.63

38.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$4.13 PEN 14.18

-37.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 PEN 2.03

$0.28 PEN 0.96

110.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.67 PEN 29.76

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 PEN 9.05

$1.73 PEN 5.94

52.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 PEN 5.80

$1.92 PEN 6.58

-11.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.79 PEN 19.90

$2.94 PEN 10.10

96.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 PEN 4.81

$1.57 PEN 5.39

-10.83%

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

$23.6K PEN 81.2K

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

$28.5K PEN 98.0K

$29.2K PEN 100.3K

-2.28%

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

$58.0 PEN 199

$28.88 PEN 99.2

100.87%

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

$9.31 PEN 31.96

$14.39 PEN 49.41

-35.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.16 PEN 69.2

$44.08 PEN 151

-54.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.98 PEN 113

$29.16 PEN 100

13.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 PEN 60.0

Cinema Ticket

$3.73 PEN 12.82

$4.47 PEN 15.35

-16.55%

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

$147 PEN 505

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,322 PEN 14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.77 PEN 147

$37.01 PEN 127

15.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.77 PEN 98.8

$33.94 PEN 117

-15.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 PEN 254

$54.6 PEN 187

35.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.5 PEN 249

$73.3 PEN 252

-1.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$199 PEN 683

$214 PEN 736

-7.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$117 PEN 401

$194 PEN 666

-39.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 PEN 1,766

$539 PEN 1,850

-4.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 PEN 1,076

$421 PEN 1,446

-25.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,183 PEN 10.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,825 PEN 6,269

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$557 PEN 1,913

$420 PEN 1,442

32.61%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Cusco: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cajamarca

$244 34.3%

Cusco

$187 27% 23.5% $57

Accommodation & Living

Cajamarca

$117 16.4%

Cusco

$194 28% 66% $77

Eating Out

Cajamarca

$102 14.4%

Cusco

$84 12.1% 18.3% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Cajamarca

$98 13.8%

Cusco

$89 12.9% 8.9% $8.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cajamarca

$87 12.3%

Cusco

$87 12.6% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Cajamarca

$40 5.7%

Cusco

$38 5.5% 5.8% $2.4

Getting Around

Cajamarca

$22 3.1%

Cusco

$12 * 1.8% 43.8% $9.7

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 $199 in Cajamarca and $214 in Cusco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cajamarca pays 33% 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: $29.00 in Cajamarca vs $20.00 in Cusco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $187 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Cusco

🕒 Local time

11:44 11:44 AM

Same time as Cajamarca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,741

428,450

💱 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 Cusco 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cajamarca
Cusco

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 Cusco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cusco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 33% 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: $199 in Cajamarca versus $214 in Cusco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Cajamarca. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cusco – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $29.00 in Cajamarca. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

For families, Cusco is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cajamarca, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cajamarca and Cusco are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cusco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Cajamarca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.