Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cajamarca and Huancayo

For one person, living is cheaper in Huancayo: $485 a month against $712 in Cajamarca, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Huancayo
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Huancayo Living Index

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Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Peru

$712

/mo nomad

Huancayo

🇵🇪 Peru

$485

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cajamarca and in Huancayo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $712 in Cajamarca versus $485 in Huancayo.

Cajamarca $712
Huancayo $485

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,196 in Cajamarca versus $820 in Huancayo.

Cajamarca $1,196
Huancayo $820

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,680 in Cajamarca versus $1,155 in Huancayo.

Cajamarca $1,680
Huancayo $1,155

Living in Cajamarca is roughly 47% more expensive than in Huancayo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cajamarca 47% lower, Huancayo 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.11 PEN 10.73

$2.31 PEN 7.96

34.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.13 PEN 100

$34.27 PEN 118

-15.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.82 PEN 20.07

$7.06 PEN 24.32

-17.56%

Cappuccino

$2.86 PEN 9.86

$3.15 PEN 10.85

-9.21%

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

$0.71 PEN 2.44

$1.07 PEN 3.68

-33.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 PEN 2.09

$0.61 PEN 2.10

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 PEN 8.79

$2.65 PEN 9.12

-3.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 PEN 12.03

$4.46 PEN 15.38

-21.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 PEN 4.71

$1.19 PEN 4.10

15.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 PEN 10.99

$1.04 PEN 3.58

206.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 PEN 4.35

$1.36 PEN 4.68

-7.35%

Eggs

$2.29 PEN 7.90

$2.47 PEN 8.52

-7.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.10 PEN 24.47

$5.26 PEN 18.14

34.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 PEN 27.13

$5.74 PEN 19.77

37.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.03 PEN 55.3

$5.18 PEN 17.87

209.46%

Apples (1kg)

$0.89 PEN 3.05

$1.43 PEN 4.94

-37.76%

Banana (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.13

$1.03 PEN 3.56

-11.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 PEN 3.88

$0.56 PEN 1.94

101.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.83 PEN 2.87

$1.14 PEN 3.93

-27.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 PEN 2.86

$0.88 PEN 3.05

-5.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 PEN 2.41

$0.84 PEN 2.90

-16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 PEN 2.87

$0.59 PEN 2.04

40.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 PEN 2.45

$0.88 PEN 3.04

-19.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.29 PEN 25.14

$5.81 PEN 20.02

25.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.73 PEN 40.43

$5.28 PEN 18.20

122.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 PEN 8.88

$1.88 PEN 6.47

37.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 PEN 8.75

$3.22 PEN 11.08

-21.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 PEN 2.08

$0.56 PEN 1.94

7.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.85 PEN 30.50

$17.19 PEN 59.3

-48.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 PEN 8.79

$1.90 PEN 6.56

34.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$2.01 PEN 6.93

-14.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.94 PEN 20.48

$7.60 PEN 26.18

-21.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 PEN 4.86

$1.42 PEN 4.88

-0.70%

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

$22.9K PEN 79.0K

$21.7K PEN 74.7K

5.79%

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

$29.1K PEN 100.2K

$28.9K PEN 99.8K

0.44%

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

$58.4 PEN 201

$34.21 PEN 118

70.71%

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

$9.25 PEN 31.88

$11.50 PEN 39.63

-19.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.07 PEN 69.2

$11.61 PEN 40.02

72.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.83 PEN 117

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.15 PEN 59.1

Cinema Ticket

$3.79 PEN 13.06

$7.36 PEN 25.37

-48.51%

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

$147 PEN 507

$307 PEN 1,057

-52.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,336 PEN 14.9K

$12.6K PEN 43.6K

-65.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.83 PEN 151

$53.8 PEN 185

-18.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.18 PEN 101

$35.34 PEN 122

-17.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 PEN 251

$83.9 PEN 289

-13.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.3 PEN 246

$77.7 PEN 268

-8.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$193 PEN 664

$321 PEN 1,105

-39.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$117 PEN 404

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$520 PEN 1,793

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$324 PEN 1,118

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$549 PEN 1,890

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 Huancayo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cajamarca

$244 34.3%

Huancayo

$163 33.5% 33.4% $82

Accommodation & Living

Cajamarca

$117 16.5%

Huancayo

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Cajamarca

$102 14.3%

Huancayo

$106 21.9% 4.5% $4.6

Clothing & Footwear

Cajamarca

$98 13.7%

Huancayo

$113 23.3% 15.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cajamarca

$88 12.3%

Huancayo

$57 11.8% 34.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Cajamarca

$41 5.8%

Huancayo

$15 * 3% 64.5% $27

Getting Around

Cajamarca

$22 3.1%

Huancayo

$31 6.5% 40.2% $9

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 $193 in Cajamarca and $321 in Huancayo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $29 in Cajamarca vs $34 in Huancayo. Groceries flip the comparison at $244 vs $163, with Huancayo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Huancayo

🕒 Local time

19:56 7:56 PM

Same time as Cajamarca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,741

27,552

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Cajamarca Huancayo 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cajamarca
Huancayo

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 Huancayo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Huancayo is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,069 in Cajamarca and $728 in Huancayo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $193 in Cajamarca versus $321 in Huancayo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cajamarca runs roughly 49% less than in Huancayo. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $147 in Cajamarca versus $307 in Huancayo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Huancayo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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