Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cajamarca and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Cajamarca: $711 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Cajamarca
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Cajamarca Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

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Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Peru

$711

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cajamarca and in Lima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $711 in Cajamarca versus $1,012 in Lima.

Cajamarca $711
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,189 in Cajamarca versus $1,589 in Lima.

Cajamarca $1,189
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,666 in Cajamarca versus $2,167 in Lima.

Cajamarca $1,666
Lima $2,167

Living in Cajamarca costs roughly 30% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cajamarca 47% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.11 PEN 10.70

$4.40 PEN 15.10

-29.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.79 PEN 98.9

$35.17 PEN 121

-18.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 PEN 20.20

$6.89 PEN 23.65

-14.66%

Cappuccino

$2.88 PEN 9.89

$3.26 PEN 11.20

-11.66%

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

$0.77 PEN 2.63

$1.12 PEN 3.84

-31.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 PEN 1.94

$0.62 PEN 2.11

-9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 PEN 8.75

$2.65 PEN 9.09

-3.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 PEN 11.99

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-20.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 PEN 4.63

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-17.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 PEN 10.69

$2.56 PEN 8.78

21.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 PEN 4.35

$1.35 PEN 4.65

-5.93%

Eggs

$2.39 PEN 8.19

$2.90 PEN 9.96

-17.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.25 PEN 24.91

$8.85 PEN 30.38

-18.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.63 PEN 26.20

$5.98 PEN 20.52

27.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.10 PEN 55.3

$9.78 PEN 33.59

64.62%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 PEN 2.88

$2.05 PEN 7.02

-59.02%

Banana (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.12

$1.06 PEN 3.66

-14.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.14 PEN 3.92

$1.35 PEN 4.64

-15.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.84 PEN 2.87

$1.50 PEN 5.15

-44.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 PEN 2.63

$0.92 PEN 3.15

-16.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.04

$0.89 PEN 3.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 PEN 2.57

$0.90 PEN 3.10

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 PEN 24.34

$5.90 PEN 20.27

20.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.58 PEN 39.76

$8.52 PEN 29.26

35.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 PEN 9.18

$1.88 PEN 6.45

42.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-19.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 PEN 2.03

$0.68 PEN 2.33

-13.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.67 PEN 29.76

$26.86 PEN 92.2

-67.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 PEN 9.05

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-30.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 PEN 5.80

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-16.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.79 PEN 19.90

$7.11 PEN 24.41

-18.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 PEN 4.81

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-18.60%

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

$23.6K PEN 81.2K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

5.94%

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

$28.5K PEN 98.0K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

11.94%

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

$58.0 PEN 199

$73.1 PEN 251

-20.61%

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

$9.31 PEN 31.96

$16.35 PEN 56.2

-43.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.16 PEN 69.2

$27.47 PEN 94.3

-26.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.98 PEN 113

$31.90 PEN 110

3.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 PEN 60.0

$19.41 PEN 66.7

-9.99%

Cinema Ticket

$3.73 PEN 12.82

$7.05 PEN 24.23

-47.09%

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

$147 PEN 505

$182 PEN 627

-19.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,322 PEN 14.8K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-66.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.77 PEN 147

$53.8 PEN 185

-20.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.77 PEN 98.8

$34.32 PEN 118

-16.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 PEN 254

$82.8 PEN 284

-10.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.5 PEN 249

$78.2 PEN 269

-7.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$199 PEN 683

$721 PEN 2,476

-72.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$117 PEN 401

$343 PEN 1,179

-66.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 PEN 1,766

$1,219 PEN 4,186

-57.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 PEN 1,076

$651 PEN 2,235

-51.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$557 PEN 1,913

$648 PEN 2,226

-14.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

23.04%

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

Last update for Cajamarca: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cajamarca

$244 34.3%

Lima

$226 22.3% 7.5% $18

Accommodation & Living

Cajamarca

$117 16.4%

Lima

$343 33.9% 194% $227

Eating Out

Cajamarca

$102 14.4%

Lima

$124 12.3% 21.3% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Cajamarca

$98 13.8%

Lima

$112 11.1% 14.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cajamarca

$87 12.3%

Lima

$117 11.6% 33.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Cajamarca

$40 5.7%

Lima

$46 4.6% 13.7% $5.6

Getting Around

Cajamarca

$22 3.1%

Lima

$43 4.3% 96.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $199 in Cajamarca and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 16% 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 $35.00 in Lima. Groceries flip the comparison at $244 vs $226, with Lima cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

Same time as Cajamarca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,741

9,989,369 Capital

💱 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 Lima 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cajamarca
Lima

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 Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cajamarca is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 42% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Lima. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $199 in Cajamarca versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cajamarca runs roughly 210% less than in Lima. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $147 in Cajamarca versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $711 in Cajamarca versus $1,012 in Lima, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cajamarca but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Cajamarca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Cajamarca and Lima 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 Cajamarca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.