Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cajamarca and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Cajamarca: $711 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Cajamarca
Learn more

Cajamarca Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Peru

$711

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cajamarca and in Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $711 in Cajamarca versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Cajamarca $711
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,189 in Cajamarca versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Cajamarca $1,189
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,666 in Cajamarca versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Cajamarca $1,666
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Cajamarca costs roughly 41% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cajamarca 47% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.11 PEN 10.70

$10.76 MX$199

-71.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.79 PEN 98.9

$43.03 MX$795

-33.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 PEN 20.20

$11.79 MX$218

-50.13%

Cappuccino

$2.88 PEN 9.89

$3.87 MX$71.4

-25.58%

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

$0.77 PEN 2.63

$1.37 MX$25.29

-43.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 PEN 1.94

$0.84 MX$15.44

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 PEN 8.75

$3.10 MX$57.3

-17.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 PEN 11.99

$5.07 MX$93.6

-31.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 PEN 4.63

$1.44 MX$26.55

-6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 PEN 10.69

$2.23 MX$41.23

39.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 PEN 4.35

$1.47 MX$27.17

-13.61%

Eggs

$2.39 PEN 8.19

$2.53 MX$46.71

-5.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.25 PEN 24.91

$7.30 MX$135

-0.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.63 PEN 26.20

$7.86 MX$145

-2.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.10 PEN 55.3

$12.79 MX$236

25.88%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 PEN 2.88

$2.90 MX$53.6

-71.03%

Banana (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.12

$1.44 MX$26.53

-36.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.14 PEN 3.92

$2.55 MX$47.07

-55.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.84 PEN 2.87

$2.06 MX$38.03

-59.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$2.00 MX$36.97

-56.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 PEN 2.63

$2.01 MX$37.07

-61.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.04

$1.19 MX$22.02

-25.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 PEN 2.57

$1.26 MX$23.23

-40.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 PEN 24.34

$4.40 MX$81.4

61.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.58 PEN 39.76

$9.59 MX$177

20.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 PEN 9.18

$1.59 MX$29.41

67.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$2.81 MX$51.9

-8.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 PEN 2.03

$0.57 MX$10.47

3.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.67 PEN 29.76

$27.82 MX$514

-68.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 PEN 9.05

$4.98 MX$92.1

-46.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 PEN 5.80

$3.50 MX$64.6

-51.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.79 PEN 19.90

$5.40 MX$99.8

7.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 PEN 4.81

$1.47 MX$27.08

-4.76%

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

$23.6K PEN 81.2K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

12.63%

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

$28.5K PEN 98.0K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

19.42%

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

$58.0 PEN 199

$84.2 MX$1,556

-31.11%

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

$9.31 PEN 31.96

$23.99 MX$443

-61.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.16 PEN 69.2

$29.02 MX$536

-30.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.98 PEN 113

$63.0 MX$1,164

-47.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 PEN 60.0

$29.14 MX$539

-40.05%

Cinema Ticket

$3.73 PEN 12.82

$4.94 MX$91.3

-24.49%

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

$147 PEN 505

$204 MX$3,763

-27.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,322 PEN 14.8K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

9.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.77 PEN 147

$43.60 MX$806

-1.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.77 PEN 98.8

$43.12 MX$797

-33.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 PEN 254

$75.8 MX$1,400

-2.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.5 PEN 249

$88.6 MX$1,637

-18.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$199 PEN 683

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-80.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$117 PEN 401

$374 MX$6,911

-68.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 PEN 1,766

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-69.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 PEN 1,076

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-71.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$557 PEN 1,913

$754 MX$13.9K

-26.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-3.93%

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

Last update for Cajamarca: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cajamarca

$244 34.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 5.8% $14

Accommodation & Living

Cajamarca

$117 16.4%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 220% $257

Eating Out

Cajamarca

$102 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 97.9% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Cajamarca

$98 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 15.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cajamarca

$87 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 56.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Cajamarca

$40 5.7%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 80.1% $32

Getting Around

Cajamarca

$22 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 138% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $199 in Cajamarca and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 35% 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $258 per month, with Cajamarca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cajamarca

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:17 11:17 AM

Same time as Cajamarca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,741

149,923

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cajamarca Playa del Carmen 3,230 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cajamarca
Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cajamarca is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 70% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Playa del Carmen. 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 $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cajamarca runs roughly 221% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $147 in Cajamarca versus $204 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $711 in Cajamarca versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cajamarca but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. 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 Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cajamarca and Playa del Carmen 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 70% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.