Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cerro de Pasco and Cajamarca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco: $548 a month against $712 in Cajamarca, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Cerro de Pasco
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Cerro de Pasco Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Cajamarca
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Cajamarca Living Index

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Cerro de Pasco

🇵🇪 Peru

$548

/mo nomad

Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Peru

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cerro de Pasco and in Cajamarca

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cerro de Pasco and in Cajamarca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $548 in Cerro de Pasco versus $712 in Cajamarca.

Cerro de Pasco $548
Cajamarca $712

Estimated couple costs with rent: $883 in Cerro de Pasco versus $1,196 in Cajamarca.

Cerro de Pasco $883
Cajamarca $1,196

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,218 in Cerro de Pasco versus $1,680 in Cajamarca.

Cerro de Pasco $1,218
Cajamarca $1,680

Living in Cerro de Pasco costs roughly 23% less than in Cajamarca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cerro de Pasco 59% lower, Cajamarca 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 PEN 10.31

$3.11 PEN 10.78

-4.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.85 PEN 99.9

$29.13 PEN 101

-0.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.77 PEN 23.46

$5.82 PEN 20.16

16.32%

Cappuccino

$1.99 PEN 6.90

$2.86 PEN 9.91

-30.42%

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

$0.75 PEN 2.59

$0.71 PEN 2.45

5.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 PEN 1.57

$0.61 PEN 2.10

-26.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 PEN 9.21

$2.55 PEN 8.83

4.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 PEN 14.92

$3.49 PEN 12.09

23.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 PEN 5.35

$1.37 PEN 4.73

12.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 PEN 8.17

$3.19 PEN 11.04

-26.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PEN 4.32

$1.26 PEN 4.37

-0.79%

Eggs

$2.38 PEN 8.26

$2.29 PEN 7.94

3.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 PEN 31.46

$7.10 PEN 24.59

27.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.71 PEN 19.79

$7.87 PEN 27.26

-27.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.33 PEN 28.85

$16.03 PEN 55.5

-48.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 PEN 7.05

$0.89 PEN 3.07

129.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 PEN 2.57

$0.91 PEN 3.15

-18.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.45 PEN 1.56

$1.13 PEN 3.90

-60.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 PEN 3.95

$0.83 PEN 2.88

37.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 PEN 2.60

$0.83 PEN 2.88

-9.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.50 PEN 1.75

$0.70 PEN 2.42

-28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 PEN 3.13

$0.83 PEN 2.88

8.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$0.71 PEN 2.47

25.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.69 PEN 19.71

$7.29 PEN 25.26

-21.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.43 PEN 25.73

$11.73 PEN 40.63

-36.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 PEN 6.63

$2.58 PEN 8.92

-25.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 PEN 9.25

$2.54 PEN 8.79

5.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 PEN 2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.85 PEN 30.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 PEN 11.92

$2.55 PEN 8.83

34.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 PEN 6.97

$1.72 PEN 5.94

16.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.69 PEN 26.63

$5.94 PEN 20.58

29.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.95

$1.41 PEN 4.89

21.99%

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

$21.9K PEN 75.8K

$22.9K PEN 79.4K

-4.53%

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

$29.0K PEN 100.6K

$29.1K PEN 100.7K

-0.10%

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

$67.5 PEN 234

$58.4 PEN 202

15.60%

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

$15.47 PEN 53.6

$9.25 PEN 32.04

67.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.37 PEN 91.4

$20.07 PEN 69.5

31.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.83 PEN 117

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.15 PEN 59.4

Cinema Ticket

$7.04 PEN 24.38

$3.79 PEN 13.12

85.75%

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

$308 PEN 1,067

$147 PEN 510

109.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 45.1K

$4,336 PEN 15.0K

200.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 PEN 184

$43.83 PEN 152

21.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.10 PEN 122

$29.18 PEN 101

20.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 PEN 290

$72.8 PEN 252

14.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 PEN 273

$71.3 PEN 247

10.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$193 PEN 668

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$117 PEN 406

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 PEN 1,426

$520 PEN 1,801

-20.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$324 PEN 1,124

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$470 PEN 1,627

$549 PEN 1,900

-14.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

-20.18%

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

Last update for Cerro de Pasco: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cajamarca: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cerro de Pasco

$204 37.2%

Cajamarca

$244 34.3% 19.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Cerro de Pasco

$113 20.6%

Cajamarca

$98 13.7% 13.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cerro de Pasco

$109 19.9%

Cajamarca

$88 12.3% 19.8% $22

Eating Out

Cerro de Pasco

$95 17.3%

Cajamarca

$102 14.3% 7.3% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.6%

Cajamarca

$41 5.8% 194% $27

Getting Around

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.5%

Cajamarca

$22 3.1% 65.9% $8.9

Accommodation & Living

Cerro de Pasco

- * 0%

Cajamarca

$117 16.5%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Cajamarca pays 17% 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 in Cerro de Pasco vs $29 in Cajamarca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $244 per month, with Cerro de Pasco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cerro de Pasco

🇵🇪 Cajamarca

🕒 Local time

22:40 10:40 PM

Same time as Cerro de Pasco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,899

218,741

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.289 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

1 PEN = 0.289 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cerro de Pasco Cajamarca 460 km

From you

Cerro de Pasco
Cajamarca

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

Cerro de Pasco vs Cajamarca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cerro de Pasco is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Cerro de Pasco. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Cajamarca. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Childcare runs $308 in Cerro de Pasco versus $147 in Cajamarca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

It comes down to priorities – Cerro de Pasco wins on affordability, Cajamarca on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.