Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cajamarca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cajamarca: $711 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Cajamarca
Learn more

Cajamarca Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Peru

$711

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai 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 Chiang Mai and in Cajamarca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai versus $711 in Cajamarca.

Chiang Mai $938
Cajamarca $711

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,426 in Chiang Mai versus $1,189 in Cajamarca.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Cajamarca $1,189

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Chiang Mai versus $1,666 in Cajamarca.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Cajamarca $1,666

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 32% more expensive than in Cajamarca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 30% lower, Cajamarca 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$3.11 PEN 10.70

-27.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$28.79 PEN 98.9

-33.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$5.88 PEN 20.20

-4.93%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.88 PEN 9.89

-40.28%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.77 PEN 2.63

-16.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.56 PEN 1.94

-41.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.55 PEN 8.75

-7.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.49 PEN 11.99

11.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.35 PEN 4.63

51.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$3.11 PEN 10.69

-54.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.27 PEN 4.35

0.79%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.39 PEN 8.19

-5.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$7.25 PEN 24.91

133.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$7.63 PEN 26.20

-64.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$16.10 PEN 55.3

-41.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$0.84 PEN 2.88

185.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$0.91 PEN 3.12

10.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.14 PEN 3.92

41.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$0.84 PEN 2.87

80.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.88 PEN 3.03

45.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.77 PEN 2.63

44.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.89 PEN 3.04

-19.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.75 PEN 2.57

-30.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$7.09 PEN 24.34

-38.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$11.58 PEN 39.76

53.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.67 PEN 9.18

-38.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.58 PEN 8.86

10.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.59 PEN 2.03

44.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$8.67 PEN 29.76

521.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$2.64 PEN 9.05

-55.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.69 PEN 5.80

-66.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$5.79 PEN 19.90

-59.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.40 PEN 4.81

3.57%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$23.6K PEN 81.2K

-13.37%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$28.5K PEN 98.0K

-7.13%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$58.0 PEN 199

7.45%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$9.31 PEN 31.96

31.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$20.16 PEN 69.2

-0.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$32.98 PEN 113

14.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$17.47 PEN 60.0

-78.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$3.73 PEN 12.82

79.89%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$147 PEN 505

441.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$4,322 PEN 14.8K

243.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$42.77 PEN 147

24.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$28.77 PEN 98.8

-12.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$74.0 PEN 254

23.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$72.5 PEN 249

1.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$199 PEN 683

133.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$117 PEN 401

160.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$514 PEN 1,766

77.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$313 PEN 1,076

76.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$557 PEN 1,913

6.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cajamarca: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Cajamarca

$117 16.4% 61.7% $188

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Cajamarca

$244 34.3% 2.6% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Cajamarca

$98 13.8% 10.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Cajamarca

$87 12.3% 7.5% $7.1

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Cajamarca

$102 14.4% 29.3% $23

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Cajamarca

$22 3.1% 63.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Cajamarca

$40 5.7% 21.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $464 in Chiang Mai and $199 in Cajamarca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 7% 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: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $29.00 in Cajamarca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $244 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇪 Cajamarca

🕒 Local time

23:17 11:17 PM

11:17 11:17 AM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

218,741

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Cajamarca 18,690 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
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

Chiang Mai vs Cajamarca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cajamarca is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and leisure. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Chiang Mai, 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: $464 in Chiang Mai versus $199 in Cajamarca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cajamarca runs roughly 522% less than in Chiang Mai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $797 in Chiang Mai versus $147 in Cajamarca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $711 in Cajamarca versus $938 in Chiang Mai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cajamarca but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. 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 Chiang Mai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Cajamarca 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 32% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.