Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiclayo and Cajamarca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cajamarca: $706 a month against $998 in Chiclayo, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Chiclayo
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Chiclayo Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Cajamarca
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Cajamarca Living Index

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Chiclayo

🇵🇪 Peru

$998

/mo nomad

Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Peru

$706

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $998 in Chiclayo versus $706 in Cajamarca.

Chiclayo $998
Cajamarca $706

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,584 in Chiclayo versus $1,185 in Cajamarca.

Chiclayo $1,584
Cajamarca $1,185

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,170 in Chiclayo versus $1,664 in Cajamarca.

Chiclayo $2,170
Cajamarca $1,664

Living in Chiclayo is roughly 41% more expensive than in Cajamarca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiclayo 27% lower, Cajamarca 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.15 PEN 17.76

$3.25 PEN 11.20

58.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.69 PEN 120

$29.07 PEN 100

19.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.75 PEN 30.20

$5.67 PEN 19.55

54.32%

Cappuccino

$4.23 PEN 14.61

$2.84 PEN 9.80

48.94%

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

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$0.69 PEN 2.40

31.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 PEN 1.58

$0.55 PEN 1.90

-16.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.44 PEN 29.15

$2.67 PEN 9.20

216.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 PEN 12.21

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 PEN 7.75

$1.36 PEN 4.69

65.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 PEN 7.87

$3.12 PEN 10.76

-26.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 PEN 7.56

$1.25 PEN 4.32

75.20%

Eggs

$2.38 PEN 8.23

$2.28 PEN 7.85

4.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.53 PEN 22.52

$7.01 PEN 24.20

-6.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.10 PEN 21.07

$7.52 PEN 25.97

-18.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.88 PEN 34.11

$15.82 PEN 54.6

-37.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 PEN 8.45

$0.85 PEN 2.94

188.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 PEN 6.59

$0.90 PEN 3.10

112.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 PEN 8.51

$1.14 PEN 3.94

116.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 PEN 6.21

$0.89 PEN 3.07

102.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 PEN 4.02

$0.84 PEN 2.89

39.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 PEN 7.70

$0.71 PEN 2.45

214.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 PEN 2.24

$0.90 PEN 3.12

-27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 PEN 3.15

$0.76 PEN 2.61

19.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.23 PEN 18.06

$7.41 PEN 25.58

-29.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.15 PEN 41.92

$11.68 PEN 40.30

4.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 PEN 5.16

$2.53 PEN 8.74

-40.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 PEN 6.18

$2.66 PEN 9.18

-32.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 PEN 2.68

$0.61 PEN 2.10

27.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.38 PEN 101

$8.76 PEN 30.24

235.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 PEN 11.04

$2.59 PEN 8.95

23.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.92 PEN 10.09

$1.70 PEN 5.88

71.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.29 PEN 21.70

$5.75 PEN 19.86

9.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 PEN 4.52

$1.40 PEN 4.84

-6.43%

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

$24.3K PEN 83.9K

$23.1K PEN 79.8K

5.19%

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

$24.5K PEN 84.6K

$28.5K PEN 98.4K

-13.99%

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

$48.50 PEN 167

$57.7 PEN 199

-15.92%

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

$26.67 PEN 92.1

$9.57 PEN 33.02

178.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.71 PEN 109

$20.41 PEN 70.4

55.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 PEN 212

$33.27 PEN 115

84.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.15 PEN 86.8

$17.16 PEN 59.2

46.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.82 PEN 27.01

$3.76 PEN 12.97

107.98%

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

$248 PEN 855

$146 PEN 503

69.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,008 PEN 13.8K

$4,405 PEN 15.2K

-9.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 PEN 173

$42.92 PEN 148

16.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.7 PEN 206

$28.76 PEN 99.3

107.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$198 PEN 685

$71.8 PEN 248

176.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 PEN 508

$72.4 PEN 250

103.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$239 PEN 824

$197 PEN 681

20.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 PEN 516

$114 PEN 394

31.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$447 PEN 1,542

$530 PEN 1,830

-15.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 PEN 877

$317 PEN 1,093

-19.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,106 PEN 3,817

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,073 PEN 3,705

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$504 PEN 1,741

$549 PEN 1,894

-8.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Chiclayo: October 24, 2026

Last update for Cajamarca: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chiclayo

$243 24.3%

Cajamarca

$242 34.2% 0.5% $1.2

Clothing & Footwear

Chiclayo

$205 20.6%

Cajamarca

$97 13.8% 52.6% $108

Eating Out

Chiclayo

$166 * 16.6%

Cajamarca

$102 14.5% 38.3% $63

Accommodation & Living

Chiclayo

$150 15%

Cajamarca

$114 16.2% 23.7% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiclayo

$107 10.7%

Cajamarca

$88 12.4% 18% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Chiclayo

$77 7.7%

Cajamarca

$41 5.8% 47.1% $36

Getting Around

Chiclayo

$50 5%

Cajamarca

$22 3.2% 55.7% $28

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 $239 in Chiclayo and $197 in Cajamarca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cajamarca pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35 in Chiclayo vs $29 in Cajamarca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $242 per month, with Cajamarca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Chiclayo

🇵🇪 Cajamarca

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

Same time as Chiclayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,325

218,741

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Chiclayo Cajamarca 150 km

From you

Chiclayo
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

Chiclayo vs Cajamarca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cajamarca is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Chiclayo. 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: $239 in Chiclayo versus $197 in Cajamarca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $248 in Chiclayo versus $146 in Cajamarca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cajamarca – a meal for two runs $29 versus $35 in Chiclayo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.