Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Cajamarca

For one person, living costs are similar in Cusco and in Cajamarca: $692 and $711 a month, rent and utilities included.

34

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Cajamarca
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Cajamarca Living Index

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Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$692

/mo nomad

Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Peru

$711

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $692 in Cusco versus $711 in Cajamarca.

Cusco $692
Cajamarca $711

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,102 in Cusco versus $1,189 in Cajamarca.

Cusco $1,102
Cajamarca $1,189

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,512 in Cusco versus $1,666 in Cajamarca.

Cusco $1,512
Cajamarca $1,666

Living in Cusco costs roughly 3% less than in Cajamarca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cusco 49% lower, Cajamarca 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.07 PEN 7.11

$3.11 PEN 10.70

-33.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.09 PEN 69.0

$28.79 PEN 98.9

-30.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.49 PEN 22.28

$5.88 PEN 20.20

10.37%

Cappuccino

$2.18 PEN 7.48

$2.88 PEN 9.89

-24.31%

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

$0.78 PEN 2.67

$0.77 PEN 2.63

1.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 PEN 1.12

$0.56 PEN 1.94

-41.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 PEN 5.83

$2.55 PEN 8.75

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 PEN 14.51

$3.49 PEN 11.99

21.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 PEN 4.33

$1.35 PEN 4.63

-6.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 PEN 7.92

$3.11 PEN 10.69

-25.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 PEN 4.46

$1.27 PEN 4.35

2.36%

Eggs

$3.52 PEN 12.07

$2.39 PEN 8.19

47.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.68 PEN 16.07

$7.25 PEN 24.91

-35.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 PEN 15.08

$7.63 PEN 26.20

-42.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.12 PEN 24.44

$16.10 PEN 55.3

-55.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 PEN 9.15

$0.84 PEN 2.88

216.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.82 PEN 2.81

$0.91 PEN 3.12

-9.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 PEN 4.89

$1.14 PEN 3.92

24.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.90 PEN 3.09

$0.84 PEN 2.87

7.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 PEN 3.55

$0.88 PEN 3.03

17.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 PEN 3.85

$0.77 PEN 2.63

45.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 PEN 1.84

$0.89 PEN 3.04

-40.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 PEN 2.57

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 PEN 24.34

Wine (Bottle)

$5.86 PEN 20.13

$11.58 PEN 39.76

-49.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 PEN 6.63

$2.67 PEN 9.18

-27.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 PEN 14.18

$2.58 PEN 8.86

60.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.96

$0.59 PEN 2.03

-52.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.67 PEN 29.76

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 PEN 5.94

$2.64 PEN 9.05

-34.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 PEN 6.58

$1.69 PEN 5.80

13.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 PEN 10.10

$5.79 PEN 19.90

-49.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 PEN 5.39

$1.40 PEN 4.81

12.14%

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

$23.6K PEN 81.2K

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

$29.2K PEN 100.3K

$28.5K PEN 98.0K

2.34%

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

$28.88 PEN 99.2

$58.0 PEN 199

-50.22%

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

$14.39 PEN 49.41

$9.31 PEN 31.96

54.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.08 PEN 151

$20.16 PEN 69.2

118.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.16 PEN 100

$32.98 PEN 113

-11.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 PEN 60.0

Cinema Ticket

$4.47 PEN 15.35

$3.73 PEN 12.82

19.84%

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

$147 PEN 505

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,322 PEN 14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.01 PEN 127

$42.77 PEN 147

-13.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.94 PEN 117

$28.77 PEN 98.8

17.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.6 PEN 187

$74.0 PEN 254

-26.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 PEN 252

$72.5 PEN 249

1.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$214 PEN 736

$199 PEN 683

7.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 PEN 666

$117 PEN 401

66.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 PEN 1,850

$514 PEN 1,766

4.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$421 PEN 1,446

$313 PEN 1,076

34.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,183 PEN 10.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,825 PEN 6,269

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$420 PEN 1,442

$557 PEN 1,913

-24.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Cusco: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cajamarca: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cusco

$194 28%

Cajamarca

$117 16.4% 39.8% $77

Groceries & Markets

Cusco

$187 27%

Cajamarca

$244 34.3% 30.7% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Cusco

$89 12.9%

Cajamarca

$98 13.8% 9.7% $8.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cusco

$87 12.6%

Cajamarca

$87 12.3% 0.1% $0.1

Eating Out

Cusco

$84 12.1%

Cajamarca

$102 14.4% 22.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Cusco

$38 5.5%

Cajamarca

$40 5.7% 6.2% $2.4

Getting Around

Cusco

$12 * 1.8%

Cajamarca

$22 3.1% 78% $9.7

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 $214 in Cusco and $199 in Cajamarca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cajamarca pays 33% 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: $20.00 in Cusco vs $29.00 in Cajamarca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $187 vs $244 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cusco

🇵🇪 Cajamarca

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

Same time as Cusco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

428,450

218,741

💱 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

Cusco Cajamarca 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cusco
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

Cusco vs Cajamarca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cusco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Cajamarca. 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: $214 in Cusco versus $199 in Cajamarca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Cajamarca. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cusco – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $29.00 in Cajamarca. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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

Safety-wise, Cusco 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 Cusco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Cajamarca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.