Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Huancayo and Cajamarca

For one person, living is cheaper in Huancayo: $485 a month against $712 in Cajamarca, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Huancayo
Learn more

Huancayo Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Cajamarca
Learn more

Cajamarca Living Index

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Huancayo

🇵🇪 Peru

$485

/mo nomad

Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Peru

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $485 in Huancayo versus $712 in Cajamarca.

Huancayo $485
Cajamarca $712

Estimated couple costs with rent: $820 in Huancayo versus $1,196 in Cajamarca.

Huancayo $820
Cajamarca $1,196

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,155 in Huancayo versus $1,680 in Cajamarca.

Huancayo $1,155
Cajamarca $1,680

Living in Huancayo costs roughly 32% less than in Cajamarca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Huancayo 64% lower, Cajamarca 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.31 PEN 7.96

$3.11 PEN 10.74

-25.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.27 PEN 118

$29.13 PEN 100

17.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.06 PEN 24.34

$5.82 PEN 20.08

21.31%

Cappuccino

$3.15 PEN 10.86

$2.86 PEN 9.87

10.14%

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

$1.07 PEN 3.68

$0.71 PEN 2.44

50.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 PEN 2.10

$0.61 PEN 2.09

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.13

$2.55 PEN 8.80

3.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 PEN 15.40

$3.49 PEN 12.04

27.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 PEN 4.11

$1.37 PEN 4.72

-13.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 PEN 3.58

$3.19 PEN 11.00

-67.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.68

$1.26 PEN 4.35

7.94%

Eggs

$2.47 PEN 8.52

$2.29 PEN 7.91

7.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.26 PEN 18.15

$7.10 PEN 24.49

-25.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.74 PEN 19.79

$7.87 PEN 27.15

-27.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.18 PEN 17.88

$16.03 PEN 55.3

-67.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 PEN 4.95

$0.89 PEN 3.06

60.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 PEN 3.56

$0.91 PEN 3.13

13.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.56 PEN 1.94

$1.13 PEN 3.88

-50.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 PEN 3.93

$0.83 PEN 2.87

37.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.05

$0.83 PEN 2.87

6.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 PEN 2.90

$0.70 PEN 2.41

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 PEN 2.04

$0.83 PEN 2.87

-28.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 PEN 3.05

$0.71 PEN 2.46

23.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.81 PEN 20.03

$7.29 PEN 25.16

-20.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.28 PEN 18.22

$11.73 PEN 40.47

-54.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.48

$2.58 PEN 8.89

-27.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.09

$2.54 PEN 8.76

26.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 PEN 1.94

$0.60 PEN 2.08

-6.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.19 PEN 59.3

$8.85 PEN 30.52

94.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 PEN 6.57

$2.55 PEN 8.79

-25.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 PEN 6.94

$1.72 PEN 5.92

16.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.60 PEN 26.21

$5.94 PEN 20.50

27.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 PEN 4.88

$1.41 PEN 4.87

0.71%

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

$21.7K PEN 74.8K

$22.9K PEN 79.1K

-5.47%

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

$28.9K PEN 99.8K

$29.1K PEN 100.3K

-0.44%

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

$34.21 PEN 118

$58.4 PEN 201

-41.42%

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

$11.50 PEN 39.67

$9.25 PEN 31.91

24.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.61 PEN 40.06

$20.07 PEN 69.2

-42.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.83 PEN 117

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.15 PEN 59.2

Cinema Ticket

$7.36 PEN 25.39

$3.79 PEN 13.07

94.20%

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

$307 PEN 1,058

$147 PEN 508

108.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K PEN 43.6K

$4,336 PEN 15.0K

191.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 186

$43.83 PEN 151

22.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.34 PEN 122

$29.18 PEN 101

21.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 PEN 289

$72.8 PEN 251

15.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.7 PEN 268

$71.3 PEN 246

9.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$321 PEN 1,106

$193 PEN 665

66.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$117 PEN 405

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$520 PEN 1,794

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$324 PEN 1,119

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$549 PEN 1,892

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 Huancayo: 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

Huancayo

$163 33.5%

Cajamarca

$244 34.3% 50.2% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Huancayo

$113 23.3%

Cajamarca

$98 13.7% 13.4% $15

Eating Out

Huancayo

$106 21.9%

Cajamarca

$102 14.3% 4.3% $4.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Huancayo

$57 11.8%

Cajamarca

$88 12.3% 53% $30

Getting Around

Huancayo

$31 6.5%

Cajamarca

$22 3.1% 28.7% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Huancayo

$15 * 3%

Cajamarca

$41 5.8% 181% $27

Accommodation & Living

Huancayo

- * 0%

Cajamarca

$117 16.5%

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 $321 in Huancayo and $193 in Cajamarca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34 in Huancayo vs $29 in Cajamarca. Groceries flip the comparison at $163 vs $244, with Huancayo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Huancayo

🇵🇪 Cajamarca

🕒 Local time

19:02 7:02 PM

Same time as Huancayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,552

218,741

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Huancayo Cajamarca 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Huancayo
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

Huancayo vs Cajamarca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Huancayo is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $728 in Huancayo and $1,069 in Cajamarca to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $321 in Huancayo versus $193 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 49% less than in Huancayo. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $307 in Huancayo 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 $800 a month, though Huancayo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Safety-wise, Huancayo and Cajamarca are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.