Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Merced and Cajamarca

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $558 a month against $712 in Cajamarca, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
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La Merced Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Cajamarca
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Cajamarca Living Index

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La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$558

/mo nomad

Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Peru

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $558 in La Merced versus $712 in Cajamarca.

La Merced $558
Cajamarca $712

Estimated couple costs with rent: $910 in La Merced versus $1,196 in Cajamarca.

La Merced $910
Cajamarca $1,196

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,263 in La Merced versus $1,680 in Cajamarca.

La Merced $1,263
Cajamarca $1,680

Living in La Merced costs roughly 22% less than in Cajamarca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: La Merced 59% lower, Cajamarca 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.38 PEN 15.10

$3.11 PEN 10.74

40.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.86 PEN 120

$29.13 PEN 100

19.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 PEN 24.19

$5.82 PEN 20.08

20.45%

Cappuccino

$3.18 PEN 10.97

$2.86 PEN 9.87

11.19%

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

$1.08 PEN 3.72

$0.71 PEN 2.44

52.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.24

$0.61 PEN 2.09

6.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 PEN 8.86

$2.55 PEN 8.80

0.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 PEN 14.81

$3.49 PEN 12.04

22.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.44

$1.37 PEN 4.72

15.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 PEN 7.15

$3.19 PEN 11.00

-35.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 PEN 4.43

$1.26 PEN 4.35

1.59%

Eggs

$2.35 PEN 8.11

$2.29 PEN 7.91

2.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.33 PEN 25.29

$7.10 PEN 24.49

3.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.78 PEN 19.94

$7.87 PEN 27.15

-26.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.68 PEN 29.94

$16.03 PEN 55.3

-45.85%

Apples (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.17

$0.89 PEN 3.06

3.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.45 PEN 1.56

$0.91 PEN 3.13

-50.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.30 PEN 1.04

$1.13 PEN 3.88

-73.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.71 PEN 2.46

$0.83 PEN 2.87

-14.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 PEN 0.96

$0.83 PEN 2.87

-66.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.45 PEN 1.55

$0.70 PEN 2.41

-35.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 PEN 2.07

$0.83 PEN 2.87

-27.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 3.01

$0.71 PEN 2.46

22.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.63 PEN 19.42

$7.29 PEN 25.16

-22.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 PEN 25.30

$11.73 PEN 40.47

-37.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 PEN 6.56

$2.58 PEN 8.89

-26.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 PEN 10.61

$2.54 PEN 8.76

21.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 PEN 2.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.85 PEN 30.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 PEN 11.84

$2.55 PEN 8.79

34.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 PEN 7.14

$1.72 PEN 5.92

20.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.64 PEN 26.37

$5.94 PEN 20.50

28.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 PEN 5.65

$1.41 PEN 4.87

16.31%

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

$21.7K PEN 75.0K

$22.9K PEN 79.1K

-5.16%

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

$28.9K PEN 99.8K

$29.1K PEN 100.3K

-0.46%

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

$66.7 PEN 230

$58.4 PEN 201

14.13%

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

$15.80 PEN 54.5

$9.25 PEN 31.91

70.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.06 PEN 93.4

$20.07 PEN 69.2

34.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.83 PEN 117

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.15 PEN 59.2

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 PEN 24.63

$3.79 PEN 13.07

88.39%

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

$318 PEN 1,096

$147 PEN 508

115.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K PEN 43.6K

$4,336 PEN 15.0K

191.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 PEN 184

$43.83 PEN 151

21.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.12 PEN 121

$29.18 PEN 101

20.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.7 PEN 289

$72.8 PEN 251

15.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 PEN 273

$71.3 PEN 246

10.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$193 PEN 665

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 La Merced: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cajamarca: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

La Merced

$185 33.1%

Cajamarca

$244 34.3% 32% $59

Eating Out

La Merced

$123 22%

Cajamarca

$102 14.3% 17% $21

Clothing & Footwear

La Merced

$113 20.3%

Cajamarca

$98 13.7% 13.6% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Merced

$110 19.6%

Cajamarca

$88 12.3% 19.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

La Merced

$14 * 2.6%

Cajamarca

$41 5.8% 190% $27

Getting Around

La Merced

$14 * 2.5%

Cajamarca

$22 3.1% 62.5% $8.6

Accommodation & Living

La Merced

- * 0%

Cajamarca

$117 16.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $35 in La Merced vs $29 in Cajamarca. Groceries flip the comparison at $185 vs $244, with La Merced cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 La Merced

🇵🇪 Cajamarca

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

Same time as La Merced

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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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Between locations

La Merced Cajamarca 300 km

From you

La Merced
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

La Merced vs Cajamarca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

La Merced is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $837 in La Merced 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.

Childcare runs $318 in La Merced versus $147 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 La Merced. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $800 a month, though La Merced 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.