Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Cajamarca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cajamarca: $711 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Cajamarca
Learn more

Cajamarca Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Peru

$711

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $711 in Cajamarca.

Lima $1,012
Cajamarca $711

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,189 in Cajamarca.

Lima $1,589
Cajamarca $1,189

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $1,666 in Cajamarca.

Lima $2,167
Cajamarca $1,666

Living in Lima is roughly 42% more expensive than in Cajamarca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Cajamarca 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$3.11 PEN 10.70

41.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$28.79 PEN 98.9

22.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$5.88 PEN 20.20

17.18%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$2.88 PEN 9.89

13.19%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$0.77 PEN 2.63

45.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$0.56 PEN 1.94

10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$2.55 PEN 8.75

3.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$3.49 PEN 11.99

26.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.35 PEN 4.63

20.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$3.11 PEN 10.69

-17.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.27 PEN 4.35

6.30%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$2.39 PEN 8.19

21.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$7.25 PEN 24.91

22.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$7.63 PEN 26.20

-21.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$16.10 PEN 55.3

-39.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$0.84 PEN 2.88

144.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$0.91 PEN 3.12

16.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.14 PEN 3.92

18.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$0.84 PEN 2.87

78.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$0.77 PEN 2.63

19.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$0.89 PEN 3.04

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.75 PEN 2.57

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$7.09 PEN 24.34

-16.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$11.58 PEN 39.76

-26.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$2.67 PEN 9.18

-29.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$2.58 PEN 8.86

24.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.59 PEN 2.03

15.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

$8.67 PEN 29.76

209.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$2.64 PEN 9.05

44.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$1.69 PEN 5.80

19.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$5.79 PEN 19.90

22.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.40 PEN 4.81

22.86%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$23.6K PEN 81.2K

-5.61%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$28.5K PEN 98.0K

-10.67%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$58.0 PEN 199

25.96%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$9.31 PEN 31.96

75.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$20.16 PEN 69.2

36.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$32.98 PEN 113

-3.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$17.47 PEN 60.0

11.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$3.73 PEN 12.82

89.01%

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

$182 PEN 627

$147 PEN 505

24.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$4,322 PEN 14.8K

201.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$42.77 PEN 147

25.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$28.77 PEN 98.8

19.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$74.0 PEN 254

11.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$72.5 PEN 249

7.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$199 PEN 683

262.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$117 PEN 401

194.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$514 PEN 1,766

136.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$313 PEN 1,076

107.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$557 PEN 1,913

16.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

-18.73%

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

Last update for Lima: 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

Lima

$343 33.9%

Cajamarca

$117 16.4% 66% $227

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Cajamarca

$244 34.3% 8.1% $18

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Cajamarca

$102 14.4% 17.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Cajamarca

$87 12.3% 25.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Cajamarca

$98 13.8% 12.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Cajamarca

$40 5.7% 12.1% $5.6

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Cajamarca

$22 3.1% 49.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $199 in Cajamarca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 16% 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: $35.00 in Lima vs $29.00 in Cajamarca. Groceries flip the comparison at $226 vs $244, with Lima cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇵🇪 Cajamarca

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

Same time as Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

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

Lima Cajamarca 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
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

Lima vs Cajamarca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cajamarca is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 42% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Lima, 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: $721 in Lima 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 210% less than in Lima. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima 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 $1,012 in Lima, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cajamarca but tight or insufficient in Lima. 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 Lima, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lima 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 42% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.