Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pisco and Cajamarca

For one person, living is cheaper in Pisco: $660 a month against $714 in Cajamarca, rent and utilities included – about $650 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Pisco
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Pisco Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Cajamarca
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Cajamarca Living Index

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Pisco

🇵🇪 Peru

$660

/mo nomad

Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Peru

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $660 in Pisco versus $714 in Cajamarca.

Pisco $660
Cajamarca $714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,023 in Pisco versus $1,196 in Cajamarca.

Pisco $1,023
Cajamarca $1,196

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,386 in Pisco versus $1,679 in Cajamarca.

Pisco $1,386
Cajamarca $1,679

Living in Pisco costs roughly 8% less than in Cajamarca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pisco 51% lower, Cajamarca 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.25 PEN 14.59

$3.15 PEN 10.82

34.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.07 PEN 120

$29.16 PEN 100

20.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 PEN 24.37

$5.92 PEN 20.32

19.76%

Cappuccino

$3.19 PEN 10.95

$2.82 PEN 9.67

13.12%

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

$1.07 PEN 3.69

$0.70 PEN 2.40

52.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.23

$0.56 PEN 1.92

16.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 PEN 9.02

$2.63 PEN 9.04

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 PEN 15.21

$3.45 PEN 11.85

28.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.66

$1.30 PEN 4.45

26.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 PEN 7.96

$3.27 PEN 11.23

-29.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PEN 4.30

$1.21 PEN 4.15

3.31%

Eggs

$1.30 PEN 4.45

$2.26 PEN 7.76

-42.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.55 PEN 22.50

$7.19 PEN 24.70

-8.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.85 PEN 16.66

$7.63 PEN 26.20

-36.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.35 PEN 21.81

$16.12 PEN 55.4

-60.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 PEN 4.61

$0.88 PEN 3.04

52.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 PEN 3.42

$0.85 PEN 2.93

17.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 PEN 4.86

$1.13 PEN 3.88

25.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PEN 1.91

$0.91 PEN 3.12

-38.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.45 PEN 1.55

$0.90 PEN 3.08

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.75 PEN 2.57

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 PEN 3.09

$0.85 PEN 2.91

5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 PEN 2.95

$0.72 PEN 2.47

19.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 PEN 19.71

$7.15 PEN 24.55

-19.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.57 PEN 29.43

$11.65 PEN 40.02

-26.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 PEN 6.70

$2.66 PEN 9.14

-26.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PEN 8.31

$2.63 PEN 9.04

-7.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 PEN 3.06

$0.56 PEN 1.92

58.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.26 PEN 121

$8.69 PEN 29.86

305.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 PEN 13.40

$2.54 PEN 8.73

53.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 PEN 7.04

$1.77 PEN 6.09

15.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.15 PEN 24.56

$5.75 PEN 19.76

24.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 PEN 5.72

$1.40 PEN 4.79

19.29%

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

$21.7K PEN 74.7K

$23.5K PEN 80.6K

-7.31%

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

$26.1K PEN 89.5K

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

-8.90%

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

$42.69 PEN 147

$58.8 PEN 202

-27.39%

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

$16.08 PEN 55.2

$9.55 PEN 32.79

68.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.50 PEN 39.51

$20.57 PEN 70.7

-44.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.40 PEN 70.1

$33.79 PEN 116

-39.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.49 PEN 29.15

$17.60 PEN 60.4

-51.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 PEN 25.05

$3.79 PEN 13.01

92.35%

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

$178 PEN 611

$148 PEN 507

20.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.2K

$4,314 PEN 14.8K

198.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 PEN 181

$42.94 PEN 147

23.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.11 PEN 45.03

$28.55 PEN 98.1

-54.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.22 PEN 159

$72.6 PEN 249

-36.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.60 PEN 119

$73.1 PEN 251

-52.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$161 PEN 553

$196 PEN 674

-17.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$130 PEN 448

$118 PEN 404

10.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 PEN 1,775

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 PEN 504

$322 PEN 1,106

-54.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,788 PEN 6,141

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,352 PEN 4,642

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$557 PEN 1,911

$548 PEN 1,882

1.56%

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 Pisco: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cajamarca: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pisco

$183 27.7%

Cajamarca

$244 34.2% 33.7% $62

Accommodation & Living

Pisco

$130 19.8%

Cajamarca

$118 16.5% 9.7% $13

Eating Out

Pisco

$122 18.6%

Cajamarca

$102 14.3% 16.8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pisco

$70 10.7%

Cajamarca

$89 12.5% 26.5% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Pisco

$66 10%

Cajamarca

$98 13.7% 48% $32

Getting Around

Pisco

$53 8%

Cajamarca

$22 3.1% 57.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Pisco

$35 5.3%

Cajamarca

$41 5.8% 18.2% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $161 in Pisco and $196 in Cajamarca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pisco pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Pisco vs $29.00 in Cajamarca. Groceries flip the comparison at $183 vs $244, with Pisco cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Pisco

🇵🇪 Cajamarca

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

Same time as Pisco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,917

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

Pisco Cajamarca 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Pisco
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

Pisco vs Cajamarca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pisco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Pisco, 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: $161 in Pisco versus $196 in Cajamarca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Pisco runs roughly 306% less than in Cajamarca. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $178 in Pisco versus $148 in Cajamarca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Pisco 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, Pisco 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 Pisco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Cajamarca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.