Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Cajamarca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cajamarca: $695 a month against $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Cajamarca
Learn more

Cajamarca Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Peru

$695

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $695 in Cajamarca.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Cajamarca $695

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Sao Paulo versus $1,177 in Cajamarca.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Cajamarca $1,177

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in Sao Paulo versus $1,658 in Cajamarca.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Cajamarca $1,658

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 79% more expensive than in Cajamarca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 7% lower, Cajamarca 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.64

$3.57 PEN 12.25

150.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$247

$28.96 PEN 99.3

70.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.01

$5.95 PEN 20.39

54.96%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.70

$2.64 PEN 9.05

-3.79%

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

$1.45 R$7.25

$0.79 PEN 2.71

83.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.55

$0.62 PEN 2.11

46.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.31

$2.30 PEN 7.89

33.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.75

$3.64 PEN 12.46

19.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.32

$1.38 PEN 4.75

-7.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.17

$3.27 PEN 11.21

-43.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.05

$1.29 PEN 4.42

9.30%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.20

$2.28 PEN 7.82

24.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$62.7

$7.58 PEN 26.00

65.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.81

$6.28 PEN 21.52

-14.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.5

$13.12 PEN 44.97

-18.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.67

$1.06 PEN 3.65

158.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.03

$0.78 PEN 2.68

132.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.74

$1.23 PEN 4.20

26.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.90

$1.08 PEN 3.70

83.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.34

$0.74 PEN 2.52

98.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.20

$1.00 PEN 3.41

24.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.35

$0.72 PEN 2.48

76.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.79

$0.75 PEN 2.56

28.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.16

$8.98 PEN 30.79

-66.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$50.8

$10.19 PEN 34.93

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.64

$2.59 PEN 8.89

-33.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.19

$2.45 PEN 8.41

7.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.18

$0.56 PEN 1.93

85.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$240

$8.93 PEN 30.62

438.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.07

$1.76 PEN 6.03

3.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.07

$1.33 PEN 4.55

-23.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$50.7

$5.05 PEN 17.31

101.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.35

$1.51 PEN 5.19

-15.89%

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

$24.3K R$121.4K

$23.7K PEN 81.3K

2.49%

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

$34.0K R$169.8K

$25.9K PEN 88.6K

31.52%

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

$104 R$519

$49.76 PEN 171

108.88%

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

$16.16 R$80.7

$9.79 PEN 33.57

65.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$29.01 PEN 99.5

-22.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$181

$30.97 PEN 106

17.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$239

$20.52 PEN 70.3

132.85%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.19

$4.76 PEN 16.32

106.93%

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

$525 R$2,622

$137 PEN 471

282.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$82.8K

$4,463 PEN 15.3K

271.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$334

$51.7 PEN 177

29.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$311

$29.33 PEN 101

112.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$505

$80.8 PEN 277

25.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$454

$80.9 PEN 277

12.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,309

$199 PEN 681

233.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,110

$103 PEN 353

310.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,622

$527 PEN 1,806

189.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,035

$317 PEN 1,085

218.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.7K

$2,338 PEN 8,015

17.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,396

$727 PEN 2,491

21.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

10.5

11.24%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Cajamarca: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Cajamarca

$103 14.9% 75.6% $320

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Cajamarca

$229 33.1% 5.9% $14

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Cajamarca

$103 14.8% 37.2% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Cajamarca

$109 15.8% 24.4% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Cajamarca

$89 12.8% 37.9% $54

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Cajamarca

$20 2.8% 66.9% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Cajamarca

$40 5.9% 27.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $663 in Sao Paulo and $199 in Cajamarca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 21% 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: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $29.00 in Cajamarca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $229 per month, with Cajamarca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇵🇪 Cajamarca

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

06:31 6:31 AM

2 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

218,741

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Paulo Cajamarca 3,860 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Paulo
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

Sao Paulo vs Cajamarca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cajamarca is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Sao Paulo, 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: $663 in Sao Paulo 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 439% less than in Sao Paulo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $525 in Sao Paulo versus $137 in Cajamarca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $695 in Cajamarca versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cajamarca but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. 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 Sao Paulo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sao Paulo 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 79% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.