Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Cajamarca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cajamarca: $712 a month against $2,683 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $23,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Cajamarca
Learn more

Cajamarca Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,683

/mo nomad

Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Peru

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,683 in Vancouver versus $712 in Cajamarca.

Vancouver $2,683
Cajamarca $712

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,963 in Vancouver versus $1,196 in Cajamarca.

Vancouver $3,963
Cajamarca $1,196

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,244 in Vancouver versus $1,680 in Cajamarca.

Vancouver $5,244
Cajamarca $1,680

Living in Vancouver is roughly 277% more expensive than in Cajamarca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Vancouver is 98% above, Cajamarca is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.10 CA$25.26

$3.11 PEN 10.72

481.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 CA$99.1

$29.13 PEN 100

143.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 CA$14.75

$5.82 PEN 20.04

81.62%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.54

$2.86 PEN 9.85

38.81%

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

$2.07 CA$2.89

$0.71 PEN 2.44

191.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 CA$2.58

$0.61 PEN 2.08

203.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 CA$7.91

$2.55 PEN 8.78

122.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.61 CA$9.23

$3.49 PEN 12.02

89.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CA$3.01

$1.37 PEN 4.71

57.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 CA$3.60

$3.19 PEN 10.97

-19.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 CA$6.00

$1.26 PEN 4.34

241.27%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.71

$2.29 PEN 7.89

78.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.12 CA$16.91

$7.10 PEN 24.44

70.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 CA$18.54

$7.87 PEN 27.10

68.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.11 CA$28.07

$16.03 PEN 55.2

25.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 CA$5.53

$0.89 PEN 3.05

344.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 CA$1.99

$0.91 PEN 3.13

57.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.18

$1.13 PEN 3.88

228.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.48

$0.83 PEN 2.87

372.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 CA$4.00

$0.83 PEN 2.86

245.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.16

$0.70 PEN 2.40

325.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$0.83 PEN 2.86

214.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.28

$0.71 PEN 2.45

129.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.94 CA$22.25

$7.29 PEN 25.11

118.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$19.89

$11.73 PEN 40.38

21.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.52

$2.58 PEN 8.87

-2.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 CA$4.01

$2.54 PEN 8.74

12.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 CA$3.58

$0.60 PEN 2.08

328.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.4 CA$118

$8.85 PEN 30.46

853.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 CA$3.83

$2.55 PEN 8.78

7.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 CA$2.27

$1.72 PEN 5.90

-5.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.90 CA$44.52

$5.94 PEN 20.46

437.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 CA$2.03

$1.41 PEN 4.86

3.55%

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

$26.7K CA$37.3K

$22.9K PEN 78.9K

16.47%

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

$21.0K CA$29.4K

$29.1K PEN 100.1K

-27.67%

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

$88.2 CA$123

$58.4 PEN 201

51.10%

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

$36.72 CA$51.3

$9.25 PEN 31.84

296.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.81 CA$69.5

$20.07 PEN 69.1

148.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.34 CA$63.3

$33.83 PEN 116

34.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.13 CA$16.93

$17.15 PEN 59.0

-29.27%

Cinema Ticket

$12.55 CA$17.52

$3.79 PEN 13.04

231.13%

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

$1,055 CA$1,473

$147 PEN 507

617.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.5K CA$39.8K

$4,336 PEN 14.9K

556.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$78.8

$43.83 PEN 151

28.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.37 CA$47.98

$29.18 PEN 100

17.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$125

$72.8 PEN 250

23.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 CA$132

$71.3 PEN 245

32.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 CA$2,426

$193 PEN 664

801.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 CA$2,134

$117 PEN 404

1202.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,107 CA$4,337

$520 PEN 1,790

497.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 CA$3,555

$324 PEN 1,117

684.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,540 CA$11.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,328 CA$8,833

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,770 CA$5,262

$549 PEN 1,888

587.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.24

-61.45%

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

Last update for Vancouver: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cajamarca: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Cajamarca

$117 16.5% 92.3% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$398 14.9%

Cajamarca

$244 34.3% 38.7% $154

Eating Out

Vancouver

$281 10.5%

Cajamarca

$102 14.3% 63.9% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$175 6.5%

Cajamarca

$88 12.3% 49.8% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.6%

Cajamarca

$98 13.7% 21% $26

Getting Around

Vancouver

$106 3.9%

Cajamarca

$22 3.1% 78.8% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$70 2.6%

Cajamarca

$41 5.8% 41.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,738 in Vancouver and $193 in Cajamarca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays about 6.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Vancouver vs $29 in Cajamarca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $398 vs $244 per month, with Cajamarca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇵🇪 Cajamarca

🕒 Local time

20:06 8:06 PM

22:06 10:06 PM

2 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

218,741

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Vancouver Cajamarca 7,620 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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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

Vancouver vs Cajamarca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cajamarca is about 73% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Vancouver is about 6.9 times higher, 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: $1,738 in Vancouver 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 90% less than in Vancouver. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,055 in Vancouver versus $147 in Cajamarca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $712 in Cajamarca versus $2,683 in Vancouver, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cajamarca but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Cajamarca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Cajamarca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.