Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenaventura and Cali

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,193 a month against $1,308 in Buenaventura, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Buenaventura outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

63

Cost of Living Index in Buenaventura
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Buenaventura Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Cali
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Cali Living Index

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Buenaventura

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,308

/mo nomad

Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenaventura and in Cali

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Buenaventura and in Cali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,308 per month in Buenaventura vs $1,193 in Cali, rent included.

Buenaventura $1,308
Cali $1,193

A couple spends around $2,012 per month in Buenaventura vs $1,823 in Cali, rent included.

Buenaventura $2,012
Cali $1,823

A family of three spends $2,716 per month in Buenaventura vs $2,453 in Cali, rent included.

Buenaventura $2,716
Cali $2,453

Buenaventura costs about 10% more than Cali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Buenaventura and Cali are more affordable than the global median – Buenaventura 3% lower, Cali 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.61 COP 24.1K

$5.50 COP 17.4K

38.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.62 COP 135.1K

$56.7 COP 179.8K

-24.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.41 COP 29.8K

$6.12 COP 19.4K

53.76%

Cappuccino

$2.59 COP 8,225

$3.16 COP 10.0K

-18.04%

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

$1.38 COP 4,370

$2.45 COP 7,777

-43.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 COP 2,835

$2.19 COP 6,952

-59.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.14 COP 9,959

$3.44 COP 10.9K

-8.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 COP 11.8K

$3.53 COP 11.2K

5.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 COP 4,538

$1.65 COP 5,218

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 COP 7,642

$1.72 COP 5,463

40.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,169

$1.76 COP 5,570

-7.39%

Eggs

$2.95 COP 9,353

$3.17 COP 10.0K

-6.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.86 COP 24.9K

$8.98 COP 28.5K

-12.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 COP 30.5K

$9.42 COP 29.9K

2.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.27 COP 38.9K

$11.04 COP 35.0K

11.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 COP 11.4K

$3.80 COP 12.0K

-5.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 COP 4,665

$1.19 COP 3,768

23.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,047

$1.35 COP 4,295

41.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 COP 5,696

$2.09 COP 6,619

-13.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,737

$1.75 COP 5,550

-14.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,694

$1.71 COP 5,418

-13.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 COP 3,758

$1.01 COP 3,199

17.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 COP 3,811

$0.86 COP 2,737

39.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.95 COP 12.5K

$4.36 COP 13.8K

-9.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.14 COP 41.7K

$16.69 COP 52.9K

-21.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,474

$1.52 COP 4,827

-7.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 COP 7,555

$1.96 COP 6,219

21.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 COP 3,450

$1.09 COP 3,444

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.0 COP 205.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 COP 5,079

$1.20 COP 3,818

33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 COP 6,457

$0.56 COP 1,789

264.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.02 COP 28.6K

$3.47 COP 11.0K

159.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,080

$1.35 COP 4,295

-4.44%

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

$24.7K COP 78.5M

$35.4K COP 112.1M

-30.02%

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

$35.4K COP 112.2M

$34.8K COP 110.5M

1.52%

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

$126 COP 399.9K

$101 COP 319.5K

25.15%

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

$13.14 COP 41.7K

$15.47 COP 49.1K

-15.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.17 COP 92.5K

$27.81 COP 88.2K

4.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.15 COP 120.9K

$32.57 COP 103.3K

17.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.15 COP 32.2K

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 COP 20.6K

$4.97 COP 15.8K

30.78%

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

$630 COP 2.0M

$404 COP 1.3M

55.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,516 COP 23.8M

$11.5K COP 36.5M

-34.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 COP 269.2K

$83.8 COP 265.7K

1.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 COP 172.5K

$44.92 COP 142.4K

21.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.5K

$113 COP 357.5K

23.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 COP 328.1K

$98.9 COP 313.7K

4.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$653 COP 2.1M

$626 COP 2.0M

4.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$475 COP 1.5M

$367 COP 1.2M

29.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 COP 3.2M

$1,531 COP 4.9M

-34.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 COP 2.8M

$533 COP 1.7M

64.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,966 COP 6.2M

$1,369 COP 4.3M

43.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,628 COP 5.2M

$1,215 COP 3.9M

34.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 COP 1.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

13.88

-16.57%

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

Last update for Buenaventura: October 18, 2026

Last update for Cali: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenaventura

$475 36.3%

Cali

$367 30.8% 22.8% $108

Groceries & Markets

Buenaventura

$273 20.9%

Cali

$270 22.7% 1% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Buenaventura

$172 13.1%

Cali

$153 12.8% 10.8% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenaventura

$168 12.9%

Cali

$144 12.1% 14.5% $24

Eating Out

Buenaventura

$153 11.7%

Cali

$143 12% 6.2% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Buenaventura

$51 3.9%

Cali

$43 3.6% 16.9% $8.6

Getting Around

Buenaventura

$16 * 1.2%

Cali

$73 6.1% 354% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $653 in Buenaventura versus $626 in Cali. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Buenaventura versus $57.0 in Cali. Groceries tell a different story – $273 in Buenaventura vs $270 in Cali – so Cali wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Buenaventura

🇨🇴 Cali

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

Same time as Buenaventura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,607

2,568,609

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Buenaventura vs Cali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,308 in Buenaventura, $1,193 in Cali – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,962 per month in Buenaventura and $1,790 in Cali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Buenaventura and $57.0 in Cali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Buenaventura, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cali, where all-in costs run around $1,193, than in Buenaventura at $1,308. In Cali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Buenaventura it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,193 in Cali to $1,308 in Buenaventura. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Cali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Buenaventura makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.