Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cali and Bishkek

For one person, living is cheaper in Bishkek: $980 a month against $1,060 in Cali, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. The total is higher in Cali despite lower rent and utilities.

52

Cost of Living Index in Cali
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Cali Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Bishkek
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Bishkek Living Index

Jump to prices

Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,060

/mo nomad

Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cali and in Bishkek

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,060 in Cali versus $980 in Bishkek.

Cali $1,060
Bishkek $980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,626 in Cali versus $1,503 in Bishkek.

Cali $1,626
Bishkek $1,503

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,192 in Cali versus $2,026 in Bishkek.

Cali $2,192
Bishkek $2,026

Living in Cali is roughly 8% more expensive than in Bishkek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cali 21% lower, Bishkek 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.32 COP 23.2K

$7.02 KGS 614

4.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.35 COP 118.4K

$28.73 KGS 2,513

30.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.32 COP 26.4K

$5.73 KGS 501

45.20%

Cappuccino

$1.52 COP 4,832

$2.40 KGS 210

-36.67%

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

$1.23 COP 3,885

$0.75 KGS 66.0

64.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 COP 2,728

$0.40 KGS 35.19

115.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.11 COP 9,872

$1.41 KGS 123

120.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 COP 12.1K

$1.89 KGS 165

101.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 COP 4,891

$1.03 KGS 90.1

49.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 COP 6,203

$0.38 KGS 33.63

415.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,701

$1.64 KGS 144

-9.76%

Eggs

$2.91 COP 9,242

$1.77 KGS 155

64.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.31 COP 20.0K

$7.70 KGS 674

-18.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.85 COP 21.7K

$4.51 KGS 395

51.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$9.00 KGS 787

13.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 COP 10.9K

$1.36 KGS 119

153.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 COP 4,433

$1.88 KGS 165

-25.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 COP 5,668

$2.01 KGS 176

-10.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 COP 5,223

$1.53 KGS 134

7.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 COP 4,539

$0.58 KGS 50.8

146.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,917

$0.48 KGS 41.73

222.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 COP 3,613

$0.70 KGS 61.2

62.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 COP 2,983

$0.61 KGS 53.8

54.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 COP 12.0K

$2.02 KGS 177

87.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.94 COP 41.0K

$9.18 KGS 803

40.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 COP 4,539

$1.42 KGS 124

0.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 COP 8,079

$2.01 KGS 176

26.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 COP 3,387

$0.22 KGS 19.13

386.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.29 COP 96.0K

$11.78 KGS 1,031

157.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 COP 2,488

$0.87 KGS 76.4

-10.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 KGS 41.43

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 KGS 494

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 COP 4,245

$1.02 KGS 89.4

31.37%

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

$30.0K KGS 2.6M

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

$35.4K COP 112.1M

$33.6K KGS 2.9M

5.36%

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

$110 COP 347.5K

$50.2 KGS 4,393

118.28%

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

$12.96 COP 41.1K

$5.62 KGS 491

130.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.06 COP 95.3K

$11.77 KGS 1,029

155.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.81 COP 91.3K

$55.0 KGS 4,813

-47.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 KGS 1,301

Cinema Ticket

$8.40 COP 26.6K

$5.68 KGS 497

47.89%

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

$222 KGS 19.4K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,839 KGS 685.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 COP 248.5K

$55.4 KGS 4,843

41.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.2 COP 168.8K

$42.81 KGS 3,745

24.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 COP 398.3K

$89.6 KGS 7,841

40.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 COP 351.4K

$91.8 KGS 8,030

20.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$655 COP 2.1M

$612 KGS 53.5K

6.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$288 COP 914.6K

$410 KGS 35.8K

-29.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 COP 4.9M

$1,041 KGS 91.1K

49.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$498 COP 1.6M

$708 KGS 62.0K

-29.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,803 KGS 157.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 KGS 107.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 COP 1.9M

$514 KGS 45.0K

13.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

20.1

-42.39%

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

Last update for Cali: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bishkek: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cali

$288 27.2%

Bishkek

$410 41.8% 42% $121

Groceries & Markets

Cali

$239 22.5%

Bishkek

$177 18% 26.1% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Cali

$166 15.6%

Bishkek

$126 12.8% 24% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cali

$153 14.4%

Bishkek

$68 6.9% 55.7% $85

Eating Out

Cali

$133 12.6%

Bishkek

$118 12% 11.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Cali

$46 4.3%

Bishkek

$66 6.8% 45.6% $21

Getting Around

Cali

$35 * 3.3%

Bishkek

$16 1.6% 55% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $655 in Cali and $612 in Bishkek. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cali pays 14% 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: $37.00 in Cali vs $29.00 in Bishkek for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $239 vs $177 per month, with Bishkek cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cali

🇰🇬 Bishkek

🕒 Local time

01:09 1:09 AM

12:09 12:09 PM

11 h ahead of Cali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,568,609

1,012,500 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KGS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 87.48 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 98.35 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cali Bishkek 14,100 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Cali
Bishkek

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

Cali vs Bishkek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 14% higher in Cali, 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: $655 in Cali versus $612 in Bishkek. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bishkek – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $37.00 in Cali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Bishkek runs roughly 157% less than in Cali. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $980 in Bishkek versus $1,060 in Cali, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bishkek but tight or insufficient in Cali. The gap between the two cities makes Bishkek the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bishkek is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cali, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cali and Bishkek 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 Bishkek gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Cali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.