Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cali and Monteria

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,214 a month against $1,358 in Monteria, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Cali
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Cali Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Monteria
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Monteria Living Index

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Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,214

/mo nomad

Monteria

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cali and in Monteria

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 Monteria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,214 in Cali versus $1,358 in Monteria.

Cali $1,214
Monteria $1,358

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,827 in Cali versus $2,064 in Monteria.

Cali $1,827
Monteria $2,064

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,439 in Cali versus $2,770 in Monteria.

Cali $2,439
Monteria $2,770

Living in Cali costs roughly 11% less than in Monteria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.20 COP 16.8K

$5.66 COP 18.3K

-8.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 COP 181.6K

$47.00 COP 151.7K

19.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 COP 19.5K

$10.08 COP 32.5K

-40.18%

Cappuccino

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.66 COP 8,596

18.42%

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

$2.37 COP 7,635

$2.56 COP 8,257

-7.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 COP 7,246

$2.33 COP 7,533

-3.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 COP 10.8K

$3.35 COP 10.8K

0.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 COP 11.3K

$5.11 COP 16.5K

-31.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 COP 5,389

$1.84 COP 5,946

-9.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 COP 5,637

$2.90 COP 9,354

-39.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 COP 5,619

$1.48 COP 4,780

17.57%

Eggs

$3.05 COP 9,829

$4.85 COP 15.7K

-37.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 COP 28.4K

$8.11 COP 26.2K

8.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.46 COP 30.5K

$9.96 COP 32.2K

-5.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.84 COP 35.0K

$12.47 COP 40.3K

-13.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 COP 12.1K

$3.78 COP 12.2K

-0.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 COP 3,749

$1.45 COP 4,670

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 COP 4,275

$1.94 COP 6,272

-31.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 COP 6,590

$2.02 COP 6,524

0.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 COP 5,367

$1.61 COP 5,191

3.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 COP 5,178

$1.47 COP 4,758

8.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 COP 2,965

$1.13 COP 3,635

-18.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 COP 2,782

$1.19 COP 3,827

-27.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 COP 14.6K

$4.11 COP 13.3K

9.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.11 COP 48.8K

$14.43 COP 46.6K

4.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 COP 4,888

$1.39 COP 4,490

8.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 COP 6,067

$2.37 COP 7,662

-20.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 COP 3,441

$1.07 COP 3,459

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.6 COP 211.6K

$65.2 COP 210.3K

0.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 COP 3,836

$1.61 COP 5,193

-26.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 COP 1,835

$2.09 COP 6,734

-72.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 COP 10.6K

$9.19 COP 29.7K

-64.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,139

$1.28 COP 4,140

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

$34.8K COP 112.2M

$34.9K COP 112.6M

-0.32%

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

$34.4K COP 110.8M

$34.9K COP 112.6M

-1.52%

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

$104 COP 334.7K

$79.7 COP 257.2K

30.15%

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

$14.63 COP 47.2K

$13.46 COP 43.4K

8.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.06 COP 87.3K

$27.98 COP 90.3K

-3.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.34 COP 97.9K

$38.09 COP 122.9K

-20.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.18 COP 32.9K

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 COP 15.9K

$8.12 COP 26.2K

-39.41%

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

$414 COP 1.3M

$634 COP 2.0M

-34.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K COP 35.7M

$5,860 COP 18.9M

89.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.6 COP 263.2K

$83.8 COP 270.3K

-2.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.07 COP 139.0K

$52.0 COP 167.9K

-17.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 COP 373.6K

$137 COP 441.7K

-15.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100.0 COP 322.6K

$99.5 COP 321.0K

0.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$703 COP 2.3M

$725 COP 2.3M

-3.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 COP 1.3M

$482 COP 1.6M

-17.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,501 COP 4.8M

$1,394 COP 4.5M

7.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$543 COP 1.8M

$774 COP 2.5M

-29.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,720 COP 5.6M

$2,193 COP 7.1M

-21.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,429 COP 4.6M

$1,787 COP 5.8M

-20.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$598 COP 1.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.88

-7.47%

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

Last update for Cali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Monteria: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cali

$397 32.7%

Monteria

$482 35.6% 21.4% $85

Groceries & Markets

Cali

$265 21.8%

Monteria

$297 21.9% 12.2% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Cali

$153 12.6%

Monteria

$167 12.3% 9.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cali

$145 12%

Monteria

$121 8.9% 16.7% $24

Eating Out

Cali

$140 11.5%

Monteria

$154 11.3% 10.3% $14

Getting Around

Cali

$74 6.1%

Monteria

$82 6% 10.4% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Cali

$40 3.3%

Monteria

$54 4% 35.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $703 in Cali and $725 in Monteria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56 in Cali vs $47 in Monteria. Groceries flip the comparison at $265 vs $297, with Cali cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cali

🇨🇴 Monteria

🕒 Local time

13:15 1:15 PM

Same time as Cali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,568,609

454,032

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Cali Monteria 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cali
Monteria

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 Monteria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cali is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,821 in Cali and $2,037 in Monteria to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $703 in Cali versus $725 in Monteria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $414 in Cali versus $634 in Monteria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Monteria – a meal for two runs $47 versus $56 in Cali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Cali 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.