Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cali and Popayan

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,214 a month against $1,398 in Popayan, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Cali
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Cali Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Popayan
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Popayan Living Index

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Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,214

/mo nomad

Popayan

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,398

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cali and in Popayan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,214 in Cali versus $1,398 in Popayan.

Cali $1,214
Popayan $1,398

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,827 in Cali versus $2,091 in Popayan.

Cali $1,827
Popayan $2,091

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,439 in Cali versus $2,783 in Popayan.

Cali $2,439
Popayan $2,783

Living in Cali costs roughly 13% less than in Popayan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cali is 10% below, Popayan is 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.20 COP 16.7K

$7.83 COP 25.2K

-33.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 COP 181.1K

$46.74 COP 150.3K

20.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 COP 19.4K

$9.82 COP 31.6K

-38.59%

Cappuccino

$3.15 COP 10.1K

$2.77 COP 8,896

13.72%

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

$2.37 COP 7,611

$1.36 COP 4,387

74.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 COP 7,224

$0.91 COP 2,919

147.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 COP 10.8K

$2.86 COP 9,208

17.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 COP 11.3K

$4.26 COP 13.7K

-17.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 COP 5,372

$1.50 COP 4,819

11.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 COP 5,619

$2.07 COP 6,672

-15.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 COP 5,601

$1.99 COP 6,390

-12.56%

Eggs

$3.05 COP 9,798

$3.31 COP 10.6K

-7.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 COP 28.3K

$8.28 COP 26.6K

6.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.46 COP 30.4K

$11.20 COP 36.0K

-15.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.84 COP 34.9K

$14.18 COP 45.6K

-23.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 COP 12.1K

$3.93 COP 12.6K

-4.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 COP 3,737

$1.49 COP 4,792

-22.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 COP 4,261

$1.82 COP 5,843

-27.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 COP 6,569

$1.81 COP 5,833

12.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 COP 5,350

$1.62 COP 5,204

2.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 COP 5,162

$1.69 COP 5,438

-5.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 COP 2,955

$1.04 COP 3,354

-11.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 COP 2,773

$1.34 COP 4,309

-35.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 COP 14.5K

$4.02 COP 12.9K

12.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.11 COP 48.6K

$13.00 COP 41.8K

16.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 COP 4,872

$1.61 COP 5,171

-6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 COP 6,047

$2.27 COP 7,296

-17.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 COP 3,431

$1.17 COP 3,764

-8.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.6 COP 210.9K

$56.8 COP 182.7K

15.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 COP 3,824

$1.71 COP 5,490

-30.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 COP 1,830

$2.15 COP 6,929

-73.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 COP 10.6K

$8.15 COP 26.2K

-59.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,126

$1.33 COP 4,284

-3.76%

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

$34.8K COP 111.9M

$36.6K COP 117.9M

-5.09%

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

$34.4K COP 110.5M

$37.8K COP 121.6M

-9.09%

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

$104 COP 333.7K

$111 COP 358.5K

-6.94%

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

$14.63 COP 47.1K

$14.64 COP 47.1K

-0.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.06 COP 87.0K

$27.47 COP 88.4K

-1.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.34 COP 97.6K

$39.02 COP 125.5K

-22.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.18 COP 32.8K

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 COP 15.8K

$6.76 COP 21.7K

-27.22%

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

$414 COP 1.3M

$507 COP 1.6M

-18.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K COP 35.6M

$10.5K COP 33.7M

5.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.6 COP 262.3K

$80.7 COP 259.6K

1.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.07 COP 138.5K

$58.1 COP 186.8K

-25.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 COP 372.4K

$119 COP 384.0K

-3.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100.0 COP 321.6K

$104 COP 333.4K

-3.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$703 COP 2.3M

$802 COP 2.6M

-12.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 COP 1.3M

$506 COP 1.6M

-21.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,501 COP 4.8M

$1,349 COP 4.3M

11.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$543 COP 1.7M

$779 COP 2.5M

-30.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,720 COP 5.5M

$2,078 COP 6.7M

-17.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,429 COP 4.6M

$1,794 COP 5.8M

-20.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$598 COP 1.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.88

15.67%

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

Last update for Cali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Popayan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cali

$397 32.7%

Popayan

$506 36.2% 27.4% $109

Groceries & Markets

Cali

$265 21.8%

Popayan

$292 20.9% 10.5% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Cali

$153 12.6%

Popayan

$163 11.6% 6.3% $9.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cali

$145 12%

Popayan

$154 11% 5.6% $8.2

Eating Out

Cali

$140 11.5%

Popayan

$157 11.2% 12.5% $18

Getting Around

Cali

$74 6.1%

Popayan

$74 5.3% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Cali

$40 3.3%

Popayan

$53 3.8% 30.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $703 in Cali and $802 in Popayan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56 in Cali vs $47 in Popayan. Groceries flip the comparison at $265 vs $292, with Cali cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cali

🇨🇴 Popayan

🕒 Local time

14:23 2:23 PM

Same time as Cali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,568,609

318,059

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Popayan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cali is about 13% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,821 in Cali and $2,098 in Popayan 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 $802 in Popayan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $414 in Cali versus $507 in Popayan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Popayan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.