Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cali and Salento

For one person, living is cheaper in Salento: $804 a month against $1,241 in Cali, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Cali
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Cali Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Salento
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Salento Living Index

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Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,241

/mo nomad

Salento

🇨🇴 Colombia

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cali and in Salento

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,241 in Cali versus $804 in Salento.

Cali $1,241
Salento $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,856 in Cali versus $1,215 in Salento.

Cali $1,856
Salento $1,215

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,470 in Cali versus $1,625 in Salento.

Cali $2,470
Salento $1,625

Living in Cali is roughly 54% more expensive than in Salento, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cali 9% lower, Salento 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.33 COP 16.8K

$4.06 COP 12.8K

31.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 COP 180.8K

$23.24 COP 73.1K

147.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.19 COP 19.5K

$7.40 COP 23.3K

-16.35%

Cappuccino

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$1.49 COP 4,685

113.42%

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

$2.37 COP 7,446

$0.87 COP 2,730

172.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 COP 6,932

$0.57 COP 1,791

285.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 COP 10.9K

$1.20 COP 3,768

189.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 COP 11.6K

$2.15 COP 6,761

71.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 COP 5,255

$1.06 COP 3,344

57.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 COP 5,736

$1.25 COP 3,932

45.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,265

$1.18 COP 3,707

41.53%

Eggs

$3.08 COP 9,698

$2.11 COP 6,633

45.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.78 COP 27.6K

$4.60 COP 14.5K

90.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 COP 29.7K

$5.25 COP 16.5K

80.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.89 COP 34.3K

$7.31 COP 23.0K

48.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.89 COP 12.2K

$2.46 COP 7,754

58.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 COP 3,793

$1.08 COP 3,399

12.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 COP 4,257

$1.31 COP 4,137

3.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 COP 6,566

$1.07 COP 3,362

95.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 COP 5,327

$1.11 COP 3,481

52.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,091

$1.17 COP 3,679

38.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 COP 3,197

$0.88 COP 2,767

15.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 COP 2,682

$0.70 COP 2,207

21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 COP 14.3K

$2.44 COP 7,663

86.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.12 COP 53.9K

$9.81 COP 30.9K

74.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 4,960

$1.08 COP 3,401

46.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 COP 6,191

$1.70 COP 5,347

15.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 COP 3,549

$0.73 COP 2,284

54.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.3 COP 211.8K

$30.19 COP 95.0K

122.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 COP 3,733

$1.47 COP 4,621

-19.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 COP 1,801

$1.79 COP 5,630

-68.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.39 COP 10.7K

$5.97 COP 18.8K

-43.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,258

$1.01 COP 3,176

33.66%

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

$34.7K COP 109.3M

$17.9K COP 56.4M

93.70%

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

$34.4K COP 108.2M

$25.5K COP 80.2M

34.95%

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

$102 COP 319.7K

$83.5 COP 262.7K

21.68%

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

$15.18 COP 47.7K

$9.03 COP 28.4K

68.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.67 COP 87.1K

$22.45 COP 70.6K

23.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 COP 97.6K

$23.20 COP 73.0K

33.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.43 COP 32.8K

Cinema Ticket

$5.11 COP 16.1K

$4.01 COP 12.6K

27.43%

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

$404 COP 1.3M

$242 COP 762.6K

66.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K COP 36.3M

$5,915 COP 18.6M

95.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.3 COP 261.9K

$58.1 COP 182.9K

43.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 COP 136.1K

$32.20 COP 101.3K

34.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 COP 364.9K

$84.3 COP 265.1K

37.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 COP 314.8K

$73.5 COP 231.3K

36.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 COP 2.2M

$272 COP 855.8K

162.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$412 COP 1.3M

$241 COP 757.7K

70.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,466 COP 4.6M

$532 COP 1.7M

175.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$542 COP 1.7M

$416 COP 1.3M

30.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,750 COP 5.5M

$1,444 COP 4.5M

21.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,488 COP 4.7M

$1,057 COP 3.3M

40.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$589 COP 1.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.88

13.06

6.28%

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

Last update for Cali: October 26, 2026

Last update for Salento: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cali

$412 33.2%

Salento

$241 29.9% 41.5% $171

Groceries & Markets

Cali

$271 21.9%

Salento

$174 21.6% 36% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Cali

$154 12.4%

Salento

$112 13.9% 27.6% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cali

$144 11.6%

Salento

$115 14.3% 20.4% $29

Eating Out

Cali

$142 11.5%

Salento

$89 11% 37.8% $54

Getting Around

Cali

$76 6.1%

Salento

$44 5.4% 42.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Cali

$41 3.3%

Salento

$31 3.9% 24.3% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $713 in Cali and $272 in Salento. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $57 in Cali vs $23 in Salento for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $271 vs $174 per month, with Salento cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cali

🇨🇴 Salento

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

Same time as Cali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,568,609

9,748

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Salento: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salento is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 54% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,862 in Cali and $1,207 in Salento 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: $713 in Cali versus $272 in Salento. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $404 in Cali versus $242 in Salento. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 56% higher in Cali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $804 in Salento versus $1,241 in Cali, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Salento but tight or insufficient in Cali. The gap between the two cities makes Salento 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 Salento gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Cali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.