Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cali and San Juan de Pasto

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,214 a month against $1,463 in San Juan de Pasto, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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 San Juan de Pasto
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San Juan de Pasto Living Index

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Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,214

/mo nomad

San Juan de Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,463

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cali and in San Juan de Pasto

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 San Juan de Pasto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,214 in Cali versus $1,463 in San Juan de Pasto.

Cali $1,214
San Juan de Pasto $1,463

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,827 in Cali versus $2,144 in San Juan de Pasto.

Cali $1,827
San Juan de Pasto $2,144

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,439 in Cali versus $2,825 in San Juan de Pasto.

Cali $2,439
San Juan de Pasto $2,825

Living in Cali costs roughly 17% less than in San Juan de Pasto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cali is 10% below, San Juan de Pasto is 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.20 COP 16.8K

$8.83 COP 28.5K

-41.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 COP 181.8K

$47.05 COP 151.9K

19.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 COP 19.5K

$10.50 COP 33.9K

-42.57%

Cappuccino

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.89 COP 9,347

9.00%

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

$2.37 COP 7,641

$1.42 COP 4,595

66.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 COP 7,252

$1.21 COP 3,898

85.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 COP 10.8K

$3.44 COP 11.1K

-2.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 COP 11.3K

$3.64 COP 11.7K

-3.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 COP 5,393

$1.61 COP 5,202

3.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 COP 5,641

$2.39 COP 7,712

-26.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 COP 5,623

$2.06 COP 6,654

-15.53%

Eggs

$3.05 COP 9,836

$3.46 COP 11.2K

-11.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 COP 28.4K

$7.16 COP 23.1K

22.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.46 COP 30.6K

$10.11 COP 32.7K

-6.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.84 COP 35.0K

$11.84 COP 38.2K

-8.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 COP 12.1K

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 COP 3,751

$1.37 COP 4,424

-15.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 COP 4,278

$1.71 COP 5,533

-22.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 COP 6,595

$1.86 COP 6,010

9.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 COP 5,370

$1.79 COP 5,794

-7.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 COP 5,182

$1.72 COP 5,566

-6.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 COP 2,967

$1.03 COP 3,321

-10.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 COP 2,784

$1.32 COP 4,253

-34.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 COP 14.6K

$4.72 COP 15.2K

-4.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.11 COP 48.8K

$12.60 COP 40.7K

19.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 COP 4,891

$1.27 COP 4,113

18.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 COP 6,071

$2.61 COP 8,421

-27.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 COP 3,444

$1.11 COP 3,586

-3.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.6 COP 211.7K

$66.9 COP 216.0K

-1.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 COP 3,839

$1.63 COP 5,267

-26.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 COP 1,837

$2.09 COP 6,752

-72.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 COP 10.6K

$7.85 COP 25.4K

-58.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,142

$1.29 COP 4,159

-0.78%

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

$34.8K COP 112.3M

$39.0K COP 126.1M

-10.92%

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

$34.4K COP 110.9M

$33.3K COP 107.5M

3.14%

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

$104 COP 335.0K

$129 COP 415.6K

-19.42%

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

$14.63 COP 47.2K

$13.90 COP 44.9K

5.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.06 COP 87.4K

$30.01 COP 96.9K

-9.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.34 COP 98.0K

$33.00 COP 106.6K

-8.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.18 COP 32.9K

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 COP 15.9K

$7.84 COP 25.3K

-37.24%

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

$414 COP 1.3M

$581 COP 1.9M

-28.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K COP 35.8M

$13.9K COP 44.8M

-20.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.6 COP 263.3K

$93.9 COP 303.2K

-13.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.07 COP 139.1K

$49.34 COP 159.3K

-12.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 COP 373.8K

$122 COP 394.3K

-5.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100.0 COP 322.8K

$94.9 COP 306.4K

5.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$703 COP 2.3M

$780 COP 2.5M

-9.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 COP 1.3M

$546 COP 1.8M

-27.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,501 COP 4.8M

$1,459 COP 4.7M

2.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$543 COP 1.8M

$796 COP 2.6M

-31.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,720 COP 5.6M

$2,112 COP 6.8M

-18.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,429 COP 4.6M

$1,582 COP 5.1M

-9.66%

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 San Juan de Pasto: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cali

$397 32.7%

San Juan de Pasto

$546 37.3% 37.4% $148

Groceries & Markets

Cali

$265 21.8%

San Juan de Pasto

$278 19% 5.2% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Cali

$153 12.6%

San Juan de Pasto

$162 11.1% 5.8% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cali

$145 12%

San Juan de Pasto

$173 11.8% 18.7% $27

Eating Out

Cali

$140 11.5%

San Juan de Pasto

$172 11.8% 23.1% $32

Getting Around

Cali

$74 6.1%

San Juan de Pasto

$83 5.7% 12.9% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Cali

$40 3.3%

San Juan de Pasto

$49 3.3% 21.1% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $703 in Cali and $780 in San Juan de Pasto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56 in Cali vs $47 in San Juan de Pasto. Groceries flip the comparison at $265 vs $278, with Cali cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cali

🇨🇴 San Juan de Pasto

🕒 Local time

14:13 2:13 PM

Same time as Cali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,568,609

392,930

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Cali San Juan de Pasto 260 km

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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

Cali vs San Juan de Pasto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cali is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,821 in Cali and $2,194 in San Juan de Pasto 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 $780 in San Juan de Pasto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $414 in Cali versus $581 in San Juan de Pasto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

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.