Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cucuta and Cali

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,060 a month against $1,335 in Cucuta, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Cucuta
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Cucuta Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Cali
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Cali Living Index

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Cucuta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,335

/mo nomad

Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cucuta and in Cali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,335 in Cucuta versus $1,060 in Cali.

Cucuta $1,335
Cali $1,060

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,003 in Cucuta versus $1,626 in Cali.

Cucuta $2,003
Cali $1,626

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,670 in Cucuta versus $2,192 in Cali.

Cucuta $2,670
Cali $2,192

Living in Cucuta is roughly 26% more expensive than in Cali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cucuta 1% lower, Cali 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.44 COP 23.6K

$7.32 COP 23.2K

1.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.54 COP 153.9K

$37.35 COP 118.4K

29.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.16 COP 29.1K

$8.32 COP 26.4K

10.10%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,235

$1.52 COP 4,832

91.45%

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

$1.43 COP 4,544

$1.23 COP 3,885

16.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 COP 3,420

$0.86 COP 2,728

25.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 COP 9,785

$3.11 COP 9,872

-0.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 COP 11.7K

$3.80 COP 12.1K

-2.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 COP 5,112

$1.54 COP 4,891

4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 COP 7,844

$1.96 COP 6,203

26.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 COP 4,893

$1.48 COP 4,701

4.05%

Eggs

$2.99 COP 9,488

$2.91 COP 9,242

2.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.00 COP 28.5K

$6.31 COP 20.0K

42.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 COP 27.2K

$6.85 COP 21.7K

25.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.41 COP 36.2K

$10.22 COP 32.4K

11.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 COP 11.2K

$3.45 COP 10.9K

2.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 COP 5,061

$1.40 COP 4,433

14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 COP 6,574

$1.79 COP 5,668

15.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,139

$1.65 COP 5,223

17.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 COP 4,071

$1.43 COP 4,539

-10.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 COP 4,149

$1.55 COP 4,917

-15.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 COP 3,497

$1.14 COP 3,613

-3.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 COP 3,221

$0.94 COP 2,983

8.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 COP 13.8K

$3.79 COP 12.0K

14.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 COP 46.7K

$12.94 COP 41.0K

13.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 COP 5,217

$1.43 COP 4,539

15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 COP 7,271

$2.55 COP 8,079

-10.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 COP 3,783

$1.07 COP 3,387

11.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.29 COP 96.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 COP 4,830

$0.78 COP 2,488

94.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 COP 6,624

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.90 COP 31.4K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,055

$1.34 COP 4,245

-4.48%

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

$28.7K COP 90.9M

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

$40.2K COP 127.6M

$35.4K COP 112.1M

13.79%

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

$126 COP 397.9K

$110 COP 347.5K

14.51%

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

$13.88 COP 44.0K

$12.96 COP 41.1K

7.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.14 COP 92.4K

$30.06 COP 95.3K

-3.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.45 COP 106.1K

$28.81 COP 91.3K

16.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.95 COP 22.0K

$8.40 COP 26.6K

-17.26%

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

$647 COP 2.1M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,396 COP 20.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 273.8K

$78.4 COP 248.5K

10.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.97 COP 158.4K

$53.2 COP 168.8K

-6.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$154 COP 489.8K

$126 COP 398.3K

22.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 COP 323.2K

$111 COP 351.4K

-8.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 COP 2.0M

$655 COP 2.1M

-1.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 COP 1.6M

$288 COP 914.6K

72.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 COP 3.2M

$1,558 COP 4.9M

-34.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$792 COP 2.5M

$498 COP 1.6M

59.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,980 COP 6.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,498 COP 4.7M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$565 COP 1.8M

$585 COP 1.9M

-3.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

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

Last update for Cucuta: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cali: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cucuta

$497 37.2%

Cali

$288 27.2% 42% $209

Groceries & Markets

Cucuta

$274 20.5%

Cali

$239 22.5% 12.8% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Cucuta

$177 13.2%

Cali

$166 15.6% 6.3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cucuta

$169 12.6%

Cali

$153 14.4% 9.4% $16

Eating Out

Cucuta

$155 11.6%

Cali

$133 12.6% 13.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Cucuta

$47 3.6%

Cali

$46 4.3% 3.7% $1.7

Getting Around

Cucuta

$17 * 1.3%

Cali

$35 * 3.3% 111% $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 $643 in Cucuta and $655 in Cali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cali pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49.00 in Cucuta vs $37.00 in Cali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $239 per month, with Cali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cucuta

🇨🇴 Cali

🕒 Local time

23:12 11:12 PM

Same time as Cucuta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

777,106

2,568,609

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cucuta Cali 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cucuta
Cali

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

Cucuta vs Cali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cali is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Cali. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $643 in Cucuta versus $655 in Cali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Cucuta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cali – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $49.00 in Cucuta. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,060 in Cali versus $1,335 in Cucuta, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cali but tight or insufficient in Cucuta. The gap between the two cities makes Cali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Cali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Cucuta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.