Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monteria and Cali

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,241 a month against $1,373 in Monteria, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Monteria
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Monteria Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Cali
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Cali Living Index

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Monteria

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,373

/mo nomad

Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monteria 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 Monteria and in Cali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,373 in Monteria versus $1,241 in Cali.

Monteria $1,373
Cali $1,241

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,042 in Monteria versus $1,856 in Cali.

Monteria $2,042
Cali $1,856

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,711 in Monteria versus $2,470 in Cali.

Monteria $2,711
Cali $2,470

Living in Monteria is roughly 11% more expensive than in Cali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.96 COP 19.2K

$5.33 COP 17.2K

11.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.62 COP 150.4K

$57.5 COP 185.4K

-18.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 COP 33.4K

$6.19 COP 20.0K

67.21%

Cappuccino

$2.66 COP 8,589

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-16.35%

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

$2.48 COP 7,994

$2.37 COP 7,638

4.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 COP 7,382

$2.20 COP 7,110

4.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.47 COP 11.2K

-8.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 COP 16.2K

$3.68 COP 11.9K

36.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 COP 5,997

$1.67 COP 5,391

11.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 COP 8,949

$1.82 COP 5,883

52.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 COP 4,564

$1.67 COP 5,400

-15.57%

Eggs

$4.88 COP 15.7K

$3.08 COP 9,947

58.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.07 COP 26.0K

$8.78 COP 28.3K

-8.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.59 COP 30.9K

$9.45 COP 30.5K

1.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.21 COP 36.2K

$10.89 COP 35.2K

2.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 COP 10.6K

$3.89 COP 12.6K

-15.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.21 COP 3,891

16.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 COP 5,772

$1.35 COP 4,367

32.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,249

$2.09 COP 6,735

-7.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 COP 4,683

$1.69 COP 5,464

-14.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 COP 4,577

$1.62 COP 5,222

-12.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 COP 4,155

$1.02 COP 3,279

26.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 COP 3,842

$0.85 COP 2,751

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.76 COP 12.1K

$4.54 COP 14.6K

-17.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.18 COP 45.8K

$17.12 COP 55.3K

-17.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 COP 4,697

$1.58 COP 5,088

-7.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 COP 7,218

$1.97 COP 6,350

13.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 COP 3,059

$1.13 COP 3,641

-15.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.5 COP 224.1K

$67.3 COP 217.2K

3.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.55 COP 5,016

$1.19 COP 3,829

30.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.79 COP 12.2K

$0.57 COP 1,848

564.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.40 COP 30.3K

$3.39 COP 10.9K

177.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,197

$1.35 COP 4,368

-3.70%

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

$34.9K COP 112.6M

$34.7K COP 112.1M

0.41%

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

$34.4K COP 111.0M

0.05%

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

$78.5 COP 253.2K

$102 COP 328.0K

-22.78%

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

$12.02 COP 38.8K

$15.18 COP 49.0K

-20.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.32 COP 101.1K

$27.67 COP 89.3K

13.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.34 COP 117.3K

$31.03 COP 100.1K

17.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.43 COP 33.6K

Cinema Ticket

$8.17 COP 26.4K

$5.11 COP 16.5K

59.88%

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

$623 COP 2.0M

$404 COP 1.3M

54.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,902 COP 19.0M

$11.5K COP 37.2M

-48.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.9 COP 270.9K

$83.3 COP 268.7K

0.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.9 COP 193.3K

$43.25 COP 139.6K

38.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 COP 476.1K

$116 COP 374.3K

27.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 COP 279.2K

$100 COP 322.9K

-13.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$694 COP 2.2M

$713 COP 2.3M

-2.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$493 COP 1.6M

$412 COP 1.3M

19.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 COP 4.0M

$1,466 COP 4.7M

-16.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 COP 2.3M

$542 COP 1.7M

32.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,339 COP 7.5M

$1,750 COP 5.6M

33.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,925 COP 6.2M

$1,488 COP 4.8M

29.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$589 COP 1.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.88

8.07%

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

Last update for Monteria: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cali: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monteria

$493 35.9%

Cali

$412 33.2% 16.6% $82

Groceries & Markets

Monteria

$286 20.8%

Cali

$271 21.9% 5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Monteria

$170 12.4%

Cali

$154 12.4% 9.3% $16

Eating Out

Monteria

$156 11.3%

Cali

$142 11.5% 8.5% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monteria

$122 8.9%

Cali

$144 11.6% 18.6% $23

Getting Around

Monteria

$94 6.8%

Cali

$76 6.1% 19.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Monteria

$53 3.8%

Cali

$41 3.3% 21.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $694 in Monteria and $713 in Cali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Monteria vs $57 in Cali. Groceries flip the comparison at $286 vs $271, with Cali cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Monteria

🇨🇴 Cali

🕒 Local time

00:00 12:00 AM

Same time as Monteria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

454,032

2,568,609

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Monteria Cali 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monteria
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

Monteria vs Cali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cali is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,060 in Monteria and $1,862 in Cali 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: $694 in Monteria versus $713 in Cali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $623 in Monteria versus $404 in Cali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Monteria. 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.