Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Popayan and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Popayan: $1,398 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Popayan
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Popayan Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Popayan

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,398

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Popayan and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,398 in Popayan versus $2,689 in Austin, TX.

Popayan $1,398
Austin, TX $2,689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,091 in Popayan versus $4,112 in Austin, TX.

Popayan $2,091
Austin, TX $4,112

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,783 in Popayan versus $5,534 in Austin, TX.

Popayan $2,783
Austin, TX $5,534

Living in Popayan costs roughly 48% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Popayan 3% above, Austin, TX 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.83 COP 25.3K

$21.34 $21.34

-63.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.74 COP 151.0K

$87.9 $87.9

-46.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 COP 31.7K

$12.44 $12.44

-21.06%

Cappuccino

$2.77 COP 8,933

$5.60 $5.60

-50.54%

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

$1.36 COP 4,405

$3.65 $3.65

-62.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 COP 2,931

$2.39 $2.39

-61.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 COP 9,246

$7.82 $7.82

-63.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 COP 13.8K

$8.75 $8.75

-51.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,839

$1.12 $1.12

33.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 COP 6,699

$3.62 $3.62

-42.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,416

$3.50 $3.50

-43.14%

Eggs

$3.31 COP 10.7K

$4.45 $4.45

-25.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.28 COP 26.7K

$13.18 $13.18

-37.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 COP 36.2K

$13.94 $13.94

-19.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.18 COP 45.8K

$16.46 $16.46

-13.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 COP 12.7K

$4.73 $4.73

-16.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,812

$1.50 $1.50

-0.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 COP 5,867

$4.64 $4.64

-60.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 COP 5,857

$4.52 $4.52

-59.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,225

$2.55 $2.55

-36.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 COP 5,460

$2.39 $2.39

-29.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 COP 3,368

$1.84 $1.84

-43.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 COP 4,327

$2.13 $2.13

-37.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 COP 13.0K

$10.05 $10.05

-60.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.00 COP 42.0K

$14.88 $14.88

-12.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 COP 5,192

$2.82 $2.82

-42.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 COP 7,326

$3.29 $3.29

-31.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$1.23 $1.23

-4.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.8 COP 183.5K

$41.43 $41.43

37.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$2.68 $2.68

-36.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,958

$1.63 $1.63

31.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 COP 26.3K

$35.20 $35.20

-76.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 COP 4,302

$0.98 $0.98

35.71%

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

$36.6K COP 118.4M

$34.4K $34.4K

6.59%

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

$37.8K COP 122.1M

$26.8K $26.8K

40.91%

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

$111 COP 360.0K

$252 $252

-55.81%

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

$14.64 COP 47.3K

$59.8 $59.8

-75.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 COP 88.7K

$69.7 $69.7

-60.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.02 COP 126.0K

$60.4 $60.4

-35.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 COP 21.8K

$13.75 $13.75

-50.84%

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

$507 COP 1.6M

$1,458 $1,458

-65.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K COP 33.8M

$26.6K $26.6K

-60.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.7 COP 260.7K

$52.6 $52.6

53.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.1 COP 187.6K

$45.76 $45.76

26.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 COP 385.6K

$85.5 $85.5

39.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 COP 334.8K

$106 $106

-2.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 COP 2.6M

$2,195 $2,195

-63.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$506 COP 1.6M

$1,269 $1,269

-60.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 COP 4.4M

$4,000 $4,000

-66.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$779 COP 2.5M

$2,406 $2,406

-67.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,078 COP 6.7M

$7,381 $7,381

-71.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,794 COP 5.8M

$2,964 $2,964

-39.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,043 $5,043

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

75.95%

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

Last update for Popayan: November 1, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Popayan

$506 36.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2% 151% $763

Groceries & Markets

Popayan

$292 20.9%

Austin, TX

$407 15.2% 39.4% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Popayan

$163 11.6%

Austin, TX

$130 4.9% 19.9% $32

Eating Out

Popayan

$157 11.2%

Austin, TX

$356 13.2% 127% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Popayan

$154 11%

Austin, TX

$382 14.2% 149% $228

Getting Around

Popayan

$74 5.3%

Austin, TX

$57 2.1% 22.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Popayan

$53 3.8%

Austin, TX

$88 3.3% 67.3% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $802 in Popayan and $2,195 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Popayan vs $88 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $407 per month, with Popayan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Popayan

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

23:02 11:02 PM

22:02 10:02 PM

1 h behind Popayan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

318,059

974,447

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,626 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Popayan Austin, TX 3,810 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Popayan
Austin, TX

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

Popayan vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Popayan wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Popayan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,098 in Popayan and $4,034 in Austin, TX 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: $802 in Popayan versus $2,195 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,398 per month in Popayan versus $2,689 in Austin, TX – Popayan is about 48% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 27% less than in Popayan. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,398 in Popayan versus $2,689 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Popayan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Popayan 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.