Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Popayan and Cali

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,060 a month against $1,340 in Popayan, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Popayan
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Popayan Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Cali
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Cali Living Index

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Popayan

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,340

/mo nomad

Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Popayan versus $1,060 in Cali.

Popayan $1,340
Cali $1,060

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,023 in Popayan versus $1,626 in Cali.

Popayan $2,023
Cali $1,626

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,706 in Popayan versus $2,192 in Cali.

Popayan $2,706
Cali $2,192

Living in Popayan 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: Popayan 1% lower, Cali 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.55 COP 20.8K

$7.32 COP 23.2K

-10.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.13 COP 143.1K

$37.35 COP 118.4K

20.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.71 COP 27.6K

$8.32 COP 26.4K

4.69%

Cappuccino

$2.80 COP 8,877

$1.52 COP 4,832

84.21%

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

$1.20 COP 3,793

$1.23 COP 3,885

-2.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 COP 3,234

$0.86 COP 2,728

18.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 COP 10.9K

$3.11 COP 9,872

10.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 COP 12.8K

$3.80 COP 12.1K

5.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 COP 5,224

$1.54 COP 4,891

7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 COP 7,898

$1.96 COP 6,203

27.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,338

$1.48 COP 4,701

13.51%

Eggs

$3.13 COP 9,927

$2.91 COP 9,242

7.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.94 COP 22.0K

$6.31 COP 20.0K

9.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.05 COP 35.0K

$6.85 COP 21.7K

61.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 COP 32.9K

$10.22 COP 32.4K

1.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 COP 11.1K

$3.45 COP 10.9K

1.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,209

$1.40 COP 4,433

17.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 COP 5,805

$1.79 COP 5,668

2.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,031

$1.65 COP 5,223

-3.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 COP 4,232

$1.43 COP 4,539

-6.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,714

$1.55 COP 4,917

-3.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,572

$1.14 COP 3,613

-0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 COP 3,183

$0.94 COP 2,983

6.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 COP 12.1K

$3.79 COP 12.0K

0.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.86 COP 37.6K

$12.94 COP 41.0K

-8.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,485

$1.43 COP 4,539

-1.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 COP 8,304

$2.55 COP 8,079

2.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 COP 3,332

$1.07 COP 3,387

-1.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.29 COP 96.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.71 COP 5,413

$0.78 COP 2,488

119.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 COP 7,194

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.26 COP 29.4K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,091

$1.34 COP 4,245

-3.73%

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

$25.7K COP 81.4M

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

$35.5K COP 112.5M

$35.4K COP 112.1M

0.38%

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

$136 COP 431.3K

$110 COP 347.5K

24.12%

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

$11.34 COP 35.9K

$12.96 COP 41.1K

-12.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 COP 84.9K

$30.06 COP 95.3K

-10.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.41 COP 109.1K

$28.81 COP 91.3K

19.44%

Cinema Ticket

$5.91 COP 18.8K

$8.40 COP 26.6K

-29.64%

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

$539 COP 1.7M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,384 COP 23.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.9 COP 250.1K

$78.4 COP 248.5K

0.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.9 COP 189.8K

$53.2 COP 168.8K

12.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 COP 414.9K

$126 COP 398.3K

4.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 COP 363.3K

$111 COP 351.4K

3.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$554 COP 1.8M

$655 COP 2.1M

-15.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$513 COP 1.6M

$288 COP 914.6K

77.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 COP 2.9M

$1,558 COP 4.9M

-42.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 COP 2.8M

$498 COP 1.6M

75.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,101 COP 6.7M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,896 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 COP 1.9M

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 Popayan: 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

Popayan

$513 38.3%

Cali

$288 27.2% 43.8% $224

Groceries & Markets

Popayan

$270 20.2%

Cali

$239 22.5% 11.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Popayan

$174 13%

Cali

$153 14.4% 12.4% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Popayan

$173 12.9%

Cali

$166 15.6% 4.2% $7.2

Eating Out

Popayan

$146 10.9%

Cali

$133 12.6% 8.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Popayan

$46 3.5%

Cali

$46 4.3% 1.4% $0.6

Getting Around

Popayan

$17 * 1.3%

Cali

$35 * 3.3% 105% $18

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 $554 in Popayan and $655 in Cali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Popayan vs $37.00 in Cali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $270 vs $239 per month, with Cali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Popayan

🇨🇴 Cali

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

Same time as Popayan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

318,059

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

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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

Popayan 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.

You'd need roughly $2,009 in Popayan and $1,590 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: $554 in Popayan versus $655 in Cali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Popayan. 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 $45.00 in Popayan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,060 in Cali versus $1,340 in Popayan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cali but tight or insufficient in Popayan. 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 Popayan, 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 Popayan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.