Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Popayan and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Popayan: $1,340 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Popayan

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,340

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Popayan and in Montreal

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 Montreal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,340 per month in Popayan vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Popayan $1,340
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $2,023 per month in Popayan vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Popayan $2,023
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $2,706 per month in Popayan vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Popayan $2,706
Montreal $4,152

Popayan is about 34% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Popayan sits 1% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.55 COP 20.8K

$18.82 CA$26.61

-65.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.13 COP 143.1K

$70.3 CA$99.4

-35.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.71 COP 27.6K

$10.66 CA$15.06

-18.29%

Cappuccino

$2.80 COP 8,877

$3.84 CA$5.43

-27.08%

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

$1.20 COP 3,793

$1.92 CA$2.71

-37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 COP 3,234

$1.54 CA$2.18

-33.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 COP 10.9K

$6.23 CA$8.81

-44.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 COP 12.8K

$7.10 CA$10.03

-43.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 COP 5,224

$2.31 CA$3.27

-28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 COP 7,898

$3.14 CA$4.44

-20.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,338

$3.21 CA$4.54

-47.66%

Eggs

$3.13 COP 9,927

$3.52 CA$4.97

-11.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.94 COP 22.0K

$12.81 CA$18.11

-45.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.05 COP 35.0K

$11.46 CA$16.20

-3.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 COP 32.9K

$13.39 CA$18.92

-22.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 COP 11.1K

$3.14 CA$4.43

11.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,209

$1.44 CA$2.03

13.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 COP 5,805

$3.47 CA$4.91

-47.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,031

$3.07 CA$4.34

-48.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 COP 4,232

$1.90 CA$2.69

-30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,714

$1.77 CA$2.50

-15.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,572

$2.34 CA$3.31

-51.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 COP 3,183

$1.55 CA$2.19

-35.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 COP 12.1K

$11.38 CA$16.09

-66.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.86 COP 37.6K

$10.63 CA$15.03

11.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,485

$2.27 CA$3.21

-37.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 COP 8,304

$2.82 CA$3.99

-7.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 COP 3,332

$2.66 CA$3.76

-60.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.71 COP 5,413

$3.20 CA$4.53

-46.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.48 CA$2.09

53.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.26 COP 29.4K

$32.88 CA$46.48

-71.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,091

$1.34 CA$1.90

-3.73%

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

$25.7K COP 81.4M

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-8.77%

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

$35.5K COP 112.5M

$19.6K CA$27.8K

80.83%

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

$136 COP 431.3K

$76.0 CA$107

79.09%

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

$11.34 COP 35.9K

$33.95 CA$48.00

-66.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 COP 84.9K

$42.31 CA$59.8

-36.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.41 COP 109.1K

$29.76 CA$42.07

15.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$5.91 COP 18.8K

$11.15 CA$15.77

-47.00%

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

$539 COP 1.7M

$507 CA$717

6.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,384 COP 23.4M

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-54.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.9 COP 250.1K

$57.6 CA$81.4

37.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.9 COP 189.8K

$37.58 CA$53.1

59.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 COP 414.9K

$91.9 CA$130

42.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 COP 363.3K

$110 CA$155

4.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$554 COP 1.8M

$1,260 CA$1,782

-56.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$513 COP 1.6M

$948 CA$1,340

-45.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 COP 2.9M

$2,137 CA$3,021

-57.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 COP 2.8M

$1,614 CA$2,281

-45.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,101 COP 6.7M

$4,960 CA$7,011

-57.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,896 COP 6.0M

$3,838 CA$5,425

-50.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

4.48

158.48%

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

Last update for Popayan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Popayan

$513 38.3%

Montreal

$948 47% 84.8% $435

Groceries & Markets

Popayan

$270 20.2%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 28.3% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Popayan

$174 13%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 12.6% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Popayan

$173 12.9%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 22.8% $39

Eating Out

Popayan

$146 10.9%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 96.8% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Popayan

$46 3.5%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 12.6% $5.8

Getting Around

Popayan

$17 * 1.3%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 471% $81

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $554 in Popayan versus $1,260 in Montreal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Popayan versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $270 vs $346 – making Popayan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Popayan

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

23:42 11:42 PM

00:42 12:42 AM

1 h ahead of Popayan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

318,059

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Popayan Montreal 4,800 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Popayan
Montreal

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 Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 51% more than Popayan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,009 per month in Popayan and $3,027 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Popayan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Popayan and $70.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Montreal, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Popayan, where all-in costs run around $1,340, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Popayan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Popayan costs $1,340 versus $2,018 in Montreal. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Popayan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montreal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.