Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Popayan and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Popayan: $1,398 a month against $2,683 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 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 Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Popayan

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,398

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Popayan and in Vancouver

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

A single person spends $1,398 per month in Popayan vs $2,683 in Vancouver, rent included.

Popayan $1,398
Vancouver $2,683

A couple spends around $2,091 per month in Popayan vs $3,963 in Vancouver, rent included.

Popayan $2,091
Vancouver $3,963

A family of three spends $2,783 per month in Popayan vs $5,244 in Vancouver, rent included.

Popayan $2,783
Vancouver $5,244

Popayan is about 48% cheaper than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Popayan and Vancouver sit above the global median – Popayan by 3%, Vancouver by 98%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.83 COP 25.2K

$18.10 CA$25.26

-56.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.74 COP 150.3K

$71.0 CA$99.1

-34.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 COP 31.6K

$10.57 CA$14.75

-7.10%

Cappuccino

$2.77 COP 8,896

$3.97 CA$5.54

-30.23%

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

$1.36 COP 4,387

$2.07 CA$2.89

-34.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 COP 2,919

$1.85 CA$2.58

-50.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 COP 9,208

$5.67 CA$7.91

-49.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 COP 13.7K

$6.61 CA$9.23

-35.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,819

$2.16 CA$3.01

-30.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 COP 6,672

$2.58 CA$3.60

-19.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,390

$4.30 CA$6.00

-53.72%

Eggs

$3.31 COP 10.6K

$4.09 CA$5.71

-19.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.28 COP 26.6K

$12.12 CA$16.91

-31.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 COP 36.0K

$13.28 CA$18.54

-15.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.18 COP 45.6K

$20.11 CA$28.07

-29.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 COP 12.6K

$3.96 CA$5.53

-0.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,792

$1.43 CA$1.99

4.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 COP 5,843

$3.71 CA$5.18

-50.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$3.92 CA$5.48

-53.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,204

$2.87 CA$4.00

-43.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 COP 5,438

$2.98 CA$4.16

-43.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 COP 3,354

$2.61 CA$3.65

-60.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 COP 4,309

$1.63 CA$2.28

-17.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 COP 12.9K

$15.94 CA$22.25

-74.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.00 COP 41.8K

$14.25 CA$19.89

-8.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 COP 5,171

$2.52 CA$3.52

-36.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 COP 7,296

$2.87 CA$4.01

-20.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,764

$2.57 CA$3.58

-54.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.8 COP 182.7K

$84.4 CA$118

-32.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.71 COP 5,490

$2.74 CA$3.83

-37.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,929

$1.63 CA$2.27

31.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 COP 26.2K

$31.90 CA$44.52

-74.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 COP 4,284

$1.46 CA$2.03

-8.90%

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

$36.6K COP 117.9M

$26.7K CA$37.3K

37.21%

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

$37.8K COP 121.6M

$21.0K CA$29.4K

79.69%

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

$111 COP 358.5K

$88.2 CA$123

26.31%

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

$14.64 COP 47.1K

$36.72 CA$51.3

-60.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 COP 88.4K

$49.81 CA$69.5

-44.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.02 COP 125.5K

$45.34 CA$63.3

-13.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.13 CA$16.93

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 COP 21.7K

$12.55 CA$17.52

-46.14%

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

$507 COP 1.6M

$1,055 CA$1,473

-51.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K COP 33.7M

$28.5K CA$39.8K

-63.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.7 COP 259.6K

$56.4 CA$78.8

43.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.1 COP 186.8K

$34.37 CA$47.98

69.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 COP 384.0K

$89.8 CA$125

32.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 COP 333.4K

$94.3 CA$132

9.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 COP 2.6M

$1,738 CA$2,426

-53.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$506 COP 1.6M

$1,528 CA$2,134

-66.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 COP 4.3M

$3,107 CA$4,337

-56.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$779 COP 2.5M

$2,547 CA$3,555

-69.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,078 COP 6.7M

$8,540 CA$11.9K

-75.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,794 COP 5.8M

$6,328 CA$8,833

-71.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,770 CA$5,262

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.24

183.02%

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

Last update for Popayan: November 1, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Popayan

$506 36.2%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57% 202% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Popayan

$292 20.9%

Vancouver

$398 14.9% 36.3% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Popayan

$163 11.6%

Vancouver

$124 4.6% 24% $39

Eating Out

Popayan

$157 11.2%

Vancouver

$281 10.5% 79% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Popayan

$154 11%

Vancouver

$175 6.5% 13.8% $21

Getting Around

Popayan

$74 5.3%

Vancouver

$106 3.9% 42.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Popayan

$53 3.8%

Vancouver

$70 2.6% 34.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $802 in Popayan versus $1,738 in Vancouver. 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 $47 in Popayan versus $71 in Vancouver. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $292 vs $398 – making Popayan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Popayan

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

17:35 5:35 PM

15:35 3:35 PM

2 h behind Popayan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

318,059

631,486

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Popayan Vancouver 6,810 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Popayan
Vancouver

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 Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,398 in Popayan, $2,683 in Vancouver – Popayan comes out roughly 48% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,098 per month in Popayan and $4,024 in Vancouver. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $802 there versus $1,738 in Vancouver.

Kindergarten costs $507 per month in Popayan and $1,055 in Vancouver. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Vancouver, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Popayan, where all-in costs run around $1,398, than in Vancouver at $2,683. In Popayan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vancouver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Popayan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Popayan is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 48% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.