Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan de Pasto and Cali

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,214 a month against $1,463 in San Juan de Pasto, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in San Juan de Pasto
Learn more

San Juan de Pasto Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Cali
Learn more

Cali Living Index

Jump to prices

San Juan de Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,463

/mo nomad

Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,463 in San Juan de Pasto versus $1,214 in Cali.

San Juan de Pasto $1,463
Cali $1,214

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,144 in San Juan de Pasto versus $1,827 in Cali.

San Juan de Pasto $2,144
Cali $1,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,825 in San Juan de Pasto versus $2,439 in Cali.

San Juan de Pasto $2,825
Cali $2,439

Living in San Juan de Pasto is roughly 20% more expensive than in Cali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Juan de Pasto is 8% above, Cali is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.83 COP 28.5K

$5.20 COP 16.8K

69.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$56.3 COP 181.8K

-16.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.50 COP 33.9K

$6.03 COP 19.5K

74.13%

Cappuccino

$2.89 COP 9,347

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-8.25%

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

$1.42 COP 4,595

$2.37 COP 7,641

-40.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 COP 3,898

$2.25 COP 7,252

-46.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 COP 11.1K

$3.36 COP 10.8K

2.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 COP 11.7K

$3.51 COP 11.3K

3.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 COP 5,202

$1.67 COP 5,393

-3.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 COP 7,712

$1.75 COP 5,641

36.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 COP 6,654

$1.74 COP 5,623

18.39%

Eggs

$3.46 COP 11.2K

$3.05 COP 9,836

13.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.16 COP 23.1K

$8.80 COP 28.4K

-18.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.11 COP 32.7K

$9.46 COP 30.6K

6.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.84 COP 38.2K

$10.84 COP 35.0K

9.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 COP 12.1K

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 COP 4,424

$1.16 COP 3,751

18.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,533

$1.32 COP 4,278

29.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 COP 6,010

$2.04 COP 6,595

-8.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 COP 5,794

$1.66 COP 5,370

7.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 COP 5,566

$1.60 COP 5,182

7.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 COP 3,321

$0.92 COP 2,967

11.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,253

$0.86 COP 2,784

53.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.72 COP 15.2K

$4.51 COP 14.6K

4.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 COP 40.7K

$15.11 COP 48.8K

-16.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 COP 4,113

$1.51 COP 4,891

-15.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 COP 8,421

$1.88 COP 6,071

38.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 COP 3,586

$1.07 COP 3,444

3.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.9 COP 216.0K

$65.6 COP 211.7K

2.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 COP 5,267

$1.19 COP 3,839

36.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 COP 6,752

$0.57 COP 1,837

266.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.85 COP 25.4K

$3.29 COP 10.6K

138.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,159

$1.28 COP 4,142

0.78%

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

$39.0K COP 126.1M

$34.8K COP 112.3M

12.26%

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

$33.3K COP 107.5M

$34.4K COP 110.9M

-3.05%

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

$129 COP 415.6K

$104 COP 335.0K

24.09%

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

$13.90 COP 44.9K

$14.63 COP 47.2K

-4.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.01 COP 96.9K

$27.06 COP 87.4K

10.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.00 COP 106.6K

$30.34 COP 98.0K

8.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.18 COP 32.9K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 COP 25.3K

$4.92 COP 15.9K

59.35%

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

$581 COP 1.9M

$414 COP 1.3M

40.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K COP 44.8M

$11.1K COP 35.8M

25.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 COP 303.2K

$81.6 COP 263.3K

15.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.34 COP 159.3K

$43.07 COP 139.1K

14.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 COP 394.3K

$116 COP 373.8K

5.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 COP 306.4K

$100.0 COP 322.8K

-5.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$780 COP 2.5M

$703 COP 2.3M

10.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 COP 1.8M

$397 COP 1.3M

37.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 COP 4.7M

$1,501 COP 4.8M

-2.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$796 COP 2.6M

$543 COP 1.8M

46.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,112 COP 6.8M

$1,720 COP 5.6M

22.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,582 COP 5.1M

$1,429 COP 4.6M

10.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$598 COP 1.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.88

-13.54%

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

Last update for San Juan de Pasto: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cali: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan de Pasto

$546 37.3%

Cali

$397 32.7% 27.2% $148

Groceries & Markets

San Juan de Pasto

$278 19%

Cali

$265 21.8% 4.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan de Pasto

$173 11.8%

Cali

$145 12% 15.8% $27

Eating Out

San Juan de Pasto

$172 11.8%

Cali

$140 11.5% 18.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan de Pasto

$162 11.1%

Cali

$153 12.6% 5.5% $9

Getting Around

San Juan de Pasto

$83 5.7%

Cali

$74 6.1% 11.5% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan de Pasto

$49 3.3%

Cali

$40 3.3% 17.4% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $780 in San Juan de Pasto and $703 in Cali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in San Juan de Pasto vs $56 in Cali. Groceries flip the comparison at $278 vs $265, with Cali cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 San Juan de Pasto

🇨🇴 Cali

🕒 Local time

14:12 2:12 PM

Same time as San Juan de Pasto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

392,930

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan de Pasto Cali 260 km

From you

San Juan de Pasto
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

San Juan de Pasto vs Cali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cali is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,194 in San Juan de Pasto and $1,821 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: $780 in San Juan de Pasto versus $703 in Cali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $581 in San Juan de Pasto versus $414 in Cali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Juan de Pasto – a meal for two runs $47 versus $56 in Cali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.