Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Monteria

For one person, living is cheaper in Monteria: $1,358 a month against $2,683 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Monteria
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Monteria Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,683

/mo nomad

Monteria

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Monteria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,683 in Vancouver versus $1,358 in Monteria.

Vancouver $2,683
Monteria $1,358

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,963 in Vancouver versus $2,064 in Monteria.

Vancouver $3,963
Monteria $2,064

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,244 in Vancouver versus $2,770 in Monteria.

Vancouver $5,244
Monteria $2,770

Living in Vancouver is roughly 98% more expensive than in Monteria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.10 CA$25.37

$5.66 COP 18.3K

219.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 CA$99.5

$47.00 COP 151.8K

51.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 CA$14.81

$10.08 COP 32.6K

4.86%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.56

$2.66 COP 8,604

49.25%

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

$2.07 CA$2.90

$2.56 COP 8,265

-19.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 CA$2.59

$2.33 COP 7,540

-20.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 CA$7.95

$3.35 COP 10.8K

69.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.61 CA$9.27

$5.11 COP 16.5K

29.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CA$3.02

$1.84 COP 5,951

17.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 CA$3.62

$2.90 COP 9,363

-11.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 CA$6.02

$1.48 COP 4,785

190.54%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.74

$4.85 COP 15.7K

-15.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.12 CA$16.98

$8.11 COP 26.2K

49.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 CA$18.62

$9.96 COP 32.2K

33.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.11 CA$28.19

$12.47 COP 40.3K

61.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 CA$5.56

$3.78 COP 12.2K

4.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 CA$2.00

$1.45 COP 4,674

-1.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.20

$1.94 COP 6,278

91.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.50

$2.02 COP 6,531

94.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 CA$4.02

$1.61 COP 5,196

78.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.17

$1.47 COP 4,762

102.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$1.13 COP 3,639

130.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.29

$1.19 COP 3,830

36.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.94 CA$22.35

$4.11 COP 13.3K

287.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$19.97

$14.43 COP 46.6K

-1.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.54

$1.39 COP 4,494

81.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 CA$4.03

$2.37 COP 7,669

21.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 CA$3.60

$1.07 COP 3,463

140.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.4 CA$118

$65.2 COP 210.5K

29.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 CA$3.85

$1.61 COP 5,197

70.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 CA$2.28

$2.09 COP 6,741

-22.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.90 CA$44.71

$9.19 COP 29.7K

247.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.28 COP 4,144

14.06%

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

$26.7K CA$37.4K

$34.9K COP 112.7M

-23.45%

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

$21.0K CA$29.5K

$34.9K COP 112.7M

-39.71%

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

$88.2 CA$124

$79.7 COP 257.4K

10.73%

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

$36.72 CA$51.5

$13.46 COP 43.5K

172.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.81 CA$69.8

$27.98 COP 90.4K

78.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.34 CA$63.6

$38.09 COP 123.0K

19.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.13 CA$17.00

Cinema Ticket

$12.55 CA$17.59

$8.12 COP 26.2K

54.56%

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

$1,055 CA$1,479

$634 COP 2.0M

66.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.5K CA$39.9K

$5,860 COP 18.9M

386.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$79.1

$83.8 COP 270.5K

-32.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.37 CA$48.18

$52.0 COP 168.0K

-33.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$126

$137 COP 442.1K

-34.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 CA$132

$99.5 COP 321.3K

-5.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 CA$2,436

$725 COP 2.3M

139.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 CA$2,143

$482 COP 1.6M

216.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,107 CA$4,355

$1,394 COP 4.5M

122.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 CA$3,570

$774 COP 2.5M

229.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,540 CA$12.0K

$2,193 COP 7.1M

289.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,328 CA$8,870

$1,787 COP 5.8M

254.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,770 CA$5,284

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.24

-71.73%

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

Last update for Vancouver: November 2, 2026

Last update for Monteria: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Monteria

$482 35.6% 68.4% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$398 14.9%

Monteria

$297 21.9% 25.5% $101

Eating Out

Vancouver

$281 10.5%

Monteria

$154 11.3% 45.3% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$175 6.5%

Monteria

$121 8.9% 30.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.6%

Monteria

$167 12.3% 35.4% $44

Getting Around

Vancouver

$106 3.9%

Monteria

$82 6% 22.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$70 2.6%

Monteria

$54 4% 22.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,738 in Vancouver and $725 in Monteria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $71 in Vancouver vs $47 in Monteria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $398 vs $297 per month, with Monteria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇨🇴 Monteria

🕒 Local time

03:05 3:05 AM

05:05 5:05 AM

2 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

454,032

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Vancouver Monteria 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Monteria

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

Vancouver vs Monteria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monteria wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Vancouver. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Monteria the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $4,024 in Vancouver and $2,037 in Monteria 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: $1,738 in Vancouver versus $725 in Monteria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,055 in Vancouver versus $634 in Monteria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Vancouver. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Monteria is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Monteria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.