Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Popayan

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.

128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Popayan
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Popayan Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,683

/mo nomad

Popayan

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,398

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vancouver and in Popayan

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

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

Vancouver $2,683
Popayan $1,398

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

Vancouver $3,963
Popayan $2,091

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

Vancouver $5,244
Popayan $2,783

Vancouver costs about 92% more than Popayan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.10 CA$25.26

$7.83 COP 25.2K

131.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 CA$99.1

$46.74 COP 150.3K

51.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 CA$14.75

$9.82 COP 31.6K

7.64%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.54

$2.77 COP 8,896

43.32%

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

$2.07 CA$2.89

$1.36 COP 4,387

52.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 CA$2.58

$0.91 COP 2,919

103.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 CA$7.91

$2.86 COP 9,208

98.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.61 CA$9.23

$4.26 COP 13.7K

55.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CA$3.01

$1.50 COP 4,819

44.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 CA$3.60

$2.07 COP 6,672

24.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 CA$6.00

$1.99 COP 6,390

116.08%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.71

$3.31 COP 10.6K

23.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.12 CA$16.91

$8.28 COP 26.6K

46.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 CA$18.54

$11.20 COP 36.0K

18.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.11 CA$28.07

$14.18 COP 45.6K

41.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 CA$5.53

$3.93 COP 12.6K

0.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 CA$1.99

$1.49 COP 4,792

-4.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.18

$1.82 COP 5,843

103.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.48

$1.81 COP 5,833

116.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 CA$4.00

$1.62 COP 5,204

77.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.16

$1.69 COP 5,438

76.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$1.04 COP 3,354

150.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.28

$1.34 COP 4,309

21.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.94 CA$22.25

$4.02 COP 12.9K

296.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$19.89

$13.00 COP 41.8K

9.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.52

$1.61 COP 5,171

56.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 CA$4.01

$2.27 COP 7,296

26.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 CA$3.58

$1.17 COP 3,764

119.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.4 CA$118

$56.8 COP 182.7K

48.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 CA$3.83

$1.71 COP 5,490

60.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 CA$2.27

$2.15 COP 6,929

-24.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.90 CA$44.52

$8.15 COP 26.2K

291.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 CA$2.03

$1.33 COP 4,284

9.77%

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

$26.7K CA$37.3K

$36.6K COP 117.9M

-27.12%

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

$21.0K CA$29.4K

$37.8K COP 121.6M

-44.35%

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

$88.2 CA$123

$111 COP 358.5K

-20.83%

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

$36.72 CA$51.3

$14.64 COP 47.1K

150.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.81 CA$69.5

$27.47 COP 88.4K

81.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.34 CA$63.3

$39.02 COP 125.5K

16.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.13 CA$16.93

Cinema Ticket

$12.55 CA$17.52

$6.76 COP 21.7K

85.65%

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

$1,055 CA$1,473

$507 COP 1.6M

108.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.5K CA$39.8K

$10.5K COP 33.7M

172.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$78.8

$80.7 COP 259.6K

-30.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.37 CA$47.98

$58.1 COP 186.8K

-40.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$125

$119 COP 384.0K

-24.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 CA$132

$104 COP 333.4K

-8.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 CA$2,426

$802 COP 2.6M

116.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 CA$2,134

$506 COP 1.6M

202.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,107 CA$4,337

$1,349 COP 4.3M

130.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 CA$3,555

$779 COP 2.5M

226.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,540 CA$11.9K

$2,078 COP 6.7M

310.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,328 CA$8,833

$1,794 COP 5.8M

252.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,770 CA$5,262

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.24

-64.67%

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

Last update for Vancouver: November 2, 2026

Last update for Popayan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Popayan

$506 36.2% 66.9% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$398 14.9%

Popayan

$292 20.9% 26.6% $106

Eating Out

Vancouver

$281 10.5%

Popayan

$157 11.2% 44.1% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$175 6.5%

Popayan

$154 11% 12.1% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.6%

Popayan

$163 11.6% 31.6% $39

Getting Around

Vancouver

$106 3.9%

Popayan

$74 5.3% 29.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$70 2.6%

Popayan

$53 3.8% 25.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇨🇴 Popayan

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

17:35 5:35 PM

2 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

318,059

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

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).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vancouver Popayan 6,810 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
Popayan

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 Popayan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,024 per month in Vancouver and $2,098 in Popayan. 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 $1,055 per month in Vancouver and $507 in Popayan. 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.