Cost of Living in Cali

Summary of cost of living in Cali, Colombia:

Restaurants
Edit Range
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 14,000.00 Col$ 10,000.00-25,000.00
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 120,000.00 Col$ 60,000.00-170,000.00
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 25,500.00 Col$ 23,000.00-30,000.00
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 4,500.00 Col$ 2,500.00-8,000.00
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 10,000.00 Col$ 7,000.00-11,000.00
Cappuccino (regular) 6,041.67 Col$ 3,800.00-8,000.00
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 3,176.92 Col$ 2,500.00-4,000.00
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2,561.54 Col$ 2,000.00-3,500.00
Markets
Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 17,576.12 Col$ 15,141.65-26,497.89
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 5,839.10 Col$ 3,175.15-8,155.60
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2,359.82 Col$ 1,814.37-3,175.15
Eggs (regular) (12) 8,663.75 Col$ 7,200.00-10,800.00
Local Cheese (1 lb) 8,268.42 Col$ 4,535.93-13,607.79
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 9,923.69 Col$ 5,443.11-13,607.79
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 15,620.56 Col$ 6,350.30-19,041.83
Apples (1 lb) 4,444.58 Col$ 2,721.56-6,123.50
Banana (1 lb) 1,422.18 Col$ 748.43-2,267.96
Oranges (1 lb) 1,918.41 Col$ 794.69-5,000.01
Tomato (1 lb) 2,250.94 Col$ 1,360.78-3,000.00
Potato (1 lb) 2,112.06 Col$ 1,200.00-3,628.74
Onion (1 lb) 2,073.92 Col$ 1,360.78-2,621.77
Lettuce (1 head) 2,961.11 Col$ 1,790.00-4,580.00
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 3,347.00 Col$ 1,500.00-5,000.00
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 35,000.00 Col$ 19,000.00-60,000.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 4,224.25 Col$ 2,500.00-6,000.00
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 6,802.89 Col$ 3,500.00-11,000.00
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 9,500.00 Col$ 8,500.00-10,000.00
Transportation
Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2,700.00 Col$ 2,400.00-2,700.00
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 106,454.00 Col$ 100,000.00-150,000.00
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 5,700.00 Col$ 4,500.00-8,000.00
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 12,070.08 Col$ 11,265.41-12,874.76
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30,000.00 Col$ 22,000.00-50,000.00
Gasoline (1 gallon) 10,219.90 Col$ 9,050.92-13,964.00
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 73,500,000.00 Col$ 50,500,000.00-85,990,000.00
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 117,528,571.43 Col$ 99,100,000.00-130,000,000.00
Utilities (Monthly)
Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 301,179.43 Col$ 231,818.18-500,000.00
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 48,125.00 Col$ 31,000.00-100,000.00
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 94,992.31 Col$ 60,000.00-170,000.00
Sports And Leisure
Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 70,875.00 Col$ 60,000.00-150,000.00
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 40,000.00 Col$ 30,000.00-50,000.00
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 18,500.00 Col$ 15,000.00-23,000.00
Childcare
Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 975,000.00 Col$ 500,000.00-1,500,000.00
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 28,000,000.00 Col$ 20,000,000.00-40,000,000.00
Clothing And Shoes
Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 203,750.00 Col$ 130,000.00-320,000.00
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 219,333.33 Col$ 90,000.00-299,000.00
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 390,000.00 Col$ 250,000.00-700,000.00
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 428,625.00 Col$ 250,000.00-600,000.00
Rent Per Month
Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,045,000.00 Col$ 600,000.00-1,600,000.00
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 800,000.00 Col$ 600,000.00-1,100,000.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 1,725,000.00 Col$ 1,200,000.00-3,000,000.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 1,471,428.57 Col$ 1,200,000.00-1,600,000.00
Buy Apartment Price
Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 353,662.04 Col$ 278,706.80-557,413.60
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 334,785.99 Col$ 278,706.80-536,975.10
Salaries And Financing
Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 1,747,668.62 Col$
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 11.72 9.00-14.00

Prices in Cali

This city had 772 entries in the past 12 months by 62 different contributors.
Last update: December 2023
Sources and References
Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:
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7 Comments so far
Anonymous on Feb 10, 2022:
" Hey PRO TRAVEL "

Cali loves visitors just like you to rob very nieve.
Anonymous on Dec 08, 2021:
Cali is a sespool full of brain dead pigmies.
ProTravel on Feb 08, 2021:
Hello everyone,

Well, because of Covid19 I was not able to do my traveling to Colombia as planned.

I heard that things are still really bad in Colombia and the numbers do not look good. Have there been any big law changes I should know about?

Also I have heard rumors that Mexico and Colombia even got the worse version of Covid that is more deadly + even some EBOLA cases, is this true?!

I am assuming it will not be safe to travel to Colombia for another 8-12 months minimum, but we will see what happens. I am not taking any chances, I have health problems including breathing issues, so I'm not doing any traveling at all until cases are down 95% from current levels, and vaccination rates are at least 60-70%.

And please no nonsense about how Covid is "fake", I know 9 people who died, and 3 others who recovered but now have serious health problems, one of them can barely walk without being out of breath. Covid is 100% real and deadly!
Anonymous on Jan 12, 2021:
Cali is one of the cheaper cities in Colombia to live in.
ALEJANDRO ROJAS MILLAN on May 22, 2020:
Good neighborghood for live in Cali:

High Class: Santa Rita, San Antonio, La Flora, EL Ingenio.

Middle Class: Limonar, Capri, Los Cambulos, Caney.

most of them located in the south of the city; the north of the city is very expensive, and downtown isnt good at least your work near here. I do not recommend Distrito de Aguablanca (East Cali); I also don't recommend Pance after univalle, too much traffic. Generally, neighborhoods located near 5th Street and 13th Street in the south after La Luna are the best.
ProTravel on Feb 11, 2020:
Hello Julian, thank you very much for your help. I will add this info to my notes. I am ok living somewhere without much to do as long as it is not too far from the city (within 20 mins or so, yes).

Mostly I am trying to avoid the pollution, and bad traffic. Also in smaller town/cities, perhaps a little less crime.

Also in smaller rural towns, perhaps it is easier to get to know some locals, I want to learn about the Colombian culture and have some neighbors to get to know and hopefully become friends with.

I will head there in the fall to visit, thank you again for your help.
Julian on Dec 16, 2019:
Hey ProTravel
Nearby cities are: Palmira (20 minutes), Jamundi (15 minutes), Yumbo (5 minutes), Candelaria (10 minutes), La Buitrera (15 minutes), La Reforma (5 minutes), La Sirena (10 minutes).

Yumbo is heavily industrialized, i wouldn't live there.
For Palmira you have to pay a toll in every way. That adds up. But Palmira is the only one large enough to be called a "city" among all other small towns near Cali.

Jamundi has heavy traffic in the way in/out of Cali (December 2019 until 2021) due to road constructions and beacuse the entrance to Cali is in the most congested zone (the universities zone).

Candelaria suffers from horrible traffic (december 2019 until around late 2020) in the way in/out of Cali as it's a single bridge and it's being rebuilt (there's another way but way too far and goes to the southern entrance of the city.

La Buitrera, la sirena, la reforma are not cities but "small rural towns" (corregimientos) surrounding Cali. You an find a rural environment and much better life quality but nothing else. There's no "life" there just housing and that's all (not local shops, no parks, etc.