Salento at a glance
- Salento ranks 9th of 11 priced cities in Colombia on cost: $964 a month in essentials, 36% above Cali, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $495 covers that 0.5×.
- 106.7 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at municipality level.
- PM2.5 averages 10.9 µg/m³ a year, 2× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 11 Colombia cities we track, so every row says whether Salento is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $964 | $960 | $4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $490 | $451 | $39 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $690 | $665 | $25 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $121 | $124 | $3 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $153 | $153 | same |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $128 | $136 | $8 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $72 | $50 | 1.44× as much |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $495 | $561 | $66 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $853 | $853 | same |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,209 | $1,209 | same |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Salento, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $6.82 | $6.82 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $34.12 | $37.22 | $3.10 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $8.19 | $9.31 | $1.12 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $2.24 | $2.24 | same |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $2.18 | $1.86 | $0.32 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $3.27 | $3.27 | same |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $1.40 | $1.34 | $0.06 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $1.09 | $1.03 | $0.06 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.17 | $1.33 | $0.16 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $1.54 | $1.75 | $0.21 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $1.22 | $1.39 | $0.17 |
| Eggs, 12 | $2.51 | $2.85 | $0.34 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $5.41 | $6.15 | $0.74 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $7.72 | $7.72 | same |
| Apples, 1 kg | $3.16 | $3.26 | $0.10 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $1.26 | $1.28 | $0.02 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $1.65 | $1.65 | same |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $1.46 | $1.46 | same |
| Onions, 1 kg | $1.30 | $1.38 | $0.08 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $1.06 | $1.06 | same |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $1.09 | $1.09 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $72.31 | $49.63 | 1.46× as much |
| Taxi start | $1.75 | $1.94 | $0.19 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $1.94 | $2.06 | $0.12 |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.22 | $1.29 | $0.07 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $98.75 | $105.05 | $6.30 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $28.78 | $28.94 | $0.16 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $12.56 | $12.56 | same |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $33.77 | $33.77 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $4.91 | $5.58 | $0.67 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Salento has 106.7 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (municipality level). That is the highest of the 11 Colombia cities we track. Colombia's national figure is 100.5, so Salento runs 6 above the country as a whole.
Every Colombia region by male-to-female ratio →
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Salento ranks against every city we track
Salento sits ahead of 51% of the 1016 cities we track on clean air. On cost of living it is ahead of 42% of 998. Its weakest measure is salary against local costs, ahead of only 14% of 991.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Salento sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
Put Salento on the board
Ratio, cost and visa for Salento beside every other city we measure. Free, no sign-in.
Open Salento in the research deskOr unlock the Colombia deep-dive: visa, tax, scams, and the sub-national map.
Photo: Freddyballo, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Data updated