Cost of living in Medellin

Medellin, Colombia is About average overall. Monthly costs are about $873 for one person and $2221 for a family of four, including rent.

How expensive is Medellin compared to other cities?

Medellin is 1% cheaper overall versus the European benchmark.

How does Medellin compare to your city?

Medellin is 67% cheaper than New York City, without rent.

Rent in Medellin is, on average, 85% lower than in New York City.

What drives the cost of living in Medellin?

Who is Medellin a good fit for?

Medellin is most realistic when moving with a strong job offer or relocation package. Without high income, the housing-driven price level can be difficult to sustain.

FAQ

Why is Medellin so expensive?

The cost of living in Medellin is primarily influenced by rent and utilities, which are higher than many other regions.

Is food expensive in Medellin?

Food prices in Medellin are 23% lower than the European benchmark, making it more affordable for residents.

Is public transport affordable in Medellin?

Public transport costs are 48% higher than the European benchmark, which may impact overall living expenses.

Cost of living breakdown

Cost of Living, one person, including rent
873 $
Without Rent
478 $
Rent & Utilities
395 $
Food
264 $
Transport
130 $
Monthly Salary, after tax
417 $
GDP per Capita
6,980 $
Freedom Index
6.54
Lifespan
74 years
Speak English
4%
Population
2.5M

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Update Prices

Restaurants

Lunch menu, inexpensive restaurant 5.77 $
Dinner 24 $
Fast food, McDonalds or KFC 6.82 $
Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz 1.83 $
Capuccino 1.96 $
Coke, 330ml 0.98 $

Compare Medellin with:

Markets

Milk, 1 L or 1 qt 1.06 $
Bread, 0.5 kg or 1 lb 1.28 $
Rice, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.18 $
Eggs, 12 pack 2.21 $
Cheese, 1 kg or 2 lb 5.4 $
Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2 lb 5.4 $
Round Steak, 1 kg or 2 lb 10.2 $
Apples, 1 kg or 2 lb 2.22 $
Banana, 1 kg or 2 lb 0.92 $
Oranges, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.26 $
Tomato, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.18 $
Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb 1.07 $
Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb 1.14 $
Water, 1 L or 1 qt 0.53 $
Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz 1.59 $
Wine, 750 mL bottle 10.7 $
Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz 1.05 $
Cigarette pack 2.18 $

Transportation

One-way Ticket 0.72 $
Monthly Pass 43 $
Gas or Petrol, 1l or 0.26 gal 0.98 $
Taxi, 8 km 12.7 $

Personal Care

Doctor Visit, private clinic 35.3 $
Cold medicine, for 1 week 5.27 $
Hair Shampoo, 400 ml or 12 oz. 4.2 $
Toilet paper, 4 rolls 2.89 $
Toothpaste, 1 tube 2.22 $

Utilities per Month

1 person, electricity, heating, water & garbage 46 $
Family of 4, electricity, heating, water & garbage 70 $
Internet plan, +60 Mbps 21.7 $

Rent per Month

1 Bedroom Apartment, outside of center, 40 sq.m 300 $
3 Bedroom Apartment, outside of center, 85 sq.m 646 $
1 Bedroom Apartment, in city center, 40 sq.m 436 $
3 Bedroom Apartment, in city center, 85 sq.m 864 $

Buy Apartment Price

Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment, in city center 1,473 $
Price per Square Meter to Buy House, in suburbs 1,403 $

Salaries and Financing

Average Monthly Net Salary, after tax 417 $
Mortgage Interest Rate, for 20 years fixed-rate 15.54%

Sports and Leisure

Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 27 $
Cinema, 1 seat 4.13 $
Haircut 8.07 $

Clothing and Shoes

Brand Sneakers, mid-range, Nike or similar 91.7 $
Brand Jeans, Levis 501 56.2 $

Childcare

Preschool, full day, monthly for 1 child 239 $
International Primary School, yearly for 1 child 6,129 $

Compare Medellin with other top cities

Curacao
Medellin vs Willemstad (Willemstad is 60% more expensive) Medellin vs Barber (Barber is 60% more expensive)
Uruguay
Medellin vs Montevideo (Montevideo is 52% more expensive) Medellin vs Salto (Salto is 13% more expensive) Medellin vs Ciudad de la Costa (Ciudad de la Costa is 34% more expensive) Medellin vs Rivera (Rivera is 13% less expensive) Medellin vs Maldonado (Maldonado is 11% more expensive) Medellin vs Paysandu (Paysandu is 12% less expensive) Medellin vs Tacuarembo (Tacuarembo is 5% less expensive) Medellin vs Melo (Melo is 17% less expensive) Medellin vs Mercedes (Mercedes is 17% more expensive) Medellin vs Artigas (Artigas is 1% more expensive)
Trinidad And Tobago
Medellin vs Chaguanas (Chaguanas is 23% more expensive) Medellin vs Port of Spain (Port of Spain is 34% more expensive) Medellin vs San Fernando (San Fernando is 10% more expensive) Medellin vs Scarborough (Scarborough is 26% more expensive) Medellin vs San Juan (San Juan is 33% more expensive)
Chile
Medellin vs Santiago (Santiago is 37% more expensive) Medellin vs Puente Alto (Puente Alto is 10% more expensive) Medellin vs Antofagasta (Antofagasta is 21% more expensive) Medellin vs Vina del Mar (Vina del Mar is 7% more expensive) Medellin vs San Bernardo (San Bernardo is 2% less expensive) Medellin vs Valparaiso (Valparaiso is 10% more expensive) Medellin vs Temuco (Temuco is 0% more expensive) Medellin vs Rancagua (Rancagua is 3% less expensive) Medellin vs Concepcion (Concepcion is 6% more expensive) Medellin vs Talca (Talca is 3% less expensive)
Guyana
Medellin vs Georgetown (Georgetown is 13% more expensive) Medellin vs Linden (Linden is 16% more expensive) Medellin vs New Amsterdam (New Amsterdam is 16% more expensive)
Mexico
Medellin vs Mexico City (Mexico City is 36% more expensive) Medellin vs Tijuana (Tijuana is 20% more expensive) Medellin vs Ecatepec de Morelos (Ecatepec de Morelos is 16% less expensive) Medellin vs Leon (Leon is 18% less expensive) Medellin vs Zapopan (Zapopan is 16% more expensive) Medellin vs Guadalajara (Guadalajara is 13% more expensive) Medellin vs Puebla (Puebla is 8% more expensive) Medellin vs Ciudad Juarez (Ciudad Juarez is 12% more expensive) Medellin vs Monterrey (Monterrey is 44% more expensive) Medellin vs Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl (Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl is 17% less expensive)
Suriname
Medellin vs Paramaribo (Paramaribo is 0% less expensive) Medellin vs Nieuw Nickerie (Nieuw Nickerie is 3% less expensive)
Ecuador
Medellin vs Guayaquil (Guayaquil is 4% more expensive) Medellin vs Quito (Quito is 3% more expensive) Medellin vs Cuenca (Cuenca is 12% less expensive) Medellin vs Santo Domingo (Santo Domingo is 32% less expensive) Medellin vs Duran (Duran is 7% less expensive) Medellin vs Machala (Machala is 32% less expensive) Medellin vs Manta (Manta is 0% less expensive) Medellin vs Portoviejo (Portoviejo is 13% less expensive) Medellin vs Loja (Loja is 29% less expensive) Medellin vs Quevedo (Quevedo is 25% less expensive)
Peru
Medellin vs Lima (Lima is 13% more expensive) Medellin vs Arequipa (Arequipa is 36% less expensive) Medellin vs Trujillo (Trujillo is 20% less expensive) Medellin vs Chiclayo (Chiclayo is 41% less expensive) Medellin vs Callao (Callao is 11% less expensive) Medellin vs Piura (Piura is 35% less expensive) Medellin vs Cusco (Cusco is 26% less expensive) Medellin vs Chimbote (Chimbote is 43% less expensive) Medellin vs Huancayo (Huancayo is 32% less expensive) Medellin vs Iquitos (Iquitos is 22% less expensive)
Venezuela
Medellin vs Caracas (Caracas is 20% more expensive) Medellin vs Maracaibo (Maracaibo is 19% less expensive) Medellin vs Valencia (Valencia is 10% less expensive) Medellin vs Maracay (Maracay is 17% less expensive) Medellin vs Barquisimeto (Barquisimeto is 18% less expensive) Medellin vs Barinas (Barinas is 8% less expensive) Medellin vs Ciudad Guayana (Ciudad Guayana is 2% more expensive) Medellin vs Catia La Mar (Catia La Mar is 8% more expensive) Medellin vs Ciudad Bolivar (Ciudad Bolivar is 0% less expensive) Medellin vs Santa Teresa del Tuy (Santa Teresa del Tuy is 4% more expensive)
Colombia
Medellin vs Bogota (Bogota is 1% less expensive) Medellin vs Medellin (Medellin has similar costs) Medellin vs Cali (Cali is 16% less expensive) Medellin vs Barranquilla (Barranquilla is 10% less expensive) Medellin vs Cartagena (Cartagena is 14% less expensive) Medellin vs Cucuta (Cucuta is 37% less expensive) Medellin vs Soacha (Soacha is 14% less expensive) Medellin vs Soledad (Soledad is 4% less expensive) Medellin vs Villavicencio (Villavicencio is 46% less expensive) Medellin vs Bucaramanga (Bucaramanga is 26% less expensive)
Brazil
Medellin vs Sao Paulo (Sao Paulo is 16% more expensive) Medellin vs Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro is 9% more expensive) Medellin vs Brasilia (Brasilia is 8% less expensive) Medellin vs Fortaleza (Fortaleza is 18% less expensive) Medellin vs Salvador (Salvador is 15% less expensive) Medellin vs Belo Horizonte (Belo Horizonte is 10% less expensive) Medellin vs Manaus (Manaus is 9% less expensive) Medellin vs Curitiba (Curitiba is 12% less expensive) Medellin vs Recife (Recife is 11% less expensive) Medellin vs Goiania (Goiania is 25% less expensive)
Argentina
Medellin vs Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires is 4% more expensive) Medellin vs Cordoba (Cordoba is 6% more expensive) Medellin vs Rosario (Rosario is 28% less expensive) Medellin vs San Miguel de Tucuman (San Miguel de Tucuman is 20% less expensive) Medellin vs Mar del Plata (Mar del Plata is 14% less expensive) Medellin vs Salta (Salta is 16% less expensive) Medellin vs San Juan (San Juan is 25% less expensive) Medellin vs Lanus (Lanus is 7% less expensive) Medellin vs Santiago del Estero (Santiago del Estero is 56% less expensive) Medellin vs Santa Fe (Santa Fe is 19% less expensive)
Bolivia
Medellin vs Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Santa Cruz de la Sierra is 13% less expensive) Medellin vs La Paz (La Paz is 23% less expensive) Medellin vs El Alto (El Alto is 27% less expensive) Medellin vs Cochabamba (Cochabamba is 39% less expensive) Medellin vs Sucre (Sucre is 25% less expensive) Medellin vs Oruro (Oruro is 31% less expensive) Medellin vs Potosi (Potosi is 43% less expensive) Medellin vs Tarija (Tarija is 28% less expensive) Medellin vs Sacaba (Sacaba is 39% less expensive) Medellin vs Trinidad (Trinidad is 12% less expensive)
Paraguay
Medellin vs Asuncion (Asuncion is 24% less expensive) Medellin vs Ciudad del Este (Ciudad del Este is 39% less expensive) Medellin vs Luque (Luque is 31% less expensive) Medellin vs San Lorenzo (San Lorenzo is 29% less expensive) Medellin vs Pedro Juan Caballero (Pedro Juan Caballero is 40% less expensive) Medellin vs Caaguazu (Caaguazu is 53% less expensive) Medellin vs Encarnacion (Encarnacion is 41% less expensive) Medellin vs Coronel Oviedo (Coronel Oviedo is 39% less expensive) Medellin vs Concepcion (Concepcion is 38% less expensive)