Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ahuachapan and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $1,848 in Ahuachapan, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ahuachapan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Ahuachapan
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Ahuachapan Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Ahuachapan

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,848

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ahuachapan and in Medellin

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

A single person spends $1,848 per month in Ahuachapan vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Ahuachapan $1,848
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $2,014 per month in Ahuachapan vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Ahuachapan $2,014
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $2,180 per month in Ahuachapan vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Ahuachapan $2,180
Medellin $3,199

Ahuachapan costs about 14% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Ahuachapan and Medellin sit above the global median – Ahuachapan by 36%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.83 $6.83

$8.30 COP 26.1K

-17.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.44 $44.44

$46.91 COP 147.5K

-5.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.11 $7.11

$9.24 COP 29.1K

-23.05%

Cappuccino

$3.61 $3.61

$3.05 COP 9,596

18.36%

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

$1.12 $1.12

$1.80 COP 5,659

-37.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.38 COP 4,345

-41.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.24 COP 10.2K

-38.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$5.56 COP 17.5K

-37.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.50 COP 4,720

20.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.37 COP 7,445

18.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.70 COP 5,332

-18.24%

Eggs

$3.01 $3.01

$2.96 COP 9,301

1.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$10.22 COP 32.1K

-25.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.83 $6.83

$9.74 COP 30.6K

-29.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.36 $10.36

$13.90 COP 43.7K

-25.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$4.13 COP 13.0K

19.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.53 COP 4,799

-9.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.22 COP 6,993

14.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.27 COP 7,135

51.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.99 COP 6,258

45.73%

Onion (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.67 COP 5,241

91.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.18 COP 3,711

-19.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.24 COP 3,886

-26.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 $3.88

$3.87 COP 12.2K

0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.96 $11.96

$13.78 COP 43.3K

-13.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.66 COP 5,212

33.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.40 COP 7,552

22.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,911

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 245.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 $6.05

$1.28 COP 4,011

372.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.15 COP 6,747

41.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.82 $19.82

$8.37 COP 26.3K

136.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.35 COP 4,252

-7.41%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$34.8K COP 109.3M

-28.07%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-21.88%

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

$131 $131

$167 COP 524.0K

-21.32%

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

$21.53 $21.53

$13.62 COP 42.8K

58.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.30 $42.30

$29.12 COP 91.6K

45.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 141.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 $4.94

$6.97 COP 21.9K

-29.12%

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

$164 $164

$790 COP 2.5M

-79.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,777 $4,777

$9,041 COP 28.4M

-47.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 $67.6

$87.8 COP 276.1K

-23.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.64 $46.64

$58.2 COP 182.8K

-19.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$139 COP 437.0K

-16.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$98.9 COP 310.9K

20.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 $530

$1,028 COP 3.2M

-48.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 $1,038

$620 COP 1.9M

67.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$364 $364

$1,881 COP 5.9M

-80.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 $389

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-61.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,064 $3,064

$3,988 COP 12.5M

-23.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,291 $1,291

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-24.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$552 $552

$663 COP 2.1M

-16.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

10.94

-22.30%

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

Last update for Ahuachapan: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ahuachapan

$1K 56.2%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 40.3% $418

Groceries & Markets

Ahuachapan

$283 15.3%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 5.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ahuachapan

$195 10.6%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 7.4% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Ahuachapan

$158 8.5%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 9.7% $15

Eating Out

Ahuachapan

$144 7.8%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 18.8% $27

Getting Around

Ahuachapan

$21 * 1.2%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 347% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Ahuachapan

$9.9 * 0.5%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 498% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $530 in Ahuachapan versus $1,028 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 20% higher in Medellin, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Ahuachapan versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $283 vs $298 – making Ahuachapan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Ahuachapan

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

00:17 12:17 AM

01:17 1:17 AM

1 h ahead of Ahuachapan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,511

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 3,144 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,528 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ahuachapan Medellin 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ahuachapan
Medellin

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

Ahuachapan vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,848 in Ahuachapan, $1,625 in Medellin – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,772 per month in Ahuachapan and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ahuachapan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $530 there versus $1,028 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,848 in Ahuachapan and $1,625 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 14%.

Kindergarten costs $164 per month in Ahuachapan and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,848 in Ahuachapan and $1,625 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,625 in Medellin to $1,848 in Ahuachapan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.