Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alert and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,220 in Alert, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Alert
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Alert Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Alert

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,220

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alert 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 Alert and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,220 per month in Alert vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Alert $2,220
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $3,195 per month in Alert vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Alert $3,195
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $4,171 per month in Alert vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Alert $4,171
Medellin $3,199

Alert costs about 37% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Alert and Medellin sit above the global median – Alert by 64%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.69 CA$25.01

$8.30 COP 26.3K

113.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.0 CA$91.9

$46.91 COP 148.7K

38.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 CA$14.89

$9.24 COP 29.3K

13.96%

Cappuccino

$3.51 CA$4.96

$3.05 COP 9,676

15.08%

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

$2.01 CA$2.84

$1.80 COP 5,707

11.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.20

$1.38 COP 4,382

13.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.34 CA$7.54

$3.24 COP 10.3K

64.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.58 CA$7.89

$5.56 COP 17.6K

0.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 CA$2.89

$1.50 COP 4,760

36.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 CA$3.46

$2.37 COP 7,508

3.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.64

$1.70 COP 5,377

93.53%

Eggs

$3.42 CA$4.84

$2.96 COP 9,379

15.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.50 CA$13.43

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-7.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.41 CA$16.13

$9.74 COP 30.9K

17.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.63 CA$20.68

$13.90 COP 44.1K

5.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 CA$5.44

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-6.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 CA$1.79

$1.53 COP 4,839

-16.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.69 CA$5.22

$2.22 COP 7,052

66.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.25

$2.27 COP 7,194

63.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$1.99 COP 6,311

22.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$1.67 COP 5,285

34.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$1.18 COP 3,742

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.24 COP 3,919

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.25 CA$20.14

$3.87 COP 12.3K

268.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.40 CA$17.53

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-10.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$1.66 COP 5,256

57.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 CA$4.19

$2.40 COP 7,615

23.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$1.24 COP 3,944

81.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.2 CA$86.5

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-21.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 CA$4.07

$1.28 COP 4,044

125.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 CA$2.02

$2.15 COP 6,803

-33.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.87 CA$32.33

$8.37 COP 26.5K

173.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.66

$1.35 COP 4,288

-13.33%

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

$27.3K CA$38.6K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-21.55%

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

$19.3K CA$27.3K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-44.24%

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

$132 CA$186

$167 COP 528.4K

-20.88%

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

$37.42 CA$52.9

$13.62 COP 43.2K

174.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.2 CA$76.7

$29.12 COP 92.3K

86.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.55 CA$57.3

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-10.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.87 CA$25.26

$17.18 COP 54.5K

4.02%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 CA$15.84

$6.97 COP 22.1K

60.69%

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

$752 CA$1,063

$790 COP 2.5M

-4.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K CA$18.7K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

45.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.0 CA$74.9

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-39.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.42 CA$54.3

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-33.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 CA$118

$139 COP 440.7K

-39.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$145

$98.9 COP 313.5K

3.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 CA$1,725

$1,028 COP 3.3M

18.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,116 CA$1,577

$620 COP 2.0M

80.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 CA$2,743

$1,881 COP 6.0M

3.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,667 CA$2,357

$1,008 COP 3.2M

65.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,131 CA$5,840

$3,988 COP 12.6M

3.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,514 CA$4,968

$1,702 COP 5.4M

106.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.66

10.94

-57.40%

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

Last update for Alert: October 17, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alert

$1.1K 50.3%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 44.5% $496

Groceries & Markets

Alert

$345 15.5%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 13.6% $47

Eating Out

Alert

$267 12%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 36.1% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alert

$224 10.1%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 6.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Alert

$125 5.6%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 38.1% $48

Getting Around

Alert

$80 3.6%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 18.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Alert

$63 2.8%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 6.2% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,220 in Alert 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Alert versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Alert

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:44 7:44 AM

06:44 6:44 AM

1 h behind Alert

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alert Medellin 8,500 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Alert
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

Alert vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,220 in Alert, $1,625 in Medellin – roughly 37% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,330 per month in Alert 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 Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Alert, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Alert and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Alert at $2,220. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alert it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,625 in Medellin to $2,220 in Alert. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alert makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.