Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandria and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $998 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Alexandria

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$998

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $998 in Alexandria versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Alexandria $998
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,658 in Alexandria versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Alexandria $1,658
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,317 in Alexandria versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Alexandria $2,317
Medellin $3,190

Living in Alexandria costs roughly 38% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alexandria is 26% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.42 JMD 2,120

$7.93 COP 25.2K

69.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.8 JMD 12.1K

$46.13 COP 146.3K

66.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.21 JMD 1,298

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-13.58%

Cappuccino

$5.37 JMD 849

$3.11 COP 9,866

72.67%

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

$1.16 JMD 183

$1.83 COP 5,800

-36.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

$1.38 COP 4,360

-46.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 JMD 351

$3.05 COP 9,672

-27.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 JMD 491

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-43.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.20 JMD 664

$1.45 COP 4,600

189.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.71 JMD 586

$2.36 COP 7,496

57.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 JMD 248

$1.68 COP 5,328

-6.55%

Eggs

$3.63 JMD 573

$2.86 COP 9,077

26.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.31 JMD 1,787

$10.19 COP 32.3K

10.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.18 JMD 976

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-35.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.19 JMD 1,611

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-27.42%

Apples (1kg)

$5.94 JMD 938

$4.07 COP 12.9K

45.95%

Banana (1kg)

$3.86 JMD 610

$1.50 COP 4,742

157.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.13 JMD 1,127

$2.17 COP 6,891

228.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 JMD 480

$2.31 COP 7,310

31.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 JMD 501

$1.93 COP 6,113

64.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 JMD 420

$1.64 COP 5,196

62.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.07 JMD 484

$1.13 COP 3,571

171.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 JMD 227

$1.25 COP 3,954

15.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.61 JMD 1,519

$3.99 COP 12.6K

140.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.11 JMD 1,755

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-16.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 437

$1.70 COP 5,384

62.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 JMD 642

$2.37 COP 7,525

71.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 JMD 183

$1.32 COP 4,179

-12.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.17 JMD 501

$2.14 COP 6,774

48.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 JMD 967

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-27.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 JMD 220

$1.30 COP 4,114

6.92%

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

$43.4K JMD 6.9M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

54.92%

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

$32.3K JMD 5.1M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-8.66%

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

$165 JMD 26.1K

$172 COP 545.6K

-4.18%

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

$29.45 JMD 4,653

$13.37 COP 42.4K

120.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 JMD 8,382

$28.73 COP 91.1K

84.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.30 JMD 2,101

$6.28 COP 19.9K

111.78%

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

$364 JMD 57.5K

$770 COP 2.4M

-52.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,298 JMD 1.3M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-7.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.82 JMD 3,764

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-72.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.89 JMD 5,039

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-44.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.9 JMD 12.0K

$137 COP 432.9K

-44.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

4.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

10.94

-13.62%

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

Last update for Alexandria: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Alexandria

$380 38.1%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 22.5% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandria

$247 24.8%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 13.4% $33

Eating Out

Alexandria

$221 22.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 23.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandria

$105 10.5%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 61.7% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandria

$27 * 2.7%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 117% $31

Getting Around

Alexandria

$17 * 1.7%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 448% $76

Accommodation & Living

Alexandria

- * 0%

Medellin

$616 38.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $77.0 in Alexandria vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $295 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Alexandria

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:36 6:36 AM

Same time as Alexandria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,927

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alexandria Medellin 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Alexandria
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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

Alexandria vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alexandria and Medellin differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($998 vs $1,614 including rent). Alexandria is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,497 in Alexandria and $2,421 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $364 in Alexandria versus $770 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Alexandria – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $998 in Alexandria versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alexandria but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Alexandria the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Alexandria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.