Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alges and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,009 in Alges, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Alges outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

98

Cost of Living Index in Alges
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Alges Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Alges

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,009

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,009 per month in Alges vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Alges $2,009
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,853 per month in Alges vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Alges $2,853
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $3,697 per month in Alges vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Alges $3,697
Medellin $3,190

Alges costs about 24% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Alges and Medellin sit above the global median – Alges by 49%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.36 €13.66

$7.93 COP 25.2K

93.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 €48.68

$46.13 COP 146.3K

18.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.41 €8.37

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-0.95%

Cappuccino

$2.64 €2.35

$3.11 COP 9,866

-15.11%

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

$2.35 €2.09

$1.83 COP 5,800

28.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.38 COP 4,360

63.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.01

$3.05 COP 9,672

11.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 €4.93

$5.50 COP 17.4K

0.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.45 COP 4,600

-28.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.36 COP 7,496

-16.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.68 COP 5,328

32.74%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.04

$2.86 COP 9,077

19.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 €9.63

$10.19 COP 32.3K

6.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.10 €6.31

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-25.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.95 €13.30

$14.04 COP 44.5K

6.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-29.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.50 COP 4,742

-8.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$2.17 COP 6,891

-17.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$2.31 COP 7,310

-3.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.93 COP 6,113

-19.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.64 COP 5,196

35.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.13 COP 3,571

36.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.69

$1.25 COP 3,954

-37.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.67 €5.05

$3.99 COP 12.6K

42.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.90 €4.35

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-63.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.70 COP 5,384

-31.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.37 COP 7,525

30.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.21 COP 3,827

86.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.01 €39.15

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-42.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.56 €4.06

$1.32 COP 4,179

245.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$2.14 COP 6,774

-53.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.84 €15.87

$8.47 COP 26.8K

110.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.30 COP 4,114

57.69%

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

$33.8K €30.1K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

20.73%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

7.63%

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

$137 €122

$172 COP 545.6K

-20.62%

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

$24.63 €21.91

$13.37 COP 42.4K

84.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 €50.1

$28.73 COP 91.1K

95.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.85 €39.89

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-0.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.11 €15.22

$17.04 COP 54.0K

0.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.20 €6.40

$6.28 COP 19.9K

14.65%

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

$597 €531

$770 COP 2.4M

-22.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.6K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

107.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.8 €68.3

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-11.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.38 €29.69

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-41.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 €80.6

$137 COP 432.9K

-33.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.8 €84.3

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-3.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 €1,103

$1,055 COP 3.3M

17.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 €938

$616 COP 2.0M

71.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,047 €1,821

$1,892 COP 6.0M

8.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 €1,386

$1,023 COP 3.2M

52.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,991 €2,660

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-26.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,264 €2,014

$1,678 COP 5.3M

34.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 €1,093

$652 COP 2.1M

88.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

10.94

-66.45%

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

Last update for Alges: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alges

$1.1K 52.5%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 41.6% $439

Groceries & Markets

Alges

$253 12.6%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 16.6% $42

Eating Out

Alges

$229 11.4%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 26.5% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alges

$218 10.8%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 1.5% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Alges

$133 6.6%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 27.9% $37

Getting Around

Alges

$63 3.1%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 49.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Alges

$59 3%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 2.4% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Alges versus $1,055 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 88% higher in Alges, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Alges versus $46.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $253 in Alges vs $295 in Medellin – so Alges wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Alges

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

08:42 8:42 AM

6 h behind Alges

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,327

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Alges Medellin 7,530 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Alges
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

Alges vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,009 in Alges, $1,614 in Medellin – roughly 24% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,013 per month in Alges and $2,421 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.

Kindergarten costs $597 per month in Alges and $770 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Alges – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Alges at $2,009. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alges it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Alges has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,614 in Medellin to $2,009 in Alges. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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