Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alicante and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $1,814 in Alicante, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Alicante
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Alicante Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Alicante

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,814

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,814 in Alicante versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Alicante $1,814
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,801 in Alicante versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Alicante $2,801
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Alicante versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Alicante $3,788
Medellin $3,190

Living in Alicante is roughly 12% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alicante 34% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.14 €17.03

$7.93 COP 25.2K

141.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.7

$46.13 COP 146.3K

43.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €10.00

$9.50 COP 30.1K

18.32%

Cappuccino

$2.21 €1.97

$3.11 COP 9,866

-28.94%

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

$2.06 €1.83

$1.83 COP 5,800

12.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.38 COP 4,360

-5.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 €2.97

$3.05 COP 9,672

9.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.94

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-40.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.45 COP 4,600

-23.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.36 COP 7,496

-30.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.68 COP 5,328

-4.17%

Eggs

$3.26 €2.90

$2.86 COP 9,077

13.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.37 €15.45

$10.19 COP 32.3K

70.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.79 €8.71

$9.53 COP 30.2K

2.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.86 €14.11

$14.04 COP 44.5K

12.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-36.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.50 COP 4,742

38.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.17 COP 6,891

-17.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.31 COP 7,310

13.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.93 COP 6,113

-1.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.64 COP 5,196

22.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.13 COP 3,571

8.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 €0.58

$1.25 COP 3,954

-47.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.46 €5.75

$3.99 COP 12.6K

61.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.42 €4.82

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-59.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.70 COP 5,384

-30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.37 COP 7,525

-13.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.21 COP 3,827

36.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.30 €23.39

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-65.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 €2.76

$1.32 COP 4,179

134.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 €1.16

$2.14 COP 6,774

-39.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.96 €15.09

$8.47 COP 26.8K

100.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.56

$1.30 COP 4,114

35.38%

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

$35.6K €31.7K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

27.32%

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

$29.1K €25.9K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-17.75%

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

$141 €125

$172 COP 545.6K

-18.33%

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

$18.27 €16.25

$13.37 COP 42.4K

36.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.69 €26.41

$28.73 COP 91.1K

3.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.64 €36.15

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-10.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.59 €14.76

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-2.64%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 €8.06

$6.28 COP 19.9K

44.43%

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

$708 €629

$770 COP 2.4M

-8.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,120 €8,113

$9,011 COP 28.6M

1.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.1 €76.5

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-0.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.13 €31.25

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-38.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 €83.3

$137 COP 432.9K

-31.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €92.0

$97.9 COP 310.4K

5.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 €892

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-4.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$846 €752

$616 COP 2.0M

37.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,685 €1,499

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-10.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,519 €1,351

$1,023 COP 3.2M

48.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,155 €3,696

$4,059 COP 12.9M

2.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,008 €1,786

$1,678 COP 5.3M

19.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,900 €1,690

$652 COP 2.1M

191.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

10.94

-72.67%

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

Last update for Alicante: 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

Alicante

$846 46.6%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 27.2% $230

Groceries & Markets

Alicante

$285 15.7%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 3.5% $9.9

Eating Out

Alicante

$250 13.8%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 32.7% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alicante

$189 10.4%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 13.6% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Alicante

$143 7.9%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 18.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Alicante

$59 3.2%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 1.6% $1

Getting Around

Alicante

$43 2.3%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 120% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,003 in Alicante and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alicante pays 191% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Alicante vs $46.00 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $285 vs $295, with Alicante cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Alicante

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:58 11:58 PM

16:58 4:58 PM

7 h behind Alicante

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,282

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Alicante Medellin 8,280 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Alicante
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

Alicante vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Alicante. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 191% higher in Alicante, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,003 in Alicante versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $708 in Alicante versus $770 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Alicante pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,814 in Alicante, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Alicante. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,614 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Alicante and Medellin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Alicante. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.