Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Altos and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Altos: $249 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Altos

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$249

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $249 in Altos versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Altos $249
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $373 in Altos versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Altos $373
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $497 in Altos versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Altos $497
Medellin $3,186

Living in Altos costs roughly 85% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Altos is 82% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.48 ₲2,851

$1.51 COP 4,876

-68.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 ₲5,437

$2.38 COP 7,678

-61.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ₲5,842

$1.77 COP 5,720

-44.63%

Eggs

$1.88 ₲11.2K

$2.89 COP 9,333

-34.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.98 ₲35.7K

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-41.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ₲20.6K

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-65.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.63 ₲33.6K

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-59.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 ₲14.2K

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-40.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ₲7,827

$1.55 COP 5,012

-15.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 ₲8,537

$2.18 COP 7,048

-34.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₲11.0K

$2.18 COP 7,051

-15.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 ₲6,931

$1.96 COP 6,337

-40.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 ₲8,296

$1.59 COP 5,132

-12.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 ₲6,969

$1.15 COP 3,699

1.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ₲5,166

$1.24 COP 4,014

-29.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.96 ₲5,729

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-75.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.11 ₲48.4K

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-40.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ₲4,344

$1.66 COP 5,359

-56.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 ₲4,983

$2.26 COP 7,291

-62.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 ₲2,302

$1.17 COP 3,771

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.80 ₲70.4K

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-84.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.71 ₲10.2K

$1.27 COP 4,094

34.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 ₲4,266

$2.05 COP 6,612

-64.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ₲6,710

$1.35 COP 4,349

-17.04%

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

$19.1K ₲113.9M

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-43.94%

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

$23.8K ₲142.2M

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-31.25%

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

$34.79 ₲207.5K

$170 COP 547.8K

-79.49%

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

$7.91 ₲47.2K

$13.55 COP 43.8K

-41.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.81 ₲82.4K

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-50.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$3.58 ₲21.3K

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-48.19%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.46 ₲151.9K

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-69.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,480 ₲8.8M

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-64.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$998 ₲6.0M

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-47.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$491 ₲2.9M

$657 COP 2.1M

-25.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-8.59%

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

Last update for Altos: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Altos

–

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Groceries & Markets

Altos

–

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Altos

–

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Eating Out

Altos

–

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Altos

–

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Getting Around

Altos

–

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Altos

–

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cost Breakdown

Medellin pays 34% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇵🇾 Altos

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:19 7:19 AM

05:19 5:19 AM

2 h behind Altos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,763

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 PYG = 1.68 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.5 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to PYG – Paraguayan Guarani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇾 Paraguayan Guarani (₲)

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5,965 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.68 USD). 1 EUR = 6,656 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.5 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to PYG in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Altos Medellin 4,030 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Altos
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

Altos vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Altos is about 85% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Altos. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 92% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

A monthly transit pass in Altos runs roughly 85% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $249 in Altos versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Altos but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Altos 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.

It comes down to priorities – Altos wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.