Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ambato and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Ambato: $605 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Ambato
Learn more

Ambato Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Ambato

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$605

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $605 per month in Ambato vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Ambato $605
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $985 per month in Ambato vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Ambato $985
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,364 per month in Ambato vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Ambato $1,364
Medellin $3,190

Ambato is about 63% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ambato sits 55% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 $3.46

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-56.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.93 $29.93

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-35.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.32 $5.32

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-44.00%

Cappuccino

$2.76 $2.76

$3.11 COP 9,866

-11.25%

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

$0.82 $0.82

$1.83 COP 5,800

-55.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.38 COP 4,360

-45.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 $1.96

$3.05 COP 9,672

-35.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 $3.22

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-41.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.45 COP 4,600

-32.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.36 COP 7,496

-58.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.68 COP 5,328

-6.55%

Eggs

$1.73 $1.73

$2.86 COP 9,077

-39.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-46.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-68.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-72.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-68.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.50 COP 4,742

-41.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.17 COP 6,891

-52.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.31 COP 7,310

-55.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.93 COP 6,113

-60.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.64 COP 5,196

-39.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.13 COP 3,571

-35.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.25 COP 3,954

-17.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.15 $5.15

$3.99 COP 12.6K

29.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 $8.78

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-34.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.70 COP 5,384

-14.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.37 COP 7,525

18.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 $0.29

$1.21 COP 3,827

-76.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.21 $14.21

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-81.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.32 COP 4,179

5.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.14 COP 6,774

-47.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.43 $9.43

$8.47 COP 26.8K

11.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.30 COP 4,114

-33.85%

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

$23.3K $23.3K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-16.64%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-20.52%

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

$39.20 $39.20

$172 COP 545.6K

-77.22%

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

$13.58 $13.58

$13.37 COP 42.4K

1.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.39 $26.39

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-8.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 $29.76

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-34.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 $4.39

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-30.10%

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

$224 $224

$770 COP 2.4M

-70.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,408 $2,408

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-73.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.25 $48.25

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-44.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.22 $35.22

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-38.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 $71.2

$137 COP 432.9K

-47.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.5 $55.5

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-43.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$178 $178

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-83.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$124 $124

$616 COP 2.0M

-79.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 $380

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-79.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 $273

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-73.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,130 $1,130

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-72.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$884 $884

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-47.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$679 $679

$652 COP 2.1M

4.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-17.73%

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

Last update for Ambato: October 10, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ambato

$147 24.3%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 101% $148

Accommodation & Living

Ambato

$124 20.5%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 396% $492

Eating Out

Ambato

$99 16.4%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 69.7% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Ambato

$95 15.6%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 79.9% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ambato

$79 13.1%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 171% $135

Sport & Entertainment

Ambato

$39 6.4%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 50% $19

Getting Around

Ambato

$22 3.7%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 318% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $178 in Ambato 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 4% higher in Ambato, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Ambato versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $147 vs $295 – making Ambato the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Ambato

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

00:31 12:31 AM

Same time as Ambato

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,185

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ambato Medellin 900 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ambato
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

Ambato vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 167% more than Ambato, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $908 per month in Ambato 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 Ambato, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Ambato and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $605 in Ambato and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 167%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ambato, where all-in costs run around $605, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Ambato it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ambato costs $605 versus $1,614 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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