Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arecibo and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Arecibo: $1,281 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Arecibo
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Arecibo Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Arecibo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,281

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,281 in Arecibo versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Arecibo $1,281
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,005 in Arecibo versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Arecibo $2,005
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,730 in Arecibo versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Arecibo $2,730
Medellin $3,190

Living in Arecibo costs roughly 21% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Arecibo is 5% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.13 $12.13

$7.93 COP 25.2K

52.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.2 $81.2

$46.13 COP 146.3K

76.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 $8.55

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-10.00%

Cappuccino

$3.42 $3.42

$3.11 COP 9,866

9.97%

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

$1.90 $1.90

$1.83 COP 5,800

3.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.38 COP 4,360

8.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.05 COP 9,672

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 $5.09

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-7.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.45 COP 4,600

23.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.36 COP 7,496

42.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.68 COP 5,328

15.48%

Eggs

$4.48 $4.48

$2.86 COP 9,077

56.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.78 $12.78

$10.19 COP 32.3K

25.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 $9.48

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-0.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 $13.47

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-4.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$4.07 COP 12.9K

22.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.50 COP 4,742

72.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$2.17 COP 6,891

121.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.31 COP 7,310

109.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.93 COP 6,113

91.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$1.64 COP 5,196

143.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.53 $3.53

$1.13 COP 3,571

212.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.25 COP 3,954

28.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.98 $11.98

$3.99 COP 12.6K

200.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.87 $15.87

$13.35 COP 42.3K

18.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.70 COP 5,384

81.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.37 COP 7,525

71.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.63 $40.63

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-46.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.32 COP 4,179

92.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.14 COP 6,774

-31.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.96 $41.96

$8.47 COP 26.8K

395.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.30 COP 4,114

-30.00%

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

$40.4K $40.4K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

44.27%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-20.51%

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

$324 $324

$172 COP 545.6K

88.45%

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

$68.1 $68.1

$13.37 COP 42.4K

408.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.1 $66.1

$28.73 COP 91.1K

130.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 $10.59

$6.28 COP 19.9K

68.63%

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

$833 $833

$770 COP 2.4M

8.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K $12.6K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

40.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 $56.1

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-35.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.5 $61.5

$57.1 COP 181.1K

7.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$137 COP 432.9K

-20.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$97.9 COP 310.4K

16.25%

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)

$1,191 $1,191

$652 COP 2.1M

82.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

10.94

-40.13%

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

Last update for Arecibo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arecibo

$459 35.8%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 53.3% $244

Groceries & Markets

Arecibo

$395 30.8%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 25.4% $100

Eating Out

Arecibo

$203 15.8%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 17% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Arecibo

$153 12%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 11% $17

Getting Around

Arecibo

$50 * 3.9%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 84.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Arecibo

$21 * 1.7%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 173% $37

Accommodation & Living

Arecibo

- * 0%

Medellin

$616 38.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Arecibo pays 83% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $81.0 in Arecibo vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $395 vs $295 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Arecibo

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

00:01 12:01 AM

1 h behind Arecibo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,634

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Arecibo Medellin 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Arecibo
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

Arecibo vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arecibo is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and leisure. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 83% higher in Arecibo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 34% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Arecibo – a meal for two runs $81.0 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,281 in Arecibo versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Arecibo but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Arecibo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Arecibo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Arecibo 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 Arecibo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.