Cost of Living Comparison Between Arequipa and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Arequipa and Medellin

🙂 Solo nomad: Arequipa is 22% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 38.8% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Arequipa is 18.3% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 32.9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.28 PEN 14.38

$5.97 COP 21.9K

-28.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.28 PEN 95.0

$32.40 COP 119.0K

-12.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 PEN 18.40

$7.13 COP 26.2K

-23.28%

Cappuccino

$2.60 PEN 8.74

$1.65 COP 6,043

57.58%

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

$0.76 PEN 2.56

$1.06 COP 3,882

-28.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 PEN 1.22

$0.77 COP 2,839

-53.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 PEN 7.63

$1.75 COP 6,418

29.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 PEN 19.60

$3.06 COP 11.2K

90.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 PEN 5.38

$1.10 COP 4,026

45.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 PEN 4.10

$1.30 COP 4,771

-6.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 PEN 4.08

$1.34 COP 4,905

-9.70%

Eggs

$2.08 PEN 7.01

$2.26 COP 8,299

-7.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.53 PEN 18.59

$4.50 COP 16.5K

22.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.26 PEN 17.69

$5.80 COP 21.3K

-9.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.77 PEN 26.10

$8.96 COP 32.9K

-13.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.52 PEN 5.09

$2.37 COP 8,691

-35.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 PEN 4.14

$1.07 COP 3,939

14.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 PEN 4.15

$1.48 COP 5,418

-16.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.81 PEN 2.71

$1.36 COP 5,011

-40.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 PEN 1.88

$1.13 COP 4,135

-50.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 PEN 1.83

$1.13 COP 4,161

-52.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 PEN 1.59

$0.89 COP 3,274

-47.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 PEN 2.59

$0.85 COP 3,114

-9.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 PEN 16.87

$2.28 COP 8,361

120.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.18 PEN 17.39

$10.15 COP 37.3K

-48.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 PEN 8.29

$1.19 COP 4,359

107.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 PEN 7.43

$2.40 COP 8,828

-7.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 PEN 0.98

$0.84 COP 3,074

-65.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.85 COP 150.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 PEN 6.90

$1.48 COP 5,417

38.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 PEN 6.87

$1.89 COP 6,949

8.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.76 PEN 42.88

$8.05 COP 29.5K

58.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 PEN 5.41

$0.94 COP 3,455

71.28%

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

$18.9K PEN 63.4K

$17.7K COP 65.1M

6.29%

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

$25.1K PEN 84.2K

$26.4K COP 96.8M

-4.93%

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

$40.03 PEN 134

$81.9 COP 300.7K

-51.12%

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

$10.58 PEN 35.54

$9.54 COP 35.0K

10.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.36 PEN 102

$23.68 COP 87.0K

28.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.65 PEN 72.7

$25.85 COP 94.9K

-16.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.27 PEN 27.80

$18.72 COP 68.7K

-55.82%

Cinema Ticket

$4.31 PEN 14.49

$4.05 COP 14.9K

6.42%

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

$60.1 PEN 202

$316 COP 1.2M

-80.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,315 PEN 21.2K

$5,971 COP 21.9M

5.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.49 PEN 126

$59.0 COP 216.4K

-36.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.19 PEN 74.6

$32.49 COP 119.3K

-31.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.2 PEN 212

$99.9 COP 366.7K

-36.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 PEN 185

$108 COP 394.9K

-48.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 PEN 795

$491 COP 1.8M

-51.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 PEN 526

$371 COP 1.4M

-57.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 PEN 1,780

$821 COP 3.0M

-35.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$392 PEN 1,316

$731 COP 2.7M

-46.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,054 PEN 6,902

$3,019 COP 11.1M

-31.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,008 PEN 3,386

$1,332 COP 4.9M

-24.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$670 PEN 2,250

$517 COP 1.9M

29.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.43

11.69%

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

Last update for Arequipa: January 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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