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

šŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Arequipa is 31% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 38.6% cheaper with rent.
šŸ™‚ Family of 3: Arequipa is 32.6% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 29.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Arequipa
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.15 PENĀ 14.14
$6.03 COPĀ 22.9K
-31.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.05 PENĀ 95.7
$33.17 COPĀ 125.7K
-15.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.45 PENĀ 18.58
$7.29 COPĀ 27.6K
-25.24%
Cappuccino
$2.52 PENĀ 8.60
$1.63 COPĀ 6,174
54.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 PENĀ 2.60
$1.05 COPĀ 3,974
-27.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 PENĀ 1.35
$0.77 COPĀ 2,918
-48.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.25 PENĀ 7.68
$1.73 COPĀ 6,554
30.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.04 PENĀ 20.59
$3.18 COPĀ 12.0K
89.94%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Arequipa
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.52 PENĀ 5.20
$1.07 COPĀ 4,043
42.06%
White Bread (500g)
$1.28 PENĀ 4.37
$1.31 COPĀ 4,968
-2.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.27 PENĀ 4.32
$1.38 COPĀ 5,230
-7.97%
Eggs
$2.08 PENĀ 7.11
$2.25 COPĀ 8,515
-7.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.44 PENĀ 18.55
$4.48 COPĀ 17.0K
21.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.24 PENĀ 17.88
$5.74 COPĀ 21.7K
-8.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.50 PENĀ 25.57
$8.86 COPĀ 33.6K
-15.35%
Apples (1kg)
$1.49 PENĀ 5.09
$2.24 COPĀ 8,496
-33.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.18 PENĀ 4.03
$1.06 COPĀ 4,015
11.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.22 PENĀ 4.14
$1.51 COPĀ 5,736
-19.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.82 PENĀ 2.80
$1.36 COPĀ 5,154
-39.71%
Potato (1kg)
$0.58 PENĀ 1.98
$1.12 COPĀ 4,247
-48.21%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 PENĀ 1.86
$1.17 COPĀ 4,430
-52.99%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.44 PENĀ 1.51
$0.90 COPĀ 3,418
-51.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.73 PENĀ 2.47
$0.84 COPĀ 3,171
-13.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.87 PENĀ 16.59
$2.26 COPĀ 8,559
115.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.18 PENĀ 17.66
$9.97 COPĀ 37.8K
-48.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.48 PENĀ 8.47
$1.18 COPĀ 4,482
110.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 PENĀ 7.58
$2.39 COPĀ 9,054
-7.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Arequipa
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.27 PENĀ 0.91
$0.86 COPĀ 3,255
-68.60%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$41.45 COPĀ 157.1K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.05 PENĀ 7.01
$1.47 COPĀ 5,559
39.46%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.06 PENĀ 7.01
$1.95 COPĀ 7,372
5.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.90 PENĀ 43.99
$7.76 COPĀ 29.4K
66.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 PENĀ 5.27
$0.97 COPĀ 3,665
58.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.9K PENĀ 64.4K
$17.9K COPĀ 68.0M
5.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2K PENĀ 86.0K
$26.7K COPĀ 101.2M
-5.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Arequipa
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.50 PENĀ 135
$81.1 COPĀ 307.3K
-51.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.48 PENĀ 35.75
$9.40 COPĀ 35.6K
11.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.17 PENĀ 103
$23.61 COPĀ 89.4K
27.78%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Arequipa
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.27 PENĀ 72.5
$25.55 COPĀ 96.8K
-16.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.50 PENĀ 28.98
$19.29 COPĀ 73.1K
-55.94%
Cinema Ticket
$4.52 PENĀ 15.43
$4.10 COPĀ 15.5K
10.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Arequipa
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$59.6 PENĀ 203
$306 COPĀ 1.2M
-80.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,330 PENĀ 21.6K
$5,899 COPĀ 22.3M
7.30%
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Arequipa
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$38.11 PENĀ 130
$59.8 COPĀ 226.6K
-36.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.08 PENĀ 75.3
$31.96 COPĀ 121.1K
-30.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$63.4 PENĀ 216
$103 COPĀ 389.1K
-38.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$55.1 PENĀ 188
$108 COPĀ 408.7K
-48.91%
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Arequipa
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$244 PENĀ 831
$483 COPĀ 1.8M
-49.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$160 PENĀ 547
$377 COPĀ 1.4M
-57.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$539 PENĀ 1,838
$822 COPĀ 3.1M
-34.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$390 PENĀ 1,329
$721 COPĀ 2.7M
-45.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,038 PENĀ 6,949
$2,784 COPĀ 10.5M
-26.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$990 PENĀ 3,376
$1,320 COPĀ 5.0M
-25.01%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Arequipa
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$658 PENĀ 2,243
$538 COPĀ 2.0M
22.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
15
13.43
11.69%

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

Last update for Arequipa: March 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: March 3, 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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