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

🙂 Solo nomad: Arequipa is 18.8% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 36.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Arequipa is 24.4% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 30.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Arequipa
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.26 PEN 14.63
$6.14 COP 22.1K
-30.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.24 PEN 96.9
$33.05 COP 119.0K
-14.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.70 PEN 19.56
$7.32 COP 26.4K
-22.13%
Cappuccino
$2.49 PEN 8.55
$1.66 COP 5,972
50.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 PEN 2.78
$1.10 COP 3,977
-26.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 PEN 1.26
$0.78 COP 2,815
-52.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.21 PEN 7.57
$1.71 COP 6,173
29.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.94 PEN 20.37
$3.17 COP 11.4K
87.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Arequipa
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 PEN 5.26
$1.11 COP 4,002
37.84%
White Bread (500g)
$1.22 PEN 4.19
$1.31 COP 4,708
-6.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.26 PEN 4.33
$1.38 COP 4,968
-8.70%
Eggs
$2.16 PEN 7.42
$2.22 COP 7,989
-2.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.58 PEN 19.14
$4.34 COP 15.6K
28.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.29 PEN 18.13
$5.80 COP 20.9K
-8.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.57 PEN 25.96
$8.98 COP 32.3K
-15.70%
Apples (1kg)
$1.45 PEN 4.98
$2.26 COP 8,144
-35.84%
Banana (1kg)
$1.17 PEN 4.01
$1.11 COP 4,013
5.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.18 PEN 4.04
$1.46 COP 5,271
-19.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.75 PEN 2.59
$1.37 COP 4,917
-45.26%
Potato (1kg)
$0.59 PEN 2.01
$1.11 COP 3,999
-46.85%
Onion (1kg)
$0.54 PEN 1.85
$1.16 COP 4,189
-53.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.44 PEN 1.50
$0.89 COP 3,203
-50.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.73 PEN 2.50
$0.87 COP 3,116
-16.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.94 PEN 16.95
$2.35 COP 8,474
110.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.06 PEN 17.35
$10.86 COP 39.1K
-53.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 PEN 8.29
$1.20 COP 4,319
101.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 PEN 7.94
$2.48 COP 8,924
-6.85%
🚌 Getting Around
Arequipa
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.27 PEN 0.91
$0.79 COP 2,835
-65.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$40.77 COP 146.8K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.12 PEN 7.28
$1.42 COP 5,124
49.30%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.12 PEN 7.28
$1.91 COP 6,883
10.99%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.88 PEN 44.18
$7.65 COP 27.5K
68.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.55 PEN 5.31
$0.97 COP 3,481
59.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.9K PEN 64.9K
$18.1K COP 65.2M
4.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.1K PEN 86.1K
$26.3K COP 94.7M
-4.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Arequipa
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$40.21 PEN 138
$81.3 COP 292.8K
-50.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.71 PEN 36.75
$9.63 COP 34.7K
11.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.34 PEN 104
$24.36 COP 87.7K
24.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Arequipa
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.65 PEN 74.3
$26.02 COP 93.7K
-16.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.56 PEN 29.37
$18.92 COP 68.1K
-54.76%
Cinema Ticket
$4.52 PEN 15.52
$3.89 COP 14.0K
16.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Arequipa
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$60.6 PEN 208
$304 COP 1.1M
-80.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,415 PEN 22.0K
$5,902 COP 21.3M
8.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Arequipa
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$36.93 PEN 127
$58.7 COP 211.3K
-37.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.20 PEN 76.1
$32.48 COP 117.0K
-31.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$63.7 PEN 219
$102 COP 366.4K
-37.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$54.7 PEN 188
$108 COP 389.5K
-49.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Arequipa
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$237 PEN 812
$474 COP 1.7M
-50.05%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$156 PEN 536
$371 COP 1.3M
-57.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$542 PEN 1,859
$848 COP 3.1M
-36.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$391 PEN 1,342
$716 COP 2.6M
-45.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,004 PEN 6,874
$2,871 COP 10.3M
-30.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$997 PEN 3,420
$1,375 COP 5.0M
-27.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Arequipa
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$649 PEN 2,226
$542 COP 1.9M
19.82%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: April 13, 2026

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

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