Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ariel and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,629 in Ariel, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in Ariel
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Ariel Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Ariel

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,629

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,629 in Ariel versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Ariel $2,629
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,767 in Ariel versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Ariel $3,767
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,905 in Ariel versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Ariel $4,905
Medellin $3,190

Living in Ariel is roughly 63% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ariel 95% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.11 ₪71.9

$7.93 COP 25.2K

191.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.1 ₪199

$46.13 COP 146.3K

38.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$24.50 ₪76.2

$9.50 COP 30.1K

157.89%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₪13.82

$3.11 COP 9,866

42.77%

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

$2.98 ₪9.28

$1.83 COP 5,800

62.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₪3.97

$1.38 COP 4,360

-7.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.22 ₪34.90

$3.05 COP 9,672

267.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 ₪30.68

$5.50 COP 17.4K

79.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ₪7.05

$1.45 COP 4,600

55.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 ₪7.58

$2.36 COP 7,496

3.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 ₪7.14

$1.68 COP 5,328

36.90%

Eggs

$5.44 ₪16.91

$2.86 COP 9,077

90.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.98 ₪68.4

$10.19 COP 32.3K

115.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.89 ₪40.09

$9.53 COP 30.2K

35.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.49 ₪88.6

$14.04 COP 44.5K

102.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.29 ₪13.35

$4.07 COP 12.9K

5.41%

Banana (1kg)

$3.90 ₪12.14

$1.50 COP 4,742

160.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₪7.24

$2.17 COP 6,891

7.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 ₪12.73

$2.31 COP 7,310

77.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 ₪5.46

$1.93 COP 6,113

-8.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ₪4.43

$1.64 COP 5,196

-13.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.50 ₪10.88

$1.13 COP 3,571

209.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₪3.05

$1.25 COP 3,954

-21.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.25 ₪44.33

$3.99 COP 12.6K

257.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.11 ₪34.56

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-16.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 ₪8.52

$1.70 COP 5,384

61.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₪7.94

$2.37 COP 7,525

7.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 ₪7.83

$1.21 COP 3,827

108.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 ₪327

$76.5 COP 242.5K

37.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 ₪7.90

$1.32 COP 4,179

92.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 ₪3.96

$2.14 COP 6,774

-40.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.24 ₪125

$8.47 COP 26.8K

375.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.64 ₪8.20

$1.30 COP 4,114

103.08%

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

$56.6K ₪175.9K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

102.05%

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

$57.6K ₪179.1K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

62.55%

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

$264 ₪822

$172 COP 545.6K

53.49%

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

$11.29 ₪35.14

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-15.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.50 ₪142

$28.73 COP 91.1K

58.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₪232

$45.24 COP 143.5K

65.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ₪39.97

$6.28 COP 19.9K

104.62%

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

$1,146 ₪3,564

$770 COP 2.4M

48.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₪74.9K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

167.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.44 ₪116

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-56.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.93 ₪127

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-28.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.1 ₪305

$137 COP 432.9K

-28.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 ₪361

$97.9 COP 310.4K

18.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 ₪4,538

$1,055 COP 3.3M

38.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 ₪3,434

$616 COP 2.0M

79.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,575 ₪8,011

$1,892 COP 6.0M

36.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,660 ₪5,163

$1,023 COP 3.2M

62.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,307 ₪29.0K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

129.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,551 ₪26.6K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

409.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.05

10.94

-53.84%

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

Last update for Ariel: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ariel

$1.1K 42%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 44.2% $488

Groceries & Markets

Ariel

$443 16.9%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 33.5% $149

Eating Out

Ariel

$404 15.4%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 58.4% $236

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ariel

$321 12.2%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 33.3% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Ariel

$132 5%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 29.2% $38

Getting Around

Ariel

$124 4.7%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 24.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Ariel

$100 3.8%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 42.4% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,459 in Ariel and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $64.0 in Ariel vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $443 vs $295 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Ariel

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:58 6:58 AM

22:58 10:58 PM

8 h behind Ariel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,540

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.285 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to ILS – Israeli New Shekel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇱 Israeli New Shekel (₪)

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.285 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,570 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to ILS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ariel Medellin 11,560 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Ariel
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

Ariel vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 63% lower than in Ariel. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,943 in Ariel and $2,421 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,459 in Ariel versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,629 per month in Ariel versus $1,614 in Medellin – a 63% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 38% less than in Ariel. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $2,629 in Ariel, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Ariel. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,614 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ariel 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 Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Ariel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.