Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arrest and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,800 in Arrest, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Arrest
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Arrest Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Arrest

🇫🇷 France

$1,800

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,800 in Arrest versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Arrest $1,800
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,757 in Arrest versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Arrest $2,757
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,713 in Arrest versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Arrest $3,713
Medellin $3,186

Living in Arrest is roughly 10% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arrest 32% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 €15.11

$8.09 COP 25.4K

107.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 €50.5

$47.05 COP 148.0K

19.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.24 €11.90

$9.50 COP 29.9K

39.37%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.01 COP 9,485

-1.33%

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

$3.05 €2.74

$1.80 COP 5,660

69.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.87

$1.41 COP 4,443

47.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.52 €7.66

$3.18 COP 9,990

167.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 €5.00

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-3.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.51 COP 4,751

-13.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.52

$2.38 COP 7,480

-28.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 €2.24

$1.77 COP 5,573

40.68%

Eggs

$3.92 €3.52

$2.89 COP 9,093

35.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 €9.05

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-1.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.03 €10.80

$9.87 COP 31.1K

21.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.92 €14.30

$13.99 COP 44.0K

13.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-24.69%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 €2.72

$1.55 COP 4,883

95.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.18 COP 6,867

-33.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 €3.78

$2.18 COP 6,870

92.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.65

$1.96 COP 6,174

-6.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.87

$1.59 COP 5,000

30.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 €1.46

$1.15 COP 3,604

40.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.16 €0.14

$1.24 COP 3,911

-87.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.64 €11.35

$3.96 COP 12.5K

219.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 €4.99

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-59.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.66 COP 5,221

-13.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.43

$2.26 COP 7,103

-29.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.74

$1.17 COP 3,674

65.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.4 €45.31

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-34.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 €2.04

$1.27 COP 3,989

78.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.03

$2.05 COP 6,442

-44.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.61 €29.30

$8.55 COP 26.9K

281.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.95

$1.35 COP 4,237

60.74%

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

$34.9K €31.3K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

2.42%

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

$35.8K €32.2K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

3.33%

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

$200 €180

$170 COP 533.7K

17.90%

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

$32.60 €29.28

$13.55 COP 42.6K

140.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.74 €28.51

$28.07 COP 88.3K

13.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.19 €36.10

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-8.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$15.48 €13.91

$6.91 COP 21.7K

124.02%

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

$889 €799

$797 COP 2.5M

11.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K €9,481

$9,112 COP 28.7M

15.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$129 €116

$84.7 COP 266.5K

52.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.35 €41.63

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-20.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 €88.8

$135 COP 424.6K

-26.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 €142

$97.9 COP 307.9K

61.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 €741

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-31.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 €563

$642 COP 2.0M

-2.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 €1,380

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-24.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 €1,042

$1,012 COP 3.2M

14.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,727 €3,348

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-10.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,368 €3,026

$1,910 COP 6.0M

76.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

10.94

-64.35%

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

Last update for Arrest: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arrest

$626 34.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 2.4% $15

Groceries & Markets

Arrest

$293 16.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 1.3% $3.9

Eating Out

Arrest

$284 15.8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 40.3% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arrest

$264 14.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 20.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Arrest

$195 10.8%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 13.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Arrest

$71 4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 19.1% $14

Getting Around

Arrest

$66 3.7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 41.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $825 in Arrest and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56 in Arrest vs $47 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 vs $297, with Arrest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Arrest

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:07 11:07 PM

17:07 5:07 PM

6 h behind Arrest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

900

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arrest Medellin 8,560 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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Arrest
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

Arrest vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is about 9% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,700 in Arrest and $2,459 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: $825 in Arrest versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $889 in Arrest versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $56 in Arrest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.