Cost of Living Comparison Between Arun and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Arun and Medellin

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $2,253 per month in Arun vs $1,018 in Medellin, rent included.

A couple spends around $3,362 per month in Arun vs $1,609 in Medellin, rent included.

A family of three spends $4,470 per month in Arun vs $2,200 in Medellin, rent included.

Arun costs about 121% more than Medellin, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Arun sits 69% above the global median, while Medellin is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.27 £14.40

$5.93 COP 19.1K

224.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 £82.1

$33.12 COP 106.4K

231.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.06

$7.12 COP 22.9K

51.40%

Cappuccino

$2.79 £2.09

$1.71 COP 5,480

63.16%

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

$2.75 £2.06

$1.05 COP 3,370

161.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.34

$0.72 COP 2,321

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 £2.06

$1.72 COP 5,524

59.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 £2.48

$3.17 COP 10.2K

4.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 £1.33

$1.06 COP 3,422

67.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 £1.63

$1.31 COP 4,209

66.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 £1.85

$1.33 COP 4,273

85.71%

Eggs

$5.03 £3.76

$2.28 COP 7,328

120.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.85 £3.63

$4.42 COP 14.2K

9.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.00 £6.73

$5.92 COP 19.0K

52.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.82 £11.08

$8.64 COP 27.8K

71.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 £1.55

$2.34 COP 7,535

-11.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.10 COP 3,541

37.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$1.47 COP 4,718

111.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 £2.73

$1.38 COP 4,433

165.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 £1.03

$1.17 COP 3,769

17.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 £0.80

$1.17 COP 3,760

-8.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 £0.63

$0.90 COP 2,902

-6.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 £0.79

$0.84 COP 2,704

26.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.03 £13.47

$2.33 COP 7,480

673.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 £10.07

$11.92 COP 38.3K

13.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 £1.51

$1.15 COP 3,688

75.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 £2.93

$2.42 COP 7,780

61.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.55 £3.40

$0.84 COP 2,698

441.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.8 £65.6

$40.83 COP 131.2K

115.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.17

$1.41 COP 4,535

295.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.91 COP 6,152

-12.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.91 £30.57

$7.83 COP 25.1K

422.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 £1.40

$0.94 COP 3,033

98.94%

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

$38.1K £28.5K

$17.8K COP 57.3M

113.91%

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

$40.0K £29.9K

$27.1K COP 87.0M

47.59%

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

$317 £237

$83.3 COP 267.5K

280.24%

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

$19.82 £14.82

$9.66 COP 31.0K

105.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.12 £32.23

$24.22 COP 77.8K

78.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 £40.21

$25.22 COP 81.1K

113.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.33 COP 62.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.18 £4.62

$4.07 COP 13.1K

51.84%

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

$2,468 £1,845

$307 COP 985.2K

705.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.8K £21.5K

$5,981 COP 19.2M

381.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.31 £25.65

$60.0 COP 192.6K

-42.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.41 £28.71

$32.65 COP 104.9K

17.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £96.0

$101 COP 324.8K

27.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.4 £50.4

$108 COP 347.2K

-37.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,165 £871

$476 COP 1.5M

144.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$998 £746

$379 COP 1.2M

163.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,032 £1,519

$816 COP 2.6M

148.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 £1,253

$707 COP 2.3M

137.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,865 £3,636

$3,190 COP 10.2M

52.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,446 COP 4.6M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,444 £2,574

$622 COP 2.0M

453.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.05

13.43

-62.40%

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

Last update for Arun: July 20, 2026

Last update for Medellin: July 20, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,165 in Arun versus $476 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 454% higher in Arun, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $110 in Arun versus $33.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $291 vs $192 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

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

Arun vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arun costs about 121% more than Medellin, with the gap driven mainly by Eating Out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,380 per month in Arun and $1,527 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $110 in Arun and $33.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,253 in Arun and $1,018 in Medellin. The difference isn't just one category – it shows up across housing, food, transport, and services.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,018, than in Arun at $2,253. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arun it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,018 versus $2,253 in Arun. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arun makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.