Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arviat and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,200 in Arviat, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Arviat
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Arviat Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Arviat

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,200

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,200 in Arviat versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Arviat $2,200
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,190 in Arviat versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Arviat $3,190
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,180 in Arviat versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Arviat $4,180
Medellin $3,199

Living in Arviat is roughly 35% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arviat 62% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.16 CA$24.25

$8.30 COP 26.3K

106.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 CA$91.2

$46.91 COP 148.7K

37.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 CA$14.66

$9.24 COP 29.3K

12.23%

Cappuccino

$3.69 CA$5.22

$3.05 COP 9,676

20.98%

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

$2.02 CA$2.86

$1.80 COP 5,707

12.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$1.38 COP 4,382

13.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.17 CA$7.31

$3.24 COP 10.3K

59.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 CA$8.15

$5.56 COP 17.6K

3.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 CA$2.85

$1.50 COP 4,760

34.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 CA$3.42

$2.37 COP 7,508

2.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 CA$4.64

$1.70 COP 5,377

92.94%

Eggs

$3.34 CA$4.72

$2.96 COP 9,379

12.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 CA$13.57

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-6.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.40 CA$16.12

$9.74 COP 30.9K

17.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.37 CA$20.32

$13.90 COP 44.1K

3.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.16

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-11.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 CA$1.79

$1.53 COP 4,839

-16.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 CA$5.06

$2.22 COP 7,052

61.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.16

$2.27 COP 7,194

60.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 CA$3.53

$1.99 COP 6,311

25.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 CA$3.16

$1.67 COP 5,285

33.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$1.18 COP 3,742

108.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.24 COP 3,919

26.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.23 CA$20.12

$3.87 COP 12.3K

267.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.45 CA$17.60

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-9.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 CA$3.61

$1.66 COP 5,256

53.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 CA$4.21

$2.40 COP 7,615

24.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$1.24 COP 3,944

88.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 CA$88.3

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-20.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 CA$4.17

$1.28 COP 4,044

130.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 CA$2.02

$2.15 COP 6,803

-33.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.51 CA$31.82

$8.37 COP 26.5K

168.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.60

$1.35 COP 4,288

-16.30%

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

$27.4K CA$38.8K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-21.11%

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

$18.7K CA$26.4K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-46.11%

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

$132 CA$186

$167 COP 528.4K

-20.86%

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

$38.55 CA$54.5

$13.62 COP 43.2K

183.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.2 CA$76.6

$29.12 COP 92.3K

86.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.67 CA$56.1

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-12.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.88 CA$25.27

$17.18 COP 54.5K

4.07%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$6.97 COP 22.1K

59.97%

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

$734 CA$1,037

$790 COP 2.5M

-7.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K CA$18.2K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

42.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.8 CA$73.3

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-40.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.19 CA$54.0

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-34.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 CA$118

$139 COP 440.7K

-40.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 CA$143

$98.9 COP 313.5K

2.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 CA$1,783

$1,028 COP 3.3M

22.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,101 CA$1,557

$620 COP 2.0M

77.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,962 CA$2,774

$1,881 COP 6.0M

4.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,692 CA$2,391

$1,008 COP 3.2M

67.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,168 CA$5,892

$3,988 COP 12.6M

4.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,518 CA$4,974

$1,702 COP 5.4M

106.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.66

10.94

-57.40%

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

Last update for Arviat: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arviat

$1.1K 50.1%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 43.8% $482

Groceries & Markets

Arviat

$342 15.6%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 13% $45

Eating Out

Arviat

$264 12%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 35.4% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arviat

$225 10.2%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 6.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Arviat

$124 5.6%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 39.9% $49

Getting Around

Arviat

$82 3.7%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 16.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Arviat

$62 2.8%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 4.8% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,261 in Arviat and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $65.0 in Arviat vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $342 vs $298 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Arviat

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:28 8:28 AM

Same time as Arviat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,800

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Arviat Medellin 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Arviat
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

Arviat vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arviat and Medellin differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($2,200 vs $1,625 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,300 in Arviat and $2,437 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: $1,261 in Arviat versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $734 in Arviat versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Arviat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,625 in Medellin versus $2,200 in Arviat, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Arviat. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Arviat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.