Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caguas and Medellin

For one person, living costs are similar in Caguas and in Medellin: $1,621 and $1,614 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Caguas
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Caguas Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Caguas

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,621

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Caguas vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Caguas $1,621
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,580 per month in Caguas vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Caguas $2,580
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $3,539 per month in Caguas vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Caguas $3,539
Medellin $3,190

Caguas and Medellin have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Caguas and Medellin sit above the global median – Caguas by 20%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.74 $14.74

$7.93 COP 25.2K

85.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.9 $82.9

$46.13 COP 146.3K

79.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.99 $8.99

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-5.37%

Cappuccino

$2.28 $2.28

$3.11 COP 9,866

-26.69%

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

$1.12 $1.12

$1.83 COP 5,800

-38.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.38 COP 4,360

-10.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 $1.52

$3.05 COP 9,672

-50.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 $4.12

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-25.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.45 COP 4,600

48.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.36 COP 7,496

18.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.68 COP 5,328

37.50%

Eggs

$4.97 $4.97

$2.86 COP 9,077

73.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.90 $6.90

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-32.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.13 $9.13

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-4.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 $11.99

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-14.60%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$4.07 COP 12.9K

26.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.50 COP 4,742

74.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.17 COP 6,891

10.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$2.31 COP 7,310

96.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.93 COP 6,113

33.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.64 COP 5,196

65.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.13 COP 3,571

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.25 COP 3,954

28.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.64 $10.64

$3.99 COP 12.6K

166.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.03 $14.03

$13.35 COP 42.3K

5.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.70 COP 5,384

-14.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.37 COP 7,525

-8.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.21 COP 3,827

63.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.3 $70.3

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-8.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.32 COP 4,179

84.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.14 COP 6,774

-28.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.73 $42.73

$8.47 COP 26.8K

404.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.30 COP 4,114

-31.54%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

9.13%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-27.19%

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

$185 $185

$172 COP 545.6K

7.61%

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

$59.9 $59.9

$13.37 COP 42.4K

347.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.2 $56.2

$28.73 COP 91.1K

95.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.28 $35.28

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-22.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.9 $50.9

$17.04 COP 54.0K

198.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 $9.83

$6.28 COP 19.9K

56.53%

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

$300 $300

$770 COP 2.4M

-61.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K $12.3K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

36.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.14 $26.14

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-69.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.43 $35.43

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-37.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 $81.1

$137 COP 432.9K

-40.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$97.9 COP 310.4K

17.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$752 $752

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-28.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$528 $528

$616 COP 2.0M

-14.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,080 $1,080

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-42.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 $977

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-4.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,422 $2,422

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-40.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$849 $849

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-49.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,041 $3,041

$652 COP 2.1M

366.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.85

10.94

-55.67%

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

Last update for Caguas: 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

Caguas

$528 32.6%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 16.7% $88

Groceries & Markets

Caguas

$336 20.7%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 12.2% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caguas

$301 18.6%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 28.9% $87

Eating Out

Caguas

$198 12.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 14.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Caguas

$116 7.2%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 46.7% $54

Getting Around

Caguas

$88 5.5%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 5.7% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Caguas

$55 3.4%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 5.2% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $752 in Caguas versus $1,055 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 366% higher in Caguas. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Caguas versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Caguas

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

15:00 3:00 PM

1 h behind Caguas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,318

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Caguas Medellin 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Caguas
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

Caguas vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Caguas and $2,421 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 $83.0 in Caguas and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 9% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Caguas at $1,621. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Caguas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,614 versus $1,621 in Caguas. 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, Caguas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.