Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calama and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $587 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Calama
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Calama Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Calama

🇨🇱 Chile

$587

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $587 in Calama versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Calama $587
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,195 in Calama versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Calama $1,195
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,802 in Calama versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Calama $1,802
Medellin $3,186

Living in Calama costs roughly 64% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calama is 57% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.93 CLP 6,883

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-14.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.87 CLP 31.7K

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-32.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

Cappuccino

$1.99 CLP 1,976

$3.01 COP 9,722

-33.89%

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

$0.87 CLP 867

$1.80 COP 5,801

-51.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 CLP 859

$1.41 COP 4,554

-38.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 CLP 2,962

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-6.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 CLP 4,875

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-14.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 CLP 1,114

$1.51 COP 4,869

-25.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 CLP 792

$2.38 COP 7,667

-66.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 CLP 2,662

$1.77 COP 5,712

51.41%

Eggs

$4.80 CLP 4,769

$2.89 COP 9,320

66.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 CLP 8,922

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-11.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 CLP 6,091

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-37.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.42 CLP 7,375

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-46.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 CLP 1,179

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-70.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 CLP 1,020

$1.55 COP 5,005

-33.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 CLP 1,477

$2.18 COP 7,039

-31.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 CLP 1,075

$2.18 COP 7,041

-50.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 CLP 890

$1.96 COP 6,328

-54.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 CLP 969

$1.59 COP 5,125

-38.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.19 CLP 5,152

$3.96 COP 12.8K

31.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.15 CLP 4,120

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-69.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 CLP 1,030

$1.66 COP 5,352

-37.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 CLP 1,191

$2.26 COP 7,281

-46.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 CLP 944

$1.17 COP 3,766

-18.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 CLP 1,453

$2.05 COP 6,603

-28.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 CLP 1,415

$1.35 COP 4,343

5.19%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

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

$40.80 CLP 40.5K

$170 COP 547.0K

-75.95%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 CLP 13.1K

$28.07 COP 90.5K

-53.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 CLP 50.4K

$43.70 COP 140.9K

16.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.97 CLP 19.8K

$17.19 COP 55.4K

16.17%

Cinema Ticket

$4.51 CLP 4,484

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-34.73%

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

$305 CLP 303.4K

$797 COP 2.6M

-61.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.75 CLP 34.5K

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-58.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 CLP 27.8K

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-51.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.75 CLP 44.5K

$135 COP 435.2K

-66.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.3 CLP 59.9K

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-38.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 CLP 320.0K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-73.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$103 CLP 102.2K

$642 COP 2.1M

-83.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$795 CLP 790.1K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-60.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 CLP 612.5K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-39.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,406 CLP 1.4M

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-66.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,221 CLP 1.2M

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-36.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,094 CLP 1.1M

$657 COP 2.1M

66.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-54.30%

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

Last update for Calama: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Calama

$173 * 29.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 71.7% $124

Eating Out

Calama

$111 * 18.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 52.8% $59

Accommodation & Living

Calama

$103 17.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 523% $539

Clothing & Footwear

Calama

$76 12.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 124% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Calama

$60 10.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 3.8% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calama

$54 * 9.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 292% $157

Getting Around

Calama

$11 * 1.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 741% $82

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $322 in Calama and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calama pays 66% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Calama vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $297 per month, with Calama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Calama

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:22 3:22 PM

13:22 1:22 PM

2 h behind Calama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,575

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.07 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.02 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 993 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.01 USD). 1 EUR = 1,109 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.02 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Calama Medellin 3,280 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Calama
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

Calama vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calama wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Calama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 66% higher in Calama, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $322 in Calama versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $587 per month in Calama versus $1,639 in Medellin – Calama is about 64% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $587 in Calama versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Calama but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Calama 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.