Cost of Living Comparison Between Cali and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Cali and Medellin

šŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Cali is 15.4% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 25.2% cheaper with rent.
šŸ™‚ Family of 3: Cali is 12.1% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 21.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Cali
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.59 COPĀ 13.5K
$6.03 COPĀ 22.7K
-40.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.51 COPĀ 111.1K
$33.17 COPĀ 124.8K
-11.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.46 COPĀ 28.1K
$7.29 COPĀ 27.4K
2.33%
Cappuccino
$1.63 COPĀ 6,132
$1.63 COPĀ 6,133
-
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.95 COPĀ 3,584
$1.05 COPĀ 3,947
-9.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 COPĀ 2,122
$0.77 COPĀ 2,899
-27.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.05 COPĀ 3,958
$1.73 COPĀ 6,510
-39.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 COPĀ 9,419
$3.18 COPĀ 12.0K
-21.38%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Cali
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.22 COPĀ 4,572
$1.07 COPĀ 4,015
14.02%
White Bread (500g)
$1.51 COPĀ 5,692
$1.31 COPĀ 4,935
15.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.20 COPĀ 4,521
$1.38 COPĀ 5,195
-13.04%
Eggs
$2.54 COPĀ 9,540
$2.25 COPĀ 8,457
12.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.17 COPĀ 15.7K
$4.48 COPĀ 16.9K
-6.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.36 COPĀ 20.2K
$5.74 COPĀ 21.6K
-6.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.59 COPĀ 28.6K
$8.86 COPĀ 33.3K
-14.33%
Apples (1kg)
$2.40 COPĀ 9,050
$2.24 COPĀ 8,438
7.14%
Banana (1kg)
$0.90 COPĀ 3,392
$1.06 COPĀ 3,988
-15.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.14 COPĀ 4,276
$1.51 COPĀ 5,697
-24.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.26 COPĀ 4,756
$1.36 COPĀ 5,119
-7.35%
Potato (1kg)
$0.87 COPĀ 3,263
$1.12 COPĀ 4,218
-22.32%
Onion (1kg)
$1.06 COPĀ 4,004
$1.17 COPĀ 4,400
-9.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.76 COPĀ 2,863
$0.90 COPĀ 3,395
-15.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.65 COPĀ 2,462
$0.84 COPĀ 3,150
-22.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.82 COPĀ 10.6K
$2.26 COPĀ 8,501
24.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.21 COPĀ 42.2K
$9.97 COPĀ 37.5K
12.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 COPĀ 4,158
$1.18 COPĀ 4,451
-5.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 COPĀ 7,223
$2.39 COPĀ 8,993
-19.67%
šŸšŒ Getting Around
Cali
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.68 COPĀ 2,555
$0.86 COPĀ 3,233
-20.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.33 COPĀ 76.5K
$41.45 COPĀ 156.0K
-50.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.61 COPĀ 6,051
$1.47 COPĀ 5,521
9.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.95 COPĀ 7,327
$1.95 COPĀ 7,323
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.76 COPĀ 36.7K
$7.76 COPĀ 29.2K
25.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.95 COPĀ 3,573
$0.97 COPĀ 3,640
-2.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K COPĀ 82.2M
$17.9K COPĀ 67.5M
21.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.7K COPĀ 111.9M
$26.7K COPĀ 100.6M
11.25%
šŸ§¾ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cali
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.8 COPĀ 311.6K
$81.1 COPĀ 305.2K
2.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.79 COPĀ 33.1K
$9.40 COPĀ 35.4K
-6.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.10 COPĀ 90.7K
$23.61 COPĀ 88.8K
2.08%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Cali
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$20.12 COPĀ 75.7K
$25.55 COPĀ 96.1K
-21.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.36 COPĀ 54.0K
$19.29 COPĀ 72.6K
-25.56%
Cinema Ticket
$4.96 COPĀ 18.7K
$4.10 COPĀ 15.4K
20.98%
šŸ§ø Childcare & Education
Cali
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$228 COPĀ 857.7K
$306 COPĀ 1.2M
-25.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,953 COPĀ 22.4M
$5,899 COPĀ 22.2M
0.91%
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Cali
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.9 COPĀ 236.8K
$59.8 COPĀ 225.1K
5.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.78 COPĀ 164.7K
$31.96 COPĀ 120.3K
36.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.0 COPĀ 289.8K
$103 COPĀ 386.5K
-25.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.0 COPĀ 334.8K
$108 COPĀ 405.9K
-17.52%
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Cali
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$242 COPĀ 909.1K
$483 COPĀ 1.8M
-50.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$185 COPĀ 697.4K
$377 COPĀ 1.4M
-50.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$624 COPĀ 2.3M
$822 COPĀ 3.1M
-24.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$407 COPĀ 1.5M
$721 COPĀ 2.7M
-43.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,085 COPĀ 4.1M
$2,784 COPĀ 10.5M
-61.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$854 COPĀ 3.2M
$1,320 COPĀ 5.0M
-35.32%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Cali
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$489 COPĀ 1.8M
$538 COPĀ 2.0M
-9.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.58
13.43
-13.78%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input ā€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cali: March 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)
The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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