Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge, Canada and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,527 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Cambridge

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,527

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,527 in Cambridge versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Cambridge $2,527
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,443 in Cambridge versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Cambridge $3,443
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,359 in Cambridge versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Cambridge $4,359
Medellin $3,186

Living in Cambridge is roughly 54% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cambridge 86% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.69 CA$24.82

$8.09 COP 25.4K

118.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.7 CA$79.6

$47.05 COP 148.0K

20.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 CA$14.81

$9.50 COP 29.9K

11.05%

Cappuccino

$3.56 CA$5.00

$3.01 COP 9,485

18.27%

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

$1.99 CA$2.79

$1.80 COP 5,660

10.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 CA$1.72

$1.41 COP 4,443

-13.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.19 CA$7.29

$3.18 COP 9,990

63.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 CA$8.78

$5.75 COP 18.1K

8.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 CA$2.80

$1.51 COP 4,751

31.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 CA$3.38

$2.38 COP 7,480

1.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.48

$1.77 COP 5,573

80.23%

Eggs

$3.32 CA$4.66

$2.89 COP 9,093

14.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.77

$10.19 COP 32.1K

10.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.38 CA$15.97

$9.87 COP 31.1K

15.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.43 CA$20.25

$13.99 COP 44.0K

3.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 CA$5.70

$3.97 COP 12.5K

2.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.86

$1.55 COP 4,883

-14.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.05 CA$5.68

$2.18 COP 6,867

85.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.25

$2.18 COP 6,870

71.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 CA$3.87

$1.96 COP 6,174

40.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CA$2.72

$1.59 COP 5,000

22.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 CA$2.81

$1.15 COP 3,604

73.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CA$1.82

$1.24 COP 3,911

4.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.93 CA$18.15

$3.96 COP 12.5K

226.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.40 CA$17.41

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-9.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.69

$1.66 COP 5,221

58.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 CA$5.67

$2.26 COP 7,103

78.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.80 CA$3.93

$1.17 COP 3,674

139.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.4 CA$97.5

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-10.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 CA$3.59

$1.27 COP 3,989

101.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 CA$2.52

$2.05 COP 6,442

-12.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.32 CA$32.73

$8.55 COP 26.9K

172.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.71

$1.35 COP 4,237

-9.63%

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

$26.5K CA$37.2K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-22.21%

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

$20.7K CA$29.0K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-40.35%

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

$152 CA$214

$170 COP 533.7K

-10.19%

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

$42.51 CA$59.7

$13.55 COP 42.6K

213.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 CA$70.9

$28.07 COP 88.3K

79.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.64 CA$40.20

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-34.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$10.74 CA$15.07

$6.91 COP 21.7K

55.43%

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

$497 CA$698

$797 COP 2.5M

-37.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K CA$22.2K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

73.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.5 CA$89.1

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-25.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.07 CA$46.41

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-42.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.3 CA$115

$135 COP 424.6K

-39.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$148

$97.9 COP 307.9K

7.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,529 CA$2,146

$1,208 COP 3.8M

26.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,395 CA$1,957

$642 COP 2.0M

117.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 CA$2,887

$2,028 COP 6.4M

1.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 CA$2,625

$1,012 COP 3.2M

84.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,450 CA$6,245

$4,170 COP 13.1M

6.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,682 CA$5,168

$1,910 COP 6.0M

92.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,028 CA$4,250

$657 COP 2.1M

360.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.22

10.94

-52.29%

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

Last update for Cambridge: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge

$1.4K 55.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 54% $753

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge

$349 13.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 14.9% $52

Eating Out

Cambridge

$267 10.6%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 36.5% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge

$245 9.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 13.9% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge

$128 5.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 32% $41

Getting Around

Cambridge

$92 3.7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 1.5% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge

$50 2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 14.8% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,529 in Cambridge and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $57 in Cambridge vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Cambridge

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

17:20 5:20 PM

16:20 4:20 PM

1 h behind Cambridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,479

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cambridge Medellin 4,150 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge
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

Cambridge vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is about 35% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Cambridge is about 4.6 times higher, 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: $1,529 in Cambridge versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Cambridge. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $57 in Cambridge. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,527 in Cambridge, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Cambridge. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Cambridge on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.