Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago and Medellin

šŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Cartago is 26.4% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 21.7% cheaper with rent.
šŸ™‚ Family of 3: Cartago is 7.7% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 24.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Cartago
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.70 COPĀ 13.9K
$6.03 COPĀ 22.7K
-38.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.90 COPĀ 108.8K
$33.17 COPĀ 124.8K
-12.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.42 COPĀ 27.9K
$7.29 COPĀ 27.4K
1.78%
Cappuccino
$1.55 COPĀ 5,843
$1.63 COPĀ 6,134
-4.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 COPĀ 3,291
$1.05 COPĀ 3,948
-17.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.55 COPĀ 2,087
$0.77 COPĀ 2,899
-28.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.04 COPĀ 3,927
$1.73 COPĀ 6,511
-39.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 COPĀ 9,295
$3.18 COPĀ 12.0K
-22.33%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Cartago
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.23 COPĀ 4,617
$1.07 COPĀ 4,016
14.95%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 COPĀ 5,500
$1.31 COPĀ 4,935
11.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.21 COPĀ 4,553
$1.38 COPĀ 5,196
-12.32%
Eggs
$2.48 COPĀ 9,330
$2.25 COPĀ 8,458
10.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.19 COPĀ 15.8K
$4.48 COPĀ 16.9K
-6.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.45 COPĀ 20.5K
$5.74 COPĀ 21.6K
-5.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.41 COPĀ 27.9K
$8.86 COPĀ 33.4K
-16.37%
Apples (1kg)
$2.40 COPĀ 9,026
$2.24 COPĀ 8,440
7.14%
Banana (1kg)
$0.98 COPĀ 3,700
$1.06 COPĀ 3,989
-7.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.20 COPĀ 4,520
$1.51 COPĀ 5,698
-20.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.27 COPĀ 4,777
$1.36 COPĀ 5,120
-6.62%
Potato (1kg)
$0.83 COPĀ 3,110
$1.12 COPĀ 4,219
-25.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.11 COPĀ 4,160
$1.17 COPĀ 4,401
-5.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.76 COPĀ 2,853
$0.90 COPĀ 3,396
-15.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.65 COPĀ 2,463
$0.84 COPĀ 3,150
-22.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.89 COPĀ 10.9K
$2.26 COPĀ 8,502
27.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.83 COPĀ 40.8K
$9.97 COPĀ 37.5K
8.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 COPĀ 4,186
$1.18 COPĀ 4,452
-5.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 COPĀ 6,966
$2.39 COPĀ 8,995
-22.59%
šŸšŒ Getting Around
Cartago
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.69 COPĀ 2,590
$0.86 COPĀ 3,234
-19.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$41.45 COPĀ 156.0K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.54 COPĀ 5,781
$1.47 COPĀ 5,522
4.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.96 COPĀ 7,366
$1.95 COPĀ 7,324
0.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.96 COPĀ 37.5K
$7.76 COPĀ 29.2K
28.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.95 COPĀ 3,571
$0.97 COPĀ 3,641
-2.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.7K COPĀ 81.8M
$17.9K COPĀ 67.6M
21.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.7K COPĀ 111.9M
$26.7K COPĀ 100.6M
11.27%
šŸ§¾ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cartago
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.0 COPĀ 312.5K
$81.1 COPĀ 305.2K
2.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.88 COPĀ 33.4K
$9.40 COPĀ 35.4K
-5.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.19 COPĀ 91.1K
$23.61 COPĀ 88.8K
2.46%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Cartago
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$23.62 COPĀ 88.9K
$25.55 COPĀ 96.1K
-7.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.29 COPĀ 72.6K
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.94 COPĀ 18.6K
$4.10 COPĀ 15.4K
20.49%
šŸ§ø Childcare & Education
Cartago
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$228 COPĀ 859.0K
$306 COPĀ 1.2M
-25.44%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,962 COPĀ 22.4M
$5,899 COPĀ 22.2M
1.07%
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Cartago
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.8 COPĀ 240.0K
$59.8 COPĀ 225.1K
6.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.68 COPĀ 168.2K
$31.96 COPĀ 120.3K
39.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.4 COPĀ 287.5K
$103 COPĀ 386.5K
-25.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.0 COPĀ 342.4K
$108 COPĀ 406.0K
-15.66%
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Cartago
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$288 COPĀ 1.1M
$483 COPĀ 1.8M
-40.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$243 COPĀ 914.0K
$377 COPĀ 1.4M
-35.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$537 COPĀ 2.0M
$822 COPĀ 3.1M
-34.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$426 COPĀ 1.6M
$721 COPĀ 2.7M
-40.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,495 COPĀ 5.6M
$2,784 COPĀ 10.5M
-46.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,363 COPĀ 5.1M
$1,320 COPĀ 5.0M
3.27%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Cartago
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$310 COPĀ 1.2M
$538 COPĀ 2.0M
-42.43%
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 Cartago: March 3, 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

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter ā€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.
Cost of Living Index Most Popular Cities Affordable Cities by Size