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

🙂 Solo nomad: Cartago is 3.6% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 18.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Cartago is 17% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 21% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cartago
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.53 COP 12.7K
$6.14 COP 22.1K
-42.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.53 COP 102.7K
$33.05 COP 119.0K
-13.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.22 COP 26.0K
$7.32 COP 26.4K
-1.37%
Cappuccino
$1.56 COP 5,611
$1.66 COP 5,971
-6.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 COP 3,181
$1.10 COP 3,977
-20.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 COP 2,129
$0.78 COP 2,815
-24.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.01 COP 3,644
$1.71 COP 6,172
-40.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.51 COP 9,027
$3.17 COP 11.4K
-20.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cartago
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.23 COP 4,425
$1.11 COP 4,002
10.81%
White Bread (500g)
$1.49 COP 5,354
$1.31 COP 4,707
13.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.25 COP 4,515
$1.38 COP 4,967
-9.42%
Eggs
$2.55 COP 9,178
$2.22 COP 7,989
14.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.12 COP 14.8K
$4.34 COP 15.6K
-5.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.54 COP 20.0K
$5.80 COP 20.9K
-4.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.76 COP 28.0K
$8.98 COP 32.3K
-13.59%
Apples (1kg)
$2.45 COP 8,823
$2.26 COP 8,143
8.41%
Banana (1kg)
$0.91 COP 3,281
$1.11 COP 4,013
-18.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.15 COP 4,129
$1.46 COP 5,271
-21.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.27 COP 4,561
$1.37 COP 4,916
-7.30%
Potato (1kg)
$0.82 COP 2,969
$1.11 COP 3,999
-26.13%
Onion (1kg)
$1.09 COP 3,941
$1.16 COP 4,188
-6.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 COP 2,565
$0.89 COP 3,202
-20.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.70 COP 2,526
$0.87 COP 3,116
-19.54%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.81 COP 10.1K
$2.35 COP 8,473
19.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.44 COP 41.2K
$10.86 COP 39.1K
5.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 COP 3,983
$1.20 COP 4,319
-7.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.86 COP 6,691
$2.48 COP 8,923
-25.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Cartago
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.67 COP 2,422
$0.79 COP 2,835
-15.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.46 COP 109.7K
$40.77 COP 146.8K
-25.29%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.58 COP 5,691
$1.42 COP 5,124
11.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.89 COP 6,795
$1.91 COP 6,882
-1.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.67 COP 34.8K
$7.65 COP 27.5K
26.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.01 COP 3,621
$0.97 COP 3,481
4.12%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K COP 78.4M
$18.1K COP 65.2M
20.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.4K COP 109.6M
$26.3K COP 94.7M
15.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cartago
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$80.3 COP 289.1K
$81.3 COP 292.8K
-1.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.63 COP 31.1K
$9.63 COP 34.7K
-10.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.99 COP 86.4K
$24.36 COP 87.7K
-1.52%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cartago
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$23.53 COP 84.7K
$26.02 COP 93.7K
-9.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.92 COP 68.1K
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.87 COP 17.5K
$3.89 COP 14.0K
25.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cartago
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$227 COP 815.8K
$304 COP 1.1M
-25.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,053 COP 21.8M
$5,902 COP 21.3M
2.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cartago
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.6 COP 229.0K
$58.7 COP 211.3K
8.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.78 COP 157.6K
$32.48 COP 116.9K
34.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.3 COP 282.0K
$102 COP 366.3K
-23.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.5 COP 322.1K
$108 COP 389.4K
-17.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cartago
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$284 COP 1.0M
$474 COP 1.7M
-40.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$235 COP 847.0K
$371 COP 1.3M
-36.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$539 COP 1.9M
$848 COP 3.1M
-36.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$426 COP 1.5M
$716 COP 2.6M
-40.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,465 COP 5.3M
$2,871 COP 10.3M
-48.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,436 COP 5.2M
$1,375 COP 5.0M
4.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cartago
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$312 COP 1.1M
$542 COP 1.9M
-42.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.58
13.43
-13.78%

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

Last update for Cartago: April 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: April 13, 2026

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

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