Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartago: $1,281 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Cartago

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,281

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,281 per month in Cartago vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Cartago $1,281
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,972 per month in Cartago vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Cartago $1,972
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $2,663 per month in Cartago vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Cartago $2,663
Medellin $3,190

Cartago is about 21% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cartago sits 5% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.58 COP 24.0K

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-4.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 COP 118.0K

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-19.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-10.84%

Cappuccino

$1.54 COP 4,868

$3.11 COP 9,866

-50.48%

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

$1.28 COP 4,050

$1.83 COP 5,800

-30.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 COP 2,626

$1.38 COP 4,360

-39.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 COP 9,838

$3.05 COP 9,672

1.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 COP 11.6K

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-33.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 COP 5,072

$1.45 COP 4,600

10.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 COP 5,954

$2.36 COP 7,496

-20.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,737

$1.68 COP 5,328

-11.31%

Eggs

$2.93 COP 9,305

$2.86 COP 9,077

2.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.58 COP 20.9K

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-35.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.11 COP 22.5K

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-25.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.93 COP 31.5K

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-29.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 COP 11.3K

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-12.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 COP 4,187

$1.50 COP 4,742

-12.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 COP 5,513

$2.17 COP 6,891

-19.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,168

$2.31 COP 7,310

-29.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 COP 4,508

$1.93 COP 6,113

-26.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,743

$1.64 COP 5,196

-8.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 COP 3,432

$1.13 COP 3,571

-4.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 COP 3,250

$1.25 COP 3,954

-17.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 COP 11.7K

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-7.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.12 COP 41.6K

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-1.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 COP 4,741

$1.70 COP 5,384

-11.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 COP 7,770

$2.37 COP 7,525

3.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 COP 3,234

$1.21 COP 3,827

-15.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 COP 2,516

$1.32 COP 4,179

-40.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 COP 7,207

$2.14 COP 6,774

6.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.40 COP 26.6K

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-0.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 COP 4,198

$1.30 COP 4,114

1.54%

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

$28.0K COP 88.9M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

0.14%

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

$34.6K COP 109.9M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-2.17%

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

$110 COP 348.3K

$172 COP 545.6K

-36.17%

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

$13.23 COP 42.0K

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-1.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.26 COP 95.9K

$28.73 COP 91.1K

5.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.32 COP 134.2K

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-6.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 COP 26.1K

$6.28 COP 19.9K

31.21%

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

$701 COP 2.2M

$770 COP 2.4M

-9.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,430 COP 20.4M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-28.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.8 COP 246.6K

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-10.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 COP 174.8K

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-3.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 COP 401.8K

$137 COP 432.9K

-7.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 COP 350.6K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

12.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 COP 2.0M

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-38.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 COP 1.6M

$616 COP 2.0M

-17.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 COP 3.3M

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-44.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 COP 3.1M

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-5.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,999 COP 6.3M

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-50.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,803 COP 5.7M

$1,678 COP 5.3M

7.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

10.94

5.85%

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

Last update for Cartago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartago

$509 39.7%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 21% $107

Groceries & Markets

Cartago

$241 18.8%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 22.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Cartago

$167 13%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 2.1% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartago

$153 12%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 39.7% $61

Eating Out

Cartago

$136 10.6%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 24.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Cartago

$59 4.6%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 1.7% $1

Getting Around

Cartago

$16 * 1.3%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 475% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $645 in Cartago versus $1,055 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Cartago versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $295 – making Cartago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartago

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:36 6:36 AM

Same time as Cartago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,365

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Cartago Medellin 170 km

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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

Cartago vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,921 per month in Cartago and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cartago, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,281 in Cartago and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 26%.

Kindergarten costs $701 per month in Cartago and $770 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cartago, where all-in costs run around $1,281, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Cartago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cartago – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cartago. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.