Cost of Living Comparison Between Cento and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Cento and Medellin

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,752 in Cento versus $1,013 in Medellin.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,714 in Cento versus $1,602 in Medellin.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,676 in Cento versus $2,192 in Medellin.

Living in Cento is roughly 73% more expensive than Medellin, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cento is 31% above, Medellin is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.74 €17.86

$5.99 COP 21.3K

246.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.6 €70.3

$32.86 COP 116.9K

148.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 €9.49

$7.09 COP 25.2K

55.57%

Cappuccino

$2.09 €1.80

$1.71 COP 6,093

22.22%

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

$2.76 €2.38

$1.10 COP 3,910

150.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.22

$0.78 COP 2,771

82.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.86 €5.04

$1.68 COP 5,976

248.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 €4.90

$3.07 COP 10.9K

85.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.37

$1.09 COP 3,892

45.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 €2.19

$1.26 COP 4,492

102.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 €2.40

$1.38 COP 4,905

101.45%

Eggs

$4.40 €3.78

$2.19 COP 7,799

100.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.21 €18.26

$4.40 COP 15.7K

382.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.37 €11.51

$5.63 COP 20.0K

137.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.65 €15.20

$8.89 COP 31.6K

98.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 €2.01

$2.34 COP 8,319

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.84

$1.06 COP 3,764

101.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 €1.74

$1.50 COP 5,355

34.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 €2.60

$1.38 COP 4,906

118.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 €1.40

$1.15 COP 4,097

41.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 €1.22

$1.16 COP 4,141

22.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.48

$0.89 COP 3,170

93.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.46

$0.84 COP 2,986

-35.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.00 €6.03

$2.28 COP 8,116

207.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.30 €7.14

$10.64 COP 37.9K

-21.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.44

$1.20 COP 4,268

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.63

$2.47 COP 8,793

-23.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 €1.52

$0.86 COP 3,045

104.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.14 €37.14

$41.40 COP 147.3K

4.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.88 €5.06

$1.47 COP 5,245

300.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 €1.26

$1.96 COP 6,984

-25.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.81 €24.81

$7.74 COP 27.5K

272.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.74

$0.95 COP 3,397

112.63%

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

$26.0K €22.4K

$18.1K COP 64.5M

43.59%

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

$34.4K €29.6K

$26.5K COP 94.2M

29.87%

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

$183 €157

$82.3 COP 292.7K

122.25%

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

$11.55 €9.95

$9.50 COP 33.8K

21.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.69 €26.42

$24.23 COP 86.2K

26.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 €46.70

$25.89 COP 92.1K

109.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.77 €19.60

$19.00 COP 67.6K

19.84%

Cinema Ticket

$10.93 €9.41

$3.93 COP 14.0K

178.12%

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

$654 €563

$309 COP 1.1M

111.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,089 €6,964

$5,965 COP 21.2M

35.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 €78.2

$58.7 COP 208.7K

54.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.63 €37.56

$32.35 COP 115.1K

34.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 €85.1

$103 COP 365.1K

-3.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 €146

$108 COP 385.8K

56.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$764 €657

$476 COP 1.7M

60.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 €490

$379 COP 1.3M

50.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 €1,033

$838 COP 3.0M

43.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$910 €784

$724 COP 2.6M

25.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,807 €2,416

$2,791 COP 9.9M

0.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,891 €1,628

$1,211 COP 4.3M

56.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,849 €1,592

$512 COP 1.8M

261.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

13.43

-68.95%

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

Last update for Cento: May 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $764 in Cento and $476 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cento pays 261% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $82.0 in Cento vs $33.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $188 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

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

Cento vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 73% lower than in Cento. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Cento pays 261% more on average, 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: $764 in Cento versus $476 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 4% less than in Cento. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $654 in Cento versus $309 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,013 in Medellin versus $1,752 in Cento, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Cento. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,013 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Cento. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.