Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cerro de Pasco and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco: $547 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Cerro de Pasco
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Cerro de Pasco Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Cerro de Pasco

🇵🇪 Peru

$547

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $547 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Cerro de Pasco $547
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $883 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Cerro de Pasco $883
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,218 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Cerro de Pasco $1,218
Medellin $3,186

Cerro de Pasco is about 67% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cerro de Pasco sits 60% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.84 PEN 9.80

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-64.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.57 PEN 102

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-37.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 PEN 24.27

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-25.89%

Cappuccino

$1.99 PEN 6.86

$3.01 COP 9,485

-33.89%

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

$0.71 PEN 2.44

$1.80 COP 5,660

-60.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 PEN 1.57

$1.41 COP 4,443

-68.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 PEN 9.23

$3.18 COP 9,990

-15.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 PEN 15.09

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-23.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 PEN 5.08

$1.51 COP 4,751

-2.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 PEN 8.07

$2.38 COP 7,480

-1.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 PEN 4.34

$1.77 COP 5,573

-28.81%

Eggs

$2.38 PEN 8.20

$2.89 COP 9,093

-17.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 PEN 31.77

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-9.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 20.01

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-41.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.02 PEN 27.63

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-42.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 PEN 6.76

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-50.63%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 PEN 2.59

$1.55 COP 4,883

-51.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.45 PEN 1.57

$2.18 COP 6,867

-79.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 PEN 3.95

$2.18 COP 6,870

-47.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 PEN 2.61

$1.96 COP 6,174

-61.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 PEN 1.74

$1.59 COP 5,000

-67.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 PEN 3.11

$1.15 COP 3,604

-21.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 PEN 3.04

$1.24 COP 3,911

-29.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.83 PEN 20.10

$3.96 COP 12.5K

47.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.07 PEN 24.36

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-48.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.62

$1.66 COP 5,221

15.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 PEN 8.95

$2.26 COP 7,103

15.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 PEN 11.80

$1.27 COP 3,989

169.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 PEN 6.84

$2.05 COP 6,442

-2.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.65 PEN 26.36

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-10.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 PEN 5.91

$1.35 COP 4,237

26.67%

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

$21.6K PEN 74.5K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-36.59%

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

$28.4K PEN 98.0K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-18.00%

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

$68.2 PEN 235

$170 COP 533.7K

-59.81%

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

$15.73 PEN 54.2

$13.55 COP 42.6K

16.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.89 PEN 92.7

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-4.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.33 PEN 25.28

$6.91 COP 21.7K

6.08%

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

$306 PEN 1,056

$797 COP 2.5M

-61.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

42.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 PEN 180

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-38.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.37 PEN 122

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-38.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.4 PEN 291

$135 COP 424.6K

-37.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.8 PEN 268

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-20.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$405 PEN 1,396

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-80.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$463 PEN 1,597

$657 COP 2.1M

-29.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

10.94

-19.74%

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

Last update for Cerro de Pasco: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cerro de Pasco

$202 36.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 47.2% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Cerro de Pasco

$112 20.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 50.3% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cerro de Pasco

$111 20.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 90.7% $100

Eating Out

Cerro de Pasco

$95 17.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 79.4% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Cerro de Pasco

$15 * 2.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 292% $43

Getting Around

Cerro de Pasco

$13 * 2.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 601% $80

Accommodation & Living

Cerro de Pasco

- * 0%

Medellin

$642 39.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 42% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Cerro de Pasco versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $202 vs $297 – making Cerro de Pasco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cerro de Pasco

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

11:53 11:53 AM

Same time as Cerro de Pasco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,899

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.261 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.261 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cerro de Pasco Medellin 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cerro de Pasco
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

Cerro de Pasco vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 199%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $821 per month in Cerro de Pasco and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Cerro de Pasco and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cerro de Pasco, where all-in costs run around $547, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Cerro de Pasco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $547 in Cerro de Pasco to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Cerro de Pasco. 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.