Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chaves and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaves: $1,064 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Chaves
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Chaves Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Chaves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,064

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,064 per month in Chaves vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Chaves $1,064
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $1,607 per month in Chaves vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Chaves $1,607
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $2,150 per month in Chaves vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Chaves $2,150
Medellin $3,199

Chaves is about 35% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chaves sits 21% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.99 €7.10

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-3.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.32 €19.86

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-52.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.78 €6.92

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-15.80%

Cappuccino

$1.54 €1.37

$3.05 COP 9,676

-49.51%

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

$1.49 €1.33

$1.80 COP 5,707

-17.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.38 COP 4,382

-58.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 €2.03

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-29.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-50.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.50 COP 4,760

-32.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 €1.01

$2.37 COP 7,508

-51.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.70 COP 5,377

-33.53%

Eggs

$3.05 €2.71

$2.96 COP 9,379

3.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.23 €5.54

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-39.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 €5.81

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-32.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.26 €9.12

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-26.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-72.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.53 COP 4,839

-24.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 €0.98

$2.22 COP 7,052

-50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.97

$2.27 COP 7,194

-51.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.99 COP 6,311

1.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.67 COP 5,285

-32.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.18 COP 3,742

19.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.70

$1.24 COP 3,919

-36.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 €5.31

$3.87 COP 12.3K

54.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.03 €3.58

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-70.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.66 COP 5,256

-30.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.40 COP 7,615

-52.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 €0.77

$1.24 COP 3,944

-29.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.67 €24.61

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-64.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 €3.53

$1.28 COP 4,044

210.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 €0.61

$2.15 COP 6,803

-68.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 €17.60

$8.37 COP 26.5K

136.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.35 COP 4,288

44.44%

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

$34.1K €30.4K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-1.83%

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

$37.6K €33.4K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

8.41%

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

$134 €119

$167 COP 528.4K

-19.82%

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

$17.81 €15.84

$13.62 COP 43.2K

30.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.69 €28.19

$29.12 COP 92.3K

8.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.25 €22.46

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-44.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.49 €4.88

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-68.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 €6.35

$6.97 COP 22.1K

2.44%

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

$223 €199

$790 COP 2.5M

-71.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,620 €3,220

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-59.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 €63.9

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-18.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.56 €20.07

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-61.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.0 €56.1

$139 COP 440.7K

-54.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 €80.3

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-8.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 €425

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-53.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 €336

$620 COP 2.0M

-39.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$951 €846

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-49.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 €655

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-26.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,870 €1,663

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-53.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,472 €1,310

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-13.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,015 €903

$663 COP 2.1M

52.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-72.58%

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

Last update for Chaves: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chaves

$378 35.5%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 64% $242

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaves

$183 17.2%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 14.4% $26

Groceries & Markets

Chaves

$182 17.2%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 63.3% $115

Eating Out

Chaves

$131 12.3%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 30.5% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Chaves

$111 10.5%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 54.9% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Chaves

$40 3.7%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 49.3% $20

Getting Around

Chaves

$39 3.6%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 147% $57

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Chaves versus $1,028 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 53% higher in Chaves, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Chaves versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $182 vs $298 – making Chaves the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Chaves

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:08 9:08 AM

03:08 3:08 AM

6 h behind Chaves

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,592

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chaves Medellin 7,740 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chaves
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

Chaves vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 53% more than Chaves, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,596 per month in Chaves and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 183% less in Chaves. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $223 per month in Chaves and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chaves, where all-in costs run around $1,064, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Chaves it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chaves costs $1,064 versus $1,625 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Chaves. 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.