Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiclayo and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiclayo: $998 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Chiclayo
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Chiclayo Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Chiclayo

🇵🇪 Peru

$998

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $998 per month in Chiclayo vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Chiclayo $998
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,584 per month in Chiclayo vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Chiclayo $1,584
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,170 per month in Chiclayo vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Chiclayo $2,170
Medellin $3,186

Chiclayo is about 39% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chiclayo sits 27% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.15 PEN 17.84

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-36.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.69 PEN 120

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-26.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.75 PEN 30.33

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-7.89%

Cappuccino

$4.23 PEN 14.67

$3.01 COP 9,722

40.53%

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

$0.91 PEN 3.15

$1.80 COP 5,801

-49.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 PEN 1.58

$1.41 COP 4,554

-67.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.44 PEN 29.27

$3.18 COP 10.2K

165.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 PEN 7.78

$1.51 COP 4,869

49.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 PEN 7.90

$2.38 COP 7,667

-4.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 PEN 7.59

$1.77 COP 5,712

23.73%

Eggs

$2.38 PEN 8.27

$2.89 COP 9,320

-17.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.53 PEN 22.62

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-35.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.10 PEN 21.15

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-38.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.88 PEN 34.26

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-29.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 PEN 8.48

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-38.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 PEN 6.62

$1.55 COP 5,005

23.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 PEN 8.55

$2.18 COP 7,039

13.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 PEN 6.24

$2.18 COP 7,041

-17.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 PEN 4.04

$1.96 COP 6,328

-40.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 PEN 7.74

$1.59 COP 5,125

40.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 PEN 2.25

$1.15 COP 3,694

-43.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 PEN 3.17

$1.24 COP 4,009

-26.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.23 PEN 18.14

$3.96 COP 12.8K

32.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.15 PEN 42.10

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-11.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 PEN 5.18

$1.66 COP 5,352

-9.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 PEN 6.21

$2.26 COP 7,281

-20.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 PEN 2.69

$1.17 COP 3,766

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.38 PEN 102

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-62.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 PEN 11.08

$1.27 COP 4,089

151.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.92 PEN 10.14

$2.05 COP 6,603

42.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.29 PEN 21.79

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-26.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 PEN 4.54

$1.35 COP 4,343

-2.96%

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

$24.3K PEN 84.3K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-28.64%

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

$24.5K PEN 85.0K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-29.29%

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

$48.50 PEN 168

$170 COP 547.0K

-71.41%

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

$26.67 PEN 92.5

$13.55 COP 43.7K

96.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.71 PEN 110

$28.07 COP 90.5K

12.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 PEN 213

$43.70 COP 140.9K

40.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.15 PEN 87.2

$17.19 COP 55.4K

46.31%

Cinema Ticket

$7.82 PEN 27.12

$6.91 COP 22.3K

13.17%

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

$248 PEN 858

$797 COP 2.6M

-68.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,008 PEN 13.9K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-56.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 PEN 174

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-40.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.7 PEN 207

$58.0 COP 186.9K

3.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$198 PEN 688

$135 COP 435.2K

46.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 PEN 510

$97.9 COP 315.6K

50.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$239 PEN 828

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-80.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 PEN 519

$642 COP 2.1M

-76.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$447 PEN 1,548

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-77.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 PEN 880

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-74.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,106 PEN 3,834

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-73.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,073 PEN 3,720

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-43.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$504 PEN 1,749

$657 COP 2.1M

-23.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

0.55%

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

Last update for Chiclayo: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chiclayo

$243 24.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 22.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Chiclayo

$205 20.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 17.6% $36

Eating Out

Chiclayo

$166 * 16.6%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 2.2% $3.7

Accommodation & Living

Chiclayo

$150 15%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 329% $492

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiclayo

$107 10.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 97.7% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Chiclayo

$77 7.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 25.4% $20

Getting Around

Chiclayo

$50 5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 86% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $239 in Chiclayo versus $1,208 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 30% 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 $35 in Chiclayo versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $297 – making Chiclayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Chiclayo

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

Same time as Chiclayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,325

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.289 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.47 PEN (1 PEN = 0.289 USD). 1 EUR = 3.87 PEN (1 PEN = 0.258 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiclayo Medellin 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiclayo
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

Chiclayo vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $998 in Chiclayo, $1,639 in Medellin – Chiclayo comes out roughly 39% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,496 per month in Chiclayo and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiclayo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $239 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Chiclayo and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $998 in Chiclayo and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Chiclayo about 39% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Chiclayo, where all-in costs run around $998, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Chiclayo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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