Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cochabamba and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Cochabamba: $463 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Cochabamba
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Cochabamba Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Cochabamba

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$463

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $463 in Cochabamba versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Cochabamba $463
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $722 in Cochabamba versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Cochabamba $722
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $981 in Cochabamba versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Cochabamba $981
Medellin $3,186

Living in Cochabamba costs roughly 72% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cochabamba is 66% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.72 BOB 20.76

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-78.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.28 BOB 124

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-78.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 BOB 60.0

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-47.68%

Cappuccino

$1.48 BOB 17.90

$3.01 COP 9,722

-50.83%

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

$0.41 BOB 4.98

$1.80 COP 5,801

-77.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 BOB 4.49

$1.41 COP 4,554

-73.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 BOB 12.45

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-67.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 BOB 20.76

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-70.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 BOB 7.46

$1.51 COP 4,869

-58.94%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 BOB 9.06

$2.38 COP 7,667

-68.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 BOB 12.98

$1.77 COP 5,712

-38.98%

Eggs

$1.08 BOB 13.01

$2.89 COP 9,320

-62.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.85 BOB 34.39

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-72.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.24 BOB 27.08

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-77.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.26 BOB 51.5

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-69.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 BOB 17.86

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-62.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.70 BOB 8.50

$1.55 COP 5,005

-54.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 BOB 13.13

$2.18 COP 7,039

-50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.93 BOB 11.26

$2.18 COP 7,041

-57.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 BOB 9.97

$1.96 COP 6,328

-57.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 BOB 8.32

$1.59 COP 5,125

-56.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 BOB 7.80

$1.15 COP 3,694

-43.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 BOB 7.84

$1.24 COP 4,009

-47.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.49 BOB 18.01

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-62.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.92 BOB 59.3

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-64.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BOB 14.03

$1.66 COP 5,352

-30.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 BOB 23.43

$2.26 COP 7,281

-14.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 BOB 3.17

$1.17 COP 3,766

-77.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.04 BOB 182

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-80.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 BOB 18.04

$1.27 COP 4,089

17.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 BOB 10.59

$2.05 COP 6,603

-57.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.17 BOB 50.4

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-51.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 BOB 5.42

$1.35 COP 4,343

-66.67%

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

$17.2K BOB 207.5K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-49.54%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

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

$32.41 BOB 391

$170 COP 547.0K

-80.90%

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

$17.01 BOB 205

$13.55 COP 43.7K

25.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.44 BOB 283

$28.07 COP 90.5K

-16.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.01 BOB 266

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-49.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.16 BOB 50.2

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-75.80%

Cinema Ticket

$3.03 BOB 36.60

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-56.15%

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

$108 BOB 1,298

$797 COP 2.6M

-86.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,407 BOB 41.1K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-62.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.74 BOB 492

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-51.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.86 BOB 252

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-64.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.44 BOB 464

$135 COP 435.2K

-71.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.3 BOB 656

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-44.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$160 BOB 1,927

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-86.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$103 BOB 1,243

$642 COP 2.1M

-83.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$306 BOB 3,691

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-84.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$224 BOB 2,705

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-77.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$850 BOB 10.3K

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-79.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$674 BOB 8,136

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-64.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$393 BOB 4,741

$657 COP 2.1M

-40.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.17

10.94

-25.32%

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

Last update for Cochabamba: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cochabamba

$109 23.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 172% $188

Accommodation & Living

Cochabamba

$103 22.3%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 523% $539

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cochabamba

$73 15.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 190% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Cochabamba

$69 15%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 143% $100

Eating Out

Cochabamba

$58 12.6%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 191% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Cochabamba

$28 6.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 105% $29

Getting Around

Cochabamba

$22 4.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 326% $72

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $160 in Cochabamba and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 67% 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: $10 in Cochabamba vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $109 vs $297 per month, with Cochabamba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇴 Cochabamba

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

04:26 4:26 AM

1 h behind Cochabamba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

856,198

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 BOB = 8.29 USD

100 BOB = 7.42 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to BOB – Bolivian Boliviano Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇴 Bolivian Boliviano (Bs.)

Bolivian Boliviano exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 12.07 BOB (100 BOB = 8.29 USD). 1 EUR = 13.48 BOB (100 BOB = 7.42 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 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 BOB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cochabamba Medellin 2,830 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Cochabamba
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

Cochabamba vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $463 in Cochabamba and $1,639 in Medellin, so Cochabamba is about 72% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 40% lower in Cochabamba. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $160 in Cochabamba versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 172% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cochabamba – a meal for two runs $10 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $463 in Cochabamba versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Cochabamba but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Cochabamba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Cochabamba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.