Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Concepcion and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Concepcion: $1,038 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Concepcion
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Concepcion Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Concepcion

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,038

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,038 in Concepcion versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Concepcion $1,038
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,616 in Concepcion versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Concepcion $1,616
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,195 in Concepcion versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Concepcion $2,195
Medellin $3,186

Living in Concepcion costs roughly 37% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Concepcion is 24% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.15 CLP 7,100

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-11.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.95 CLP 44.7K

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-4.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.59 CLP 7,543

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-20.11%

Cappuccino

$2.65 CLP 2,637

$3.01 COP 9,735

-11.96%

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

$1.36 CLP 1,346

$1.80 COP 5,809

-24.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 CLP 979

$1.41 COP 4,561

-29.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 CLP 3,656

$3.18 COP 10.3K

15.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 CLP 3,580

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-37.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 CLP 1,217

$1.51 COP 4,876

-18.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 CLP 1,418

$2.38 COP 7,678

-39.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 CLP 1,441

$1.77 COP 5,720

-18.08%

Eggs

$3.41 CLP 3,383

$2.89 COP 9,333

17.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 CLP 10.5K

$10.19 COP 32.9K

3.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 CLP 6,716

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-31.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 CLP 11.3K

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-18.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.42 CLP 1,406

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-64.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 CLP 1,301

$1.55 COP 5,012

-15.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 CLP 1,483

$2.18 COP 7,048

-31.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 CLP 1,380

$2.18 COP 7,051

-36.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 CLP 1,028

$1.96 COP 6,337

-47.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 CLP 1,326

$1.59 COP 5,132

-16.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 CLP 1,103

$1.15 COP 3,699

-3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 CLP 1,100

$1.24 COP 4,014

-10.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.10 CLP 5,066

$3.96 COP 12.8K

28.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.79 CLP 4,754

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-64.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 CLP 929

$1.66 COP 5,359

-43.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 CLP 1,627

$2.26 COP 7,291

-27.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 CLP 546

$1.17 COP 3,771

-52.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.70 CLP 31.5K

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-59.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 CLP 1,480

$1.27 COP 4,094

17.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 CLP 2,363

$2.05 COP 6,612

16.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.34 CLP 12.3K

$8.55 COP 27.6K

44.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 CLP 1,341

$1.35 COP 4,349

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

$19.7K CLP 19.6M

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-42.13%

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

$27.7K CLP 27.5M

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-20.11%

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

$115 CLP 114.6K

$170 COP 547.8K

-31.99%

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

$15.95 CLP 15.8K

$13.55 COP 43.8K

17.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.38 CLP 28.2K

$28.07 COP 90.6K

1.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.33 CLP 28.1K

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-35.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.27 CLP 10.2K

$17.19 COP 55.5K

-40.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.42 CLP 5,382

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-21.56%

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

$321 CLP 319.0K

$797 COP 2.6M

-59.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,211 CLP 4.2M

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-53.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.20 CLP 44.9K

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-46.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.16 CLP 22.0K

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-61.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.0 CLP 63.6K

$135 COP 435.8K

-52.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.7 CLP 63.3K

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-34.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$475 CLP 471.4K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-60.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$342 CLP 340.2K

$642 COP 2.1M

-46.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$922 CLP 915.7K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-54.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 CLP 618.2K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-38.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,076 CLP 2.1M

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-50.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,801 CLP 1.8M

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-5.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$552 CLP 548.6K

$657 COP 2.1M

-15.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.3

10.94

-51.55%

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

Last update for Concepcion: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Concepcion

$342 33%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 87.3% $299

Groceries & Markets

Concepcion

$214 20.7%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 38.6% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Concepcion

$160 15.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 32.3% $52

Eating Out

Concepcion

$147 14.2%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 15.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Concepcion

$88 8.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 92.4% $81

Getting Around

Concepcion

$47 4.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 97.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Concepcion

$39 3.8%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 46.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $475 in Concepcion and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 19% 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: $45 in Concepcion vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $297 per month, with Concepcion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Concepcion

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:28 7:28 AM

05:28 5:28 AM

2 h behind Concepcion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,537

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.07 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.02 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 993 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.01 USD). 1 EUR = 1,109 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.02 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Concepcion Medellin 4,800 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Concepcion
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

Concepcion vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,038 in Concepcion and $1,639 in Medellin, so Concepcion is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Concepcion. 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: $475 in Concepcion versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Concepcion – a meal for two runs $45 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Concepcion gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Concepcion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.