Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cotacachi and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotacachi: $717 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Cotacachi
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Cotacachi Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Cotacachi

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$717

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $717 in Cotacachi versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Cotacachi $717
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,170 in Cotacachi versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Cotacachi $1,170
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,623 in Cotacachi versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Cotacachi $1,623
Medellin $3,186

Living in Cotacachi costs roughly 56% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cotacachi is 47% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 $3.88

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-52.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.87 $25.87

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-45.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.58 $4.58

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-51.79%

Cappuccino

$2.21 $2.21

$3.01 COP 9,735

-26.58%

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

$1.36 $1.36

$1.80 COP 5,809

-24.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.41 COP 4,561

-43.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 $1.97

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-38.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 $4.01

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-30.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.51 COP 4,876

-27.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.38 COP 7,678

-35.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.77 COP 5,720

-14.12%

Eggs

$2.11 $2.11

$2.89 COP 9,333

-26.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-37.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.27 $5.27

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-46.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 $7.46

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-46.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-44.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.55 COP 5,012

-26.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$2.18 COP 7,048

-39.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.18 COP 7,051

-49.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.96 COP 6,337

-36.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.59 COP 5,132

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.15 COP 3,699

-27.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.24 COP 4,014

-16.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 $4.46

$3.96 COP 12.8K

12.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 $7.35

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-46.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.66 COP 5,359

-9.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.26 COP 7,291

34.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.45 $0.45

$1.17 COP 3,771

-61.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.03 $15.03

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-80.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.27 COP 4,094

-2.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.05 COP 6,612

-52.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.89 $9.89

$8.55 COP 27.6K

15.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.35 COP 4,349

-42.96%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-33.42%

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

$29.9K $29.9K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-13.81%

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

$29.09 $29.09

$170 COP 547.8K

-82.85%

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

$12.57 $12.57

$13.55 COP 43.8K

-7.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.27 $26.27

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-6.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.56 $30.56

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-30.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.16 $10.16

$17.19 COP 55.5K

-40.90%

Cinema Ticket

$6.52 $6.52

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-5.64%

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

$76.0 $76.0

$797 COP 2.6M

-90.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,952 $2,952

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-67.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.41 $41.41

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-51.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.47 $42.47

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-26.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 $95.1

$135 COP 435.8K

-29.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.2 $59.2

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-39.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 $264

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-78.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 $190

$642 COP 2.1M

-70.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$473 $473

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-76.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 $414

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-59.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$598 $598

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-85.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$517 $517

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-72.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$433 $433

$657 COP 2.1M

-34.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

10.94

-7.50%

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

Last update for Cotacachi: 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

Cotacachi

$190 26.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 238% $452

Groceries & Markets

Cotacachi

$187 26.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 58.6% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Cotacachi

$107 15%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 57.6% $62

Eating Out

Cotacachi

$98 13.6%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 73.5% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cotacachi

$68 9.5%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 211% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Cotacachi

$44 6.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 31.9% $14

Getting Around

Cotacachi

$23 3.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 309% $71

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $264 in Cotacachi and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 52% 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: $26 in Cotacachi vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $187 vs $297 per month, with Cotacachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Cotacachi

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:46 11:46 PM

Same time as Cotacachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,238

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Cotacachi Medellin 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cotacachi
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

Cotacachi vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $717 in Cotacachi and $1,639 in Medellin, so Cotacachi is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Cotacachi. 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: $264 in Cotacachi versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cotacachi runs roughly 81% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $76 in Cotacachi versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $717 in Cotacachi versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Cotacachi but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Cotacachi 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 Cotacachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.