Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cucuta and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Cucuta: $1,335 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Cucuta
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Cucuta Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Cucuta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,335

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,335 in Cucuta versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Cucuta $1,335
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,003 in Cucuta versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Cucuta $2,003
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,670 in Cucuta versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Cucuta $2,670
Medellin $3,190

Living in Cucuta costs roughly 17% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cucuta is 1% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.44 COP 23.6K

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-6.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.54 COP 153.9K

$46.13 COP 146.3K

5.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.16 COP 29.1K

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-3.58%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,235

$3.11 COP 9,866

-6.43%

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

$1.43 COP 4,544

$1.83 COP 5,800

-21.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 COP 3,420

$1.38 COP 4,360

-21.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 COP 9,785

$3.05 COP 9,672

1.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 COP 11.7K

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-32.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 COP 5,112

$1.45 COP 4,600

11.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 COP 7,844

$2.36 COP 7,496

4.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 COP 4,893

$1.68 COP 5,328

-8.33%

Eggs

$2.99 COP 9,488

$2.86 COP 9,077

4.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.00 COP 28.5K

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-11.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 COP 27.2K

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-9.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.41 COP 36.2K

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-18.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 COP 11.2K

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-13.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 COP 5,061

$1.50 COP 4,742

6.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 COP 6,574

$2.17 COP 6,891

-4.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,139

$2.31 COP 7,310

-16.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 COP 4,071

$1.93 COP 6,113

-33.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 COP 4,149

$1.64 COP 5,196

-20.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 COP 3,497

$1.13 COP 3,571

-2.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 COP 3,221

$1.25 COP 3,954

-18.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 COP 13.8K

$3.99 COP 12.6K

9.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 COP 46.7K

$13.35 COP 42.3K

10.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 COP 5,217

$1.70 COP 5,384

-2.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 COP 7,271

$2.37 COP 7,525

-3.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 COP 3,783

$1.21 COP 3,827

-1.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 COP 4,830

$1.32 COP 4,179

15.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 COP 6,624

$2.14 COP 6,774

-2.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.90 COP 31.4K

$8.47 COP 26.8K

16.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,055

$1.30 COP 4,114

-1.54%

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

$28.7K COP 90.9M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

2.39%

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

$40.2K COP 127.6M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

13.63%

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

$126 COP 397.9K

$172 COP 545.6K

-27.07%

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

$13.88 COP 44.0K

$13.37 COP 42.4K

3.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.14 COP 92.4K

$28.73 COP 91.1K

1.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.45 COP 106.1K

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-26.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.95 COP 22.0K

$6.28 COP 19.9K

10.67%

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

$647 COP 2.1M

$770 COP 2.4M

-16.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,396 COP 20.3M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-29.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 273.8K

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-0.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.97 COP 158.4K

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-12.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$154 COP 489.8K

$137 COP 432.9K

13.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 COP 323.2K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

4.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 COP 2.0M

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-39.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 COP 1.6M

$616 COP 2.0M

-19.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 COP 3.2M

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-46.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$792 COP 2.5M

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-22.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,980 COP 6.3M

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-51.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,498 COP 4.7M

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-10.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$565 COP 1.8M

$652 COP 2.1M

-13.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

10.94

5.85%

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

Last update for Cucuta: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cucuta

$497 37.2%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 23.9% $119

Groceries & Markets

Cucuta

$274 20.5%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 7.6% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Cucuta

$177 13.2%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 3.8% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cucuta

$169 12.6%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 27.1% $46

Eating Out

Cucuta

$155 11.6%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 8.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Cucuta

$47 3.6%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 22.1% $10

Getting Around

Cucuta

$17 * 1.3%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 458% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $643 in Cucuta and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 16% 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: $49.00 in Cucuta vs $46.00 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $274 vs $295, with Cucuta cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cucuta

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

20:37 8:37 PM

Same time as Cucuta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

777,106

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Cucuta Medellin 390 km

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Cucuta
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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

Cucuta vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cucuta is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 21% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Medellin. 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: $643 in Cucuta versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $647 in Cucuta versus $770 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cucuta – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,335 in Cucuta versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cucuta but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Cucuta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cucuta is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Cucuta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.