Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuenca, Spain and Medellin

For one person, living costs are similar in Cuenca and in Medellin: $1,670 and $1,639 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

Cost of Living Index in Cuenca
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Cuenca Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Cuenca

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,670

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,670 per month in Cuenca vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Cuenca $1,670
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,437 per month in Cuenca vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Cuenca $2,437
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,205 per month in Cuenca vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Cuenca $3,205
Medellin $3,186

Cuenca and Medellin have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Cuenca and Medellin sit above the global median – Cuenca by 23%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.14 €15.36

$8.09 COP 26.1K

111.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.51 €40.78

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-3.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.98 €8.05

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-5.47%

Cappuccino

$2.03 €1.82

$3.01 COP 9,735

-32.56%

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

$2.36 €2.12

$1.80 COP 5,809

31.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.41 COP 4,561

5.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 €1.98

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-30.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.96

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-42.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 €0.88

$1.51 COP 4,876

-35.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 €1.79

$2.38 COP 7,678

-15.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.77 COP 5,720

-12.43%

Eggs

$2.50 €2.24

$2.89 COP 9,333

-13.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.27 €14.58

$10.19 COP 32.9K

59.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 €8.40

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-4.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.78 €18.62

$13.99 COP 45.2K

48.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-31.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$1.55 COP 5,012

56.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$2.18 COP 7,048

18.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 €2.69

$2.18 COP 7,051

37.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$1.96 COP 6,337

2.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.59 COP 5,132

37.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.15 COP 3,699

54.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 €0.58

$1.24 COP 4,014

-47.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.30 €5.64

$3.96 COP 12.8K

59.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.41 €3.95

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-67.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.90

$1.66 COP 5,359

-39.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.97

$2.26 COP 7,291

-3.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.17 COP 3,771

41.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.98 €28.66

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-58.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 €2.05

$1.27 COP 4,094

80.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.05 COP 6,612

-47.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.56 €26.49

$8.55 COP 27.6K

245.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.35 COP 4,349

34.07%

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

$35.6K €31.9K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

4.47%

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

$32.0K €28.7K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-7.58%

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

$164 €147

$170 COP 547.8K

-3.17%

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

$11.56 €10.36

$13.55 COP 43.8K

-14.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.65 €19.40

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-22.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.51 €35.40

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-9.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.95 €14.30

$17.19 COP 55.5K

-7.21%

Cinema Ticket

$8.85 €7.93

$6.91 COP 22.3K

28.08%

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

$338 €303

$797 COP 2.6M

-57.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,035 €7,200

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-11.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 €82.3

$84.7 COP 273.5K

8.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 €35.05

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-32.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.4 €88.1

$135 COP 435.8K

-27.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$97.9 COP 316.0K

16.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$879 €788

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-27.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$692 €620

$642 COP 2.1M

7.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 €1,213

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-33.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,020 €914

$1,012 COP 3.3M

0.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,298 €2,955

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-20.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,188 €1,960

$1,910 COP 6.2M

14.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,405 €1,259

$657 COP 2.1M

113.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

10.94

-68.37%

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

Last update for Cuenca: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cuenca

$692 41.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 7.3% $50

Groceries & Markets

Cuenca

$301 18%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 1.3% $4

Eating Out

Cuenca

$222 13.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 23.4% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuenca

$198 11.8%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 7% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Cuenca

$155 9.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 9.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Cuenca

$57 3.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 0.6% $0.3

Getting Around

Cuenca

$46 2.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 102% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $879 in Cuenca 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 in Cuenca are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Cuenca versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $301 in Cuenca vs $297 in Medellin – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Cuenca

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

05:30 5:30 AM

23:30 11:30 PM

6 h behind Cuenca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,512

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Cuenca Medellin 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cuenca
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

Cuenca vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,505 per month in Cuenca 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 Cuenca, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $879 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Cuenca. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $338 per month in Cuenca and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,670 in Cuenca and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $1,670 in Cuenca. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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