Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $692 a month against $1,614 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 Cusco
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Cusco Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$692

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $692 in Cusco versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Cusco $692
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,102 in Cusco versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Cusco $1,102
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,512 in Cusco versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Cusco $1,512
Medellin $3,190

Living in Cusco costs roughly 57% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cusco is 49% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.07 PEN 7.11

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-73.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.09 PEN 69.0

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-56.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.49 PEN 22.28

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-31.68%

Cappuccino

$2.18 PEN 7.48

$3.11 COP 9,866

-29.90%

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

$0.78 PEN 2.67

$1.83 COP 5,800

-57.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 PEN 1.12

$1.38 COP 4,360

-76.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 PEN 5.83

$3.05 COP 9,672

-44.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 PEN 14.51

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-23.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 PEN 4.33

$1.45 COP 4,600

-13.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 PEN 7.92

$2.36 COP 7,496

-2.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 PEN 4.46

$1.68 COP 5,328

-22.62%

Eggs

$3.52 PEN 12.07

$2.86 COP 9,077

23.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.68 PEN 16.07

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-54.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 PEN 15.08

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-53.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.12 PEN 24.44

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-49.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 PEN 9.15

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-34.64%

Banana (1kg)

$0.82 PEN 2.81

$1.50 COP 4,742

-45.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 PEN 4.89

$2.17 COP 6,891

-34.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.90 PEN 3.09

$2.31 COP 7,310

-61.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 PEN 3.55

$1.93 COP 6,113

-46.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 PEN 3.85

$1.64 COP 5,196

-31.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 PEN 1.84

$1.13 COP 3,571

-53.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 PEN 2.57

$1.25 COP 3,954

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

Wine (Bottle)

$5.86 PEN 20.13

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-56.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 PEN 6.63

$1.70 COP 5,384

13.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 PEN 14.18

$2.37 COP 7,525

74.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.96

$1.21 COP 3,827

-76.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 PEN 5.94

$1.32 COP 4,179

31.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 PEN 6.58

$2.14 COP 6,774

-10.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 PEN 10.10

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-65.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 PEN 5.39

$1.30 COP 4,114

20.77%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

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

$29.2K PEN 100.3K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-17.50%

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

$28.88 PEN 99.2

$172 COP 545.6K

-83.22%

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

$14.39 PEN 49.41

$13.37 COP 42.4K

7.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.08 PEN 151

$28.73 COP 91.1K

53.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.16 PEN 100

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-35.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.47 PEN 15.35

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-28.82%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.01 PEN 127

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-57.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.94 PEN 117

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-40.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.6 PEN 187

$137 COP 432.9K

-60.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 PEN 252

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-25.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$214 PEN 736

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-79.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 PEN 666

$616 COP 2.0M

-68.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 PEN 1,850

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-71.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$421 PEN 1,446

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-58.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,183 PEN 10.9K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-21.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,825 PEN 6,269

$1,678 COP 5.3M

8.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$420 PEN 1,442

$652 COP 2.1M

-35.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Cusco: 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

Cusco

$194 28%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 218% $422

Groceries & Markets

Cusco

$187 27%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 57.7% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Cusco

$89 12.9%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 90.2% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cusco

$87 12.6%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 145% $127

Eating Out

Cusco

$84 12.1%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 102% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Cusco

$38 5.5%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 51.7% $20

Getting Around

Cusco

$12 * 1.8%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 651% $81

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 $214 in Cusco and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 55% 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: $20.00 in Cusco vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $187 vs $295 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cusco

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

Same time as Cusco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

428,450

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cusco Medellin 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cusco
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

Cusco vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cusco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 133% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 55% 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: $214 in Cusco versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cusco – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $692 in Cusco versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cusco but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Cusco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cusco 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 Cusco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 133% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.