Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Duitama and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Duitama: $1,384 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Duitama
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Duitama Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Duitama

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,384

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,384 in Duitama versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Duitama $1,384
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,076 in Duitama versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Duitama $2,076
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,767 in Duitama versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Duitama $2,767
Medellin $3,249

Living in Duitama costs roughly 18% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Duitama 2% above, Medellin 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.99 COP 25.8K

$8.34 COP 26.9K

-4.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.12 COP 139.2K

$46.53 COP 150.1K

-7.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 COP 32.5K

$9.47 COP 30.6K

6.34%

Cappuccino

$2.53 COP 8,177

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-19.17%

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

$1.27 COP 4,109

$1.77 COP 5,700

-28.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 COP 2,885

$1.42 COP 4,597

-37.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 COP 6,459

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-36.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 COP 13.5K

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-26.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 COP 5,405

$1.53 COP 4,946

9.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 COP 8,015

$2.29 COP 7,394

8.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 COP 5,757

$1.94 COP 6,276

-8.25%

Eggs

$3.53 COP 11.4K

$3.07 COP 9,895

14.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.11 COP 26.2K

$9.99 COP 32.2K

-18.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.20 COP 23.2K

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-31.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.66 COP 31.2K

$13.96 COP 45.0K

-30.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.68 COP 11.9K

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-9.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,705

$1.53 COP 4,932

15.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,263

$2.10 COP 6,791

-7.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 COP 5,902

$2.29 COP 7,402

-20.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 COP 4,590

$2.11 COP 6,807

-32.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 COP 4,474

$1.71 COP 5,515

-18.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 COP 4,355

$1.17 COP 3,776

15.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 COP 3,875

$1.58 COP 5,099

-24.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 COP 14.1K

$3.91 COP 12.6K

12.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 COP 41.1K

$14.04 COP 45.3K

-9.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 COP 4,848

$1.76 COP 5,685

-14.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.71 COP 8,752

15.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 COP 3,449

$1.18 COP 3,807

-9.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 COP 210.0K

$76.3 COP 246.2K

-14.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 COP 7,684

$1.81 COP 5,831

31.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 COP 6,541

$2.13 COP 6,871

-4.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.48 COP 30.6K

$8.13 COP 26.2K

16.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,163

$1.28 COP 4,115

0.78%

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

$34.8K COP 112.3M

$34.4K COP 111.1M

1.09%

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

$34.3K COP 110.8M

$34.1K COP 110.1M

0.56%

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

$126 COP 407.3K

$178 COP 573.5K

-28.98%

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

$16.35 COP 52.7K

$13.89 COP 44.8K

17.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.51 COP 98.5K

$30.74 COP 99.2K

-0.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.36 COP 123.8K

$41.94 COP 135.4K

-8.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.94 COP 25.6K

$7.47 COP 24.1K

6.29%

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

$565 COP 1.8M

$790 COP 2.5M

-28.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,451 COP 24.0M

$12.3K COP 39.7M

-39.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 COP 277.6K

$86.3 COP 278.6K

-0.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.16 COP 155.4K

$59.3 COP 191.2K

-18.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 COP 457.7K

$138 COP 446.4K

2.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 COP 340.3K

$98.8 COP 318.9K

6.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 COP 2.3M

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-46.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$488 COP 1.6M

$667 COP 2.2M

-26.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,444 COP 4.7M

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-26.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$801 COP 2.6M

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-22.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,189 COP 7.1M

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-46.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,756 COP 5.7M

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-9.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.81

10.94

17.09%

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

Last update for Duitama: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Duitama

$488 35.2%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 36.8% $180

Groceries & Markets

Duitama

$264 19.1%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 16.3% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Duitama

$173 12.5%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 28.5% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Duitama

$172 12.4%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 0.3% $0.6

Eating Out

Duitama

$152 11%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 13.9% $21

Getting Around

Duitama

$82 5.9%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 14.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Duitama

$54 3.9%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 4.9% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Duitama and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Duitama vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $307 per month, with Duitama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Duitama

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:19 7:19 AM

Same time as Duitama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

126,670

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Duitama Medellin 290 km

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Duitama
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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

Duitama vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Duitama wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Duitama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,076 in Duitama and $2,538 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $719 in Duitama versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,384 per month in Duitama versus $1,692 in Medellin – Duitama is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Duitama runs roughly 15% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Duitama is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Duitama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.