Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Centro, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,700 in El Centro, CA, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in El Centro, CA
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El Centro, CA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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El Centro, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,700

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,700 per month in El Centro, CA vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

El Centro, CA $2,700
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,848 per month in El Centro, CA vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

El Centro, CA $3,848
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,996 per month in El Centro, CA vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

El Centro, CA $4,996
Medellin $3,186

El Centro, CA costs about 65% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both El Centro, CA and Medellin sit above the global median – El Centro, CA by 98%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.62 $13.62

$8.09 COP 25.4K

68.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.97 $44.97

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-4.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.39 $11.39

$9.50 COP 29.9K

19.89%

Cappuccino

$4.89 $4.89

$3.01 COP 9,485

62.46%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$1.80 COP 5,660

41.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.41 COP 4,443

39.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 $4.90

$3.18 COP 9,990

54.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 $7.95

$5.75 COP 18.1K

38.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.51 COP 4,751

-23.18%

White Bread (500g)

$5.88 $5.88

$2.38 COP 7,480

147.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.77 COP 5,573

146.89%

Eggs

$4.91 $4.91

$2.89 COP 9,093

69.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 $12.67

$10.19 COP 32.1K

24.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.39 $20.39

$9.87 COP 31.1K

106.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 $13.90

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-0.64%

Apples (1kg)

$5.50 $5.50

$3.97 COP 12.5K

38.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.55 COP 4,883

9.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$2.18 COP 6,867

96.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$2.18 COP 6,870

208.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.64 $3.64

$1.96 COP 6,174

85.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 $3.47

$1.59 COP 5,000

118.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.15 COP 3,604

98.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.24 COP 3,911

86.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.64 $11.64

$3.96 COP 12.5K

193.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.85 $14.85

$13.68 COP 43.0K

8.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.66 COP 5,222

2.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.26 COP 7,104

44.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.17 COP 3,674

93.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.6 $58.6

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-24.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 $4.46

$1.27 COP 3,989

251.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$2.05 COP 6,442

-8.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.36 $35.36

$8.55 COP 26.9K

313.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.35 COP 4,237

13.33%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-19.55%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-25.07%

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

$216 $216

$170 COP 533.7K

27.11%

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

$72.1 $72.1

$13.55 COP 42.6K

432.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$28.07 COP 88.3K

150.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.32 $34.32

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-21.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$11.90 $11.90

$6.91 COP 21.7K

72.21%

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

$1,895 $1,895

$797 COP 2.5M

137.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.8K $42.8K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

369.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 $72.7

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-14.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.38 $40.38

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-30.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 $79.1

$135 COP 424.6K

-41.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$173 $173

$97.9 COP 307.9K

76.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 $1,401

$1,208 COP 3.8M

15.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 $1,300

$642 COP 2.0M

102.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,246 $2,246

$2,028 COP 6.4M

10.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,076 $2,076

$1,012 COP 3.2M

105.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,709 $2,709

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-35.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,661 $2,661

$1,910 COP 6.0M

39.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

10.94

-39.31%

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

Last update for El Centro, CA: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Centro, CA

$1.3K 48.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 50.7% $659

Groceries & Markets

El Centro, CA

$477 17.7%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 37.7% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Centro, CA

$358 13.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 41% $147

Eating Out

El Centro, CA

$260 9.6%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 34.8% $91

Clothing & Footwear

El Centro, CA

$164 6.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 2.9% $4.7

Getting Around

El Centro, CA

$81 3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 14.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

El Centro, CA

$58 2.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 1% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,401 in El Centro, CA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in El Centro, CA versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $477 in El Centro, CA vs $297 in Medellin – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 El Centro, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:57 4:57 AM

06:57 6:57 AM

2 h ahead of El Centro, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,322

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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El Centro, CA Medellin 5,070 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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El Centro, CA
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

El Centro, CA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,700 in El Centro, CA, $1,639 in Medellin – roughly 65% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,049 per month in El Centro, CA 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 Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,401 in El Centro, CA.

Public transport costs about 24% less in El Centro, CA. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,895 per month in El Centro, CA and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in El Centro, CA at $2,700. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in El Centro, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.