Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elche and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Elche: $1,483 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Elche
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Elche Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Elche

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,483

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,483 in Elche versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Elche $1,483
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,201 in Elche versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Elche $2,201
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,918 in Elche versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Elche $2,918
Medellin $3,186

Living in Elche costs roughly 10% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Elche 9% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$8.09 COP 25.6K

105.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 €50.3

$47.05 COP 148.9K

19.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 €10.01

$9.50 COP 30.1K

17.58%

Cappuccino

$2.49 €2.23

$3.01 COP 9,540

-17.28%

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

$2.41 €2.16

$1.80 COP 5,693

33.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.41 COP 4,469

31.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 €2.91

$3.18 COP 10.0K

2.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.95

$5.75 COP 18.2K

-42.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.51 COP 4,778

-26.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 €1.45

$2.38 COP 7,524

-31.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.77 COP 5,606

-12.43%

Eggs

$3.03 €2.72

$2.89 COP 9,146

4.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.30 €12.81

$10.19 COP 32.2K

40.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 €7.09

$9.87 COP 31.2K

-19.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.54 €12.13

$13.99 COP 44.3K

-3.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.28

$3.97 COP 12.6K

-35.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.55 COP 4,911

24.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$2.18 COP 6,907

-12.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.18 COP 6,910

11.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.96 COP 6,210

-11.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.59 COP 5,029

20.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 €0.93

$1.15 COP 3,625

-10.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.63

$1.24 COP 3,934

-43.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.47 €5.80

$3.96 COP 12.5K

63.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 €5.12

$13.68 COP 43.3K

-58.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.66 COP 5,252

-36.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.92

$2.26 COP 7,145

-54.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.17 COP 3,696

21.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.72 €20.36

$77.4 COP 244.8K

-70.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 €2.77

$1.27 COP 4,013

143.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 €0.78

$2.05 COP 6,480

-57.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.91 €15.15

$8.55 COP 27.1K

97.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.58

$1.35 COP 4,262

30.37%

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

$31.4K €28.1K

$34.1K COP 107.8M

-7.84%

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

$31.8K €28.5K

$34.7K COP 109.7M

-8.20%

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

$138 €123

$170 COP 536.8K

-18.84%

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

$17.13 €15.35

$13.55 COP 42.9K

26.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.35 €23.61

$28.07 COP 88.8K

-6.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.31 €40.60

$43.70 COP 138.3K

3.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.11 €9.96

$17.19 COP 54.4K

-35.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.33 €6.56

$6.91 COP 21.9K

6.08%

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

$692 €620

$797 COP 2.5M

-13.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,979 €8,942

$9,112 COP 28.8M

9.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.4 €74.7

$84.7 COP 268.1K

-1.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.43 €31.75

$58.0 COP 183.4K

-38.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 €76.9

$135 COP 427.1K

-36.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 €77.9

$97.9 COP 309.7K

-11.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$665 €596

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-44.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 €524

$642 COP 2.0M

-8.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$967 €867

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-52.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$860 €771

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-14.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,033 €1,821

$4,170 COP 13.2M

-51.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,481 €1,327

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-22.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,599 €1,433

$657 COP 2.1M

143.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

10.94

-69.84%

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

Last update for Elche: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Elche

$585 39.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 9.7% $56

Groceries & Markets

Elche

$253 17.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 17.4% $44

Eating Out

Elche

$237 16%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 28.3% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elche

$181 12.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 16.6% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Elche

$131 8.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 28.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Elche

$60 4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 4.1% $2.4

Getting Around

Elche

$36 2.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 161% $58

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $665 in Elche and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elche pays about 2.4 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $56 in Elche vs $47 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $253 vs $297, with Elche cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Elche

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

01:27 1:27 AM

6 h behind Elche

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

238,293

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Elche Medellin 8,260 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Elche
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

Elche vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Elche wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Elche the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Elche is about 2.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $665 in Elche versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $56 in Elche. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,483 per month in Elche versus $1,639 in Medellin – Elche is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Elche 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.