Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Esmeraldas and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Esmeraldas: $857 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Esmeraldas
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Esmeraldas Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Esmeraldas

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$857

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $857 in Esmeraldas versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Esmeraldas $857
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,421 in Esmeraldas versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Esmeraldas $1,421
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,985 in Esmeraldas versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Esmeraldas $1,985
Medellin $3,249

Living in Esmeraldas costs roughly 49% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Esmeraldas is 37% below, Medellin is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 $2.92

$8.34 COP 27.0K

-64.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 $54.8

$46.53 COP 150.9K

17.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.89 $3.89

$9.47 COP 30.7K

-58.92%

Cappuccino

$3.44 $3.44

$3.13 COP 10.2K

9.90%

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

$0.49 $0.49

$1.77 COP 5,728

-72.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

$1.42 COP 4,620

-64.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 $3.60

$3.15 COP 10.2K

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 $6.16

$5.70 COP 18.5K

8.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.53 COP 4,971

-35.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.29 COP 7,431

-31.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.94 COP 6,308

-22.16%

Eggs

$2.16 $2.16

$3.07 COP 9,945

-29.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$9.99 COP 32.4K

-34.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$10.45 COP 33.9K

-47.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.86 $7.86

$13.96 COP 45.3K

-43.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-43.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.53 COP 4,957

-20.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$2.10 COP 6,825

-37.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$2.29 COP 7,439

-50.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 $1.26

$2.11 COP 6,841

-40.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.71 COP 5,543

-37.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.17 COP 3,795

-58.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.58 COP 5,125

-34.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 $5.97

$3.91 COP 12.7K

52.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.29 $8.29

$14.04 COP 45.6K

-40.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.76 COP 5,714

-14.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.71 COP 8,796

14.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 $0.34

$1.18 COP 3,826

-71.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.81 COP 5,860

-18.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$2.13 COP 6,906

-42.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.12 $10.12

$8.13 COP 26.4K

24.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.28 COP 4,136

-33.59%

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

$23.3K $23.3K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

-32.36%

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

$29.5K $29.5K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-13.59%

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

$28.90 $28.90

$178 COP 576.4K

-83.74%

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

$18.12 $18.12

$13.89 COP 45.0K

30.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.69 $28.69

$30.74 COP 99.7K

-6.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 $30.26

$41.94 COP 136.0K

-27.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.45 $16.45

$16.80 COP 54.5K

-2.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 $6.47

$7.47 COP 24.2K

-13.39%

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

$757 $757

$790 COP 2.6M

-4.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,921 $8,921

$12.3K COP 39.9M

-27.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 $69.9

$86.3 COP 280.0K

-19.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 $50.6

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-14.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 $115

$138 COP 448.7K

-16.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$98.8 COP 320.5K

7.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 $420

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-68.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 $274

$667 COP 2.2M

-58.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 $811

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-58.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 $505

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-51.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$442 $442

$646 COP 2.1M

-31.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

10.94

-7.50%

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

Last update for Esmeraldas: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Esmeraldas

$274 31.9%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 144% $393

Groceries & Markets

Esmeraldas

$191 22.3%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 60.7% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Esmeraldas

$154 18%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 11.9% $18

Eating Out

Esmeraldas

$111 12.9%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 56.1% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Esmeraldas

$76 8.8%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 194% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Esmeraldas

$43 5%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 31.7% $14

Getting Around

Esmeraldas

$9 * 1.1%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 941% $84

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 $420 in Esmeraldas and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 46% 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: $55 in Esmeraldas vs $47 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $191 vs $307, with Esmeraldas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Esmeraldas

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

Same time as Esmeraldas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,216

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Esmeraldas Medellin 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Esmeraldas
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

Esmeraldas vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Esmeraldas is about 49% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Esmeraldas. 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: $420 in Esmeraldas versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $857 per month in Esmeraldas versus $1,692 in Medellin – Esmeraldas is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $857 in Esmeraldas versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Esmeraldas but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Esmeraldas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Esmeraldas wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.