Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guarda and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarda: $1,271 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Guarda
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Guarda Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Guarda

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,271

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,271 per month in Guarda vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Guarda $1,271
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,978 per month in Guarda vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Guarda $1,978
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,684 per month in Guarda vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Guarda $2,684
Medellin $3,186

Guarda is about 22% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Guarda sits 7% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 €11.70

$8.09 COP 26.1K

61.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.16 €39.57

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-6.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.33 €10.15

$9.50 COP 30.7K

19.26%

Cappuccino

$1.65 €1.48

$3.01 COP 9,735

-45.18%

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

$1.92 €1.72

$1.80 COP 5,809

6.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.41 COP 4,561

20.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-27.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 €3.47

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-32.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 €0.92

$1.51 COP 4,876

-32.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.44

$2.38 COP 7,678

-32.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.77 COP 5,720

-13.56%

Eggs

$3.66 €3.28

$2.89 COP 9,333

26.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 €9.91

$10.19 COP 32.9K

8.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.73 €10.51

$9.87 COP 31.9K

18.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.89 €21.41

$13.99 COP 45.2K

70.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-40.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.55 COP 5,012

9.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.18 COP 7,048

-2.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$2.18 COP 7,051

8.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.96 COP 6,337

17.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.59 COP 5,132

44.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 €0.88

$1.15 COP 3,699

-14.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.24 COP 4,014

-10.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.91 €6.19

$3.96 COP 12.8K

74.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.09 €4.56

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-62.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.66 COP 5,359

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.26 COP 7,291

8.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.53

$1.17 COP 3,771

45.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 €4.49

$1.27 COP 4,094

294.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.78 €15.04

$8.55 COP 27.6K

96.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.35 COP 4,349

62.96%

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

$32.7K €29.3K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-3.92%

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

$38.1K €34.2K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

9.97%

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

$188 €169

$170 COP 547.8K

11.10%

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

$16.66 €14.93

$13.55 COP 43.8K

22.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.2 €45.91

$28.07 COP 90.6K

82.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.8 €50.9

$43.70 COP 141.1K

29.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.90 €6.18

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-0.14%

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

$428 €384

$797 COP 2.6M

-46.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K €12.1K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

48.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.06 €30.52

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-59.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.99 €19.70

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-62.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 €118

$135 COP 435.8K

-2.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 €148

$97.9 COP 316.0K

68.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$395 €354

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-67.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 €248

$642 COP 2.1M

-56.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 €648

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-64.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 €495

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-45.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,366 €1,224

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-67.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

10.94

-70.11%

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

Last update for Guarda: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Guarda

$305 24%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 2.6% $8

Accommodation & Living

Guarda

$276 21.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 132% $365

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guarda

$256 20.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 17.6% $45

Eating Out

Guarda

$192 15.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 11.6% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Guarda

$159 12.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 6.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Guarda

$71 5.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 18.5% $13

Getting Around

Guarda

$12 * 0.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 692% $82

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $395 in Guarda 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 $44 in Guarda versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $305 in Guarda vs $297 in Medellin – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Guarda

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:41 1:41 AM

20:41 8:41 PM

5 h behind Guarda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,126

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guarda Medellin 7,730 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Guarda
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

Guarda vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 29% more than Guarda, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,906 per month in Guarda 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 Guarda, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $395 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,271 in Guarda and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Guarda about 22% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $428 per month in Guarda and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,271 in Guarda and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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