Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Halifax and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,477 in Halifax, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Halifax
Learn more

Halifax Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Halifax

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,477

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,477 per month in Halifax vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Halifax $2,477
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $3,557 per month in Halifax vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Halifax $3,557
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $4,638 per month in Halifax vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Halifax $4,638
Medellin $3,190

Halifax costs about 53% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Halifax and Medellin sit above the global median – Halifax by 83%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.48 CA$24.71

$7.93 COP 25.2K

120.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 CA$101

$46.13 COP 146.3K

54.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 CA$14.92

$9.50 COP 30.1K

11.05%

Cappuccino

$4.41 CA$6.23

$3.11 COP 9,866

41.80%

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

$2.32 CA$3.29

$1.83 COP 5,800

26.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 CA$2.51

$1.38 COP 4,360

28.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 CA$7.98

$3.05 COP 9,672

84.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 CA$8.66

$5.50 COP 17.4K

11.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.45 COP 4,600

56.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$2.36 COP 7,496

11.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.84 CA$5.43

$1.68 COP 5,328

128.57%

Eggs

$3.73 CA$5.27

$2.86 COP 9,077

30.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.82 CA$12.47

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-13.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.93 CA$18.28

$9.53 COP 30.2K

35.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 CA$20.15

$14.04 COP 44.5K

1.50%

Apples (1kg)

$5.26 CA$7.44

$4.07 COP 12.9K

29.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 CA$2.52

$1.50 COP 4,742

18.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.19 CA$5.93

$2.17 COP 6,891

93.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 CA$6.85

$2.31 COP 7,310

109.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.70 CA$3.82

$1.93 COP 6,113

39.90%

Onion (1kg)

$3.01 CA$4.26

$1.64 COP 5,196

83.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 CA$3.64

$1.13 COP 3,571

127.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 CA$2.77

$1.25 COP 3,954

56.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.57 CA$23.43

$3.99 COP 12.6K

315.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.57 CA$23.43

$13.35 COP 42.3K

24.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.50 CA$6.37

$1.70 COP 5,384

164.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.29 CA$7.48

$2.37 COP 7,525

123.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.08 CA$2.94

$1.21 COP 3,827

71.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.2 CA$87.9

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-18.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 CA$4.55

$1.32 COP 4,179

143.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$2.14 COP 6,774

-43.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.89 CA$29.53

$8.47 COP 26.8K

146.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.30 COP 4,114

-3.08%

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

$27.5K CA$38.9K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-1.72%

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

$21.0K CA$29.7K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-40.69%

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

$140 CA$198

$172 COP 545.6K

-18.41%

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

$41.34 CA$58.4

$13.37 COP 42.4K

209.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.7 CA$92.8

$28.73 COP 91.1K

128.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.39 CA$55.7

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-12.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.70 CA$25.03

$17.04 COP 54.0K

3.87%

Cinema Ticket

$10.98 CA$15.52

$6.28 COP 19.9K

74.84%

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

$955 CA$1,350

$770 COP 2.4M

24.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K CA$21.2K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

66.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 CA$83.6

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-31.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.32 CA$45.69

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-43.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 CA$140

$137 COP 432.9K

-27.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 CA$159

$97.9 COP 310.4K

15.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 CA$2,010

$1,055 COP 3.3M

34.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 CA$1,788

$616 COP 2.0M

105.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,461 CA$3,479

$1,892 COP 6.0M

30.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,906 CA$2,694

$1,023 COP 3.2M

86.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,182 CA$4,498

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-21.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,763 CA$3,906

$1,678 COP 5.3M

64.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,752 CA$3,891

$652 COP 2.1M

321.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.95

10.94

-54.75%

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

Last update for Halifax: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Halifax

$1.3K 51.1%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 51.3% $649

Groceries & Markets

Halifax

$405 16.4%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 27.3% $111

Eating Out

Halifax

$281 11.4%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 40.1% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Halifax

$247 10%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 13.4% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Halifax

$136 5.5%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 24.7% $34

Getting Around

Halifax

$80 3.2%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 17% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Halifax

$61 2.5%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 5.8% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,422 in Halifax versus $1,055 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 322% higher in Halifax, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Halifax versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $405 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Halifax

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:33 8:33 AM

06:33 6:33 AM

2 h behind Halifax

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

403,131

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Halifax Medellin 4,420 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Halifax
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

Halifax vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,477 in Halifax, $1,614 in Medellin – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,715 per month in Halifax and $2,421 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 23% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $955 per month in Halifax and $770 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 $1,614, than in Halifax at $2,477. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Halifax it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Halifax has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,614 in Medellin to $2,477 in Halifax. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Halifax makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.