Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Plata and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in La Plata: $960 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in La Plata
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La Plata Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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La Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$960

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $960 per month in La Plata vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

La Plata $960
Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $1,729 per month in La Plata vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

La Plata $1,729
Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $2,497 per month in La Plata vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

La Plata $2,497
Medellin $3,139

La Plata is about 40% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

La Plata sits 28% below the global median, while Medellin is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.39 ARS 23.3K

$8.01 COP 25.6K

92.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.90 ARS 75.7K

$46.55 COP 148.7K

7.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ARS 14.6K

$9.43 COP 30.1K

2.44%

Cappuccino

$3.83 ARS 5,806

$2.91 COP 9,300

31.62%

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

$1.55 ARS 2,352

$1.75 COP 5,599

-11.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 ARS 1,408

$1.32 COP 4,229

-29.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.59 ARS 5,447

$3.13 COP 9,993

14.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ARS 5,516

$5.55 COP 17.7K

-34.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 ARS 1,640

$1.41 COP 4,506

-23.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 ARS 3,197

$2.44 COP 7,796

-13.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 ARS 1,336

$1.63 COP 5,204

-46.01%

Eggs

$2.20 ARS 3,331

$2.82 COP 9,012

-21.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.60 ARS 13.0K

$9.69 COP 31.0K

-11.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.39 ARS 8,180

$9.32 COP 29.8K

-42.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.37 ARS 14.2K

$13.46 COP 43.0K

-30.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 2,999

$4.00 COP 12.8K

-50.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 ARS 2,871

$1.48 COP 4,730

27.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.75 ARS 1,140

$2.12 COP 6,785

-64.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ARS 2,354

$2.25 COP 7,196

-31.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 ARS 787

$1.91 COP 6,107

-72.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ARS 972

$1.62 COP 5,173

-60.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ARS 1,540

$1.15 COP 3,667

-11.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 ARS 1,581

$1.26 COP 4,031

-17.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.11 ARS 4,710

$3.82 COP 12.2K

-18.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.03 ARS 7,635

$13.11 COP 41.9K

-61.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,296

$1.60 COP 5,096

35.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 ARS 4,135

$2.26 COP 7,206

20.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 ARS 1,032

$1.17 COP 3,740

-41.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.59 ARS 6,959

$75.0 COP 239.6K

-93.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 ARS 2,392

$1.27 COP 4,066

24.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ARS 1,001

$2.05 COP 6,548

-67.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.81 ARS 11.9K

$8.20 COP 26.2K

-4.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ARS 1,712

$1.27 COP 4,056

-11.02%

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

$22.7K ARS 34.4M

$26.8K COP 85.5M

-15.39%

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

$34.3K ARS 51.9M

$34.4K COP 109.9M

-0.44%

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

$71.0 ARS 107.6K

$162 COP 518.2K

-56.25%

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

$11.00 ARS 16.7K

$13.12 COP 41.9K

-16.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.28 ARS 36.8K

$28.09 COP 89.7K

-13.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.49 ARS 38.7K

$44.33 COP 141.6K

-42.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.00 ARS 16.7K

$16.33 COP 52.2K

-32.64%

Cinema Ticket

$5.39 ARS 8,168

$6.09 COP 19.4K

-11.49%

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

$139 ARS 210.8K

$764 COP 2.4M

-81.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,123 ARS 6.3M

$8,904 COP 28.4M

-53.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 ARS 162.3K

$85.0 COP 271.4K

25.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.95 ARS 31.8K

$57.5 COP 183.6K

-63.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 ARS 145.2K

$132 COP 420.9K

-27.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.2 ARS 82.2K

$95.8 COP 305.9K

-43.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$352 ARS 534.3K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-65.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ARS 355.7K

$604 COP 1.9M

-61.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,189 ARS 1.8M

$1,802 COP 5.8M

-34.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$765 ARS 1.2M

$993 COP 3.2M

-22.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,970 ARS 3.0M

$3,921 COP 12.5M

-49.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,214 ARS 1.8M

$1,639 COP 5.2M

-25.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$724 ARS 1.1M

$626 COP 2.0M

15.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

283.91%

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

Last update for La Plata: October 4, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Plata

$235 24.7%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 158% $370

Eating Out

La Plata

$233 24.5%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 28.7% $67

Groceries & Markets

La Plata

$203 21.4%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 42.2% $86

Clothing & Footwear

La Plata

$125 13.2%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 33.1% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Plata

$106 11.2%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 91.5% $97

Sport & Entertainment

La Plata

$36 3.8%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 55.8% $20

Getting Around

La Plata

$12 1.3%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 648% $79

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $352 in La Plata versus $1,028 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 16% higher in La Plata, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in La Plata versus $47.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $203 in La Plata vs $288 in Medellin – so La Plata wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇷 La Plata

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

05:52 5:52 AM

03:52 3:52 AM

2 h behind La Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193,144

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.13 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 3,194 COP (10,000 COP = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 3,566 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

La Plata Medellin 4,940 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

La Plata
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

La Plata vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $960 in La Plata, $1,589 in Medellin – roughly 66% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,440 per month in La Plata and $2,384 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in La Plata, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in La Plata and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $960 in La Plata and $1,589 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 66%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in La Plata, where all-in costs run around $960, than in Medellin at $1,589. In La Plata it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $960 in La Plata to $1,589 in Medellin. 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 La Plata. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.