Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Les Escaldes and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Les Escaldes: $358 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Les Escaldes
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Les Escaldes Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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Les Escaldes

🇦🇩 Andorra

$358

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $358 in Les Escaldes versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Les Escaldes $358
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,794 in Les Escaldes versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Les Escaldes $1,794
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,230 in Les Escaldes versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Les Escaldes $3,230
Medellin $3,190

Living in Les Escaldes costs roughly 78% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Les Escaldes is 73% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.70 €13.08

$7.93 COP 25.2K

85.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.84 €34.55

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-15.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.30 €11.83

$9.50 COP 30.1K

40.00%

Cappuccino

$2.54 €2.26

$3.11 COP 9,866

-18.33%

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

$2.53 €2.25

$1.83 COP 5,800

38.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.38 COP 4,360

22.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 €2.66

$3.05 COP 9,672

-1.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 €2.81

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-42.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.45 COP 4,600

47.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

Eggs

$4.32 €3.85

$2.86 COP 9,077

51.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.05 €15.16

$14.04 COP 44.5K

21.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 €3.52

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-2.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$3.99 COP 12.6K

37.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.60 €5.87

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-50.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.21 COP 3,827

87.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.30 COP 4,114

40.00%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

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

$172 COP 545.6K

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

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

$770 COP 2.4M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,802 €2,493

$1,892 COP 6.0M

48.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,246 €1,998

$1,023 COP 3.2M

119.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.1K €9,900

$1,678 COP 5.3M

563.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,608 €2,319

$652 COP 2.1M

299.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Les Escaldes: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Les Escaldes

$226 63.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 25.5% $58

Groceries & Markets

Les Escaldes

$123 * 34.3%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 140% $172

Getting Around

Les Escaldes

$9.1 * 2.5%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 930% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Les Escaldes

- * 0%

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Les Escaldes

- * 0%

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Les Escaldes

- * 0%

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Accommodation & Living

Les Escaldes

- * 0%

Medellin

$616 38.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Les Escaldes pays 300% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $39.00 in Les Escaldes vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $295 per month, with Les Escaldes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇩 Les Escaldes

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

07:01 7:01 AM

7 h behind Les Escaldes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,853

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Les Escaldes Medellin 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Les Escaldes
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

Les Escaldes vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Les Escaldes and Medellin differ by about 351% in total monthly costs ($358 vs $1,614 including rent). Les Escaldes is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 300% higher in Les Escaldes, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Dining out is cheaper in Les Escaldes – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $358 per month in Les Escaldes versus $1,614 in Medellin – a 351% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $358 in Les Escaldes versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Les Escaldes but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Les Escaldes 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.

Safety-wise, Les Escaldes and Medellin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Les Escaldes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 351% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.