Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maia and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,182 in Maia, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Maia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Maia
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Maia Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Maia

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,182

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,182 per month in Maia vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Maia $2,182
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $2,718 per month in Maia vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Maia $2,718
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $3,254 per month in Maia vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Maia $3,254
Medellin $3,199

Maia costs about 34% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Maia and Medellin sit above the global median – Maia by 61%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.42 €10.16

$8.30 COP 26.3K

37.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.0 €44.49

$46.91 COP 148.7K

6.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.88 €7.90

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-3.90%

Cappuccino

$2.00 €1.78

$3.05 COP 9,676

-34.43%

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

$1.93 €1.71

$1.80 COP 5,707

7.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.38 COP 4,382

5.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 €1.98

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-31.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 €3.57

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-27.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.50 COP 4,760

-26.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.50

$2.37 COP 7,508

-28.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.70 COP 5,377

-10.00%

Eggs

$2.89 €2.57

$2.96 COP 9,379

-2.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 €11.82

$10.22 COP 32.4K

30.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 €7.05

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-18.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.73 €13.10

$13.90 COP 44.1K

5.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-46.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.53 COP 4,839

13.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.22 COP 7,052

-6.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$2.27 COP 7,194

2.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.99 COP 6,311

11.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.67 COP 5,285

31.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 €0.82

$1.18 COP 3,742

-21.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.24 COP 3,919

-11.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 €5.89

$3.87 COP 12.3K

71.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-66.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.66 COP 5,256

-21.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.40 COP 7,615

2.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.24 COP 3,944

99.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.74 €39.80

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-42.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.55 €4.04

$1.28 COP 4,044

255.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.15 COP 6,803

-33.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.93 €15.06

$8.37 COP 26.5K

102.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.35 COP 4,288

55.56%

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

$32.3K €28.7K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-7.20%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

10.93%

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

$106 €94.3

$167 COP 528.4K

-36.36%

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

$20.07 €17.85

$13.62 COP 43.2K

47.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.05 €33.84

$29.12 COP 92.3K

30.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.89 €39.93

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-0.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.01 €30.25

$17.18 COP 54.5K

97.96%

Cinema Ticket

$8.65 €7.70

$6.97 COP 22.1K

24.10%

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

$439 €390

$790 COP 2.5M

-44.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,437 €5,726

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-28.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €98.9

$87.8 COP 278.4K

26.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.04 €19.60

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-62.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.9 €67.5

$139 COP 440.7K

-45.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.0

$98.9 COP 313.5K

6.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,072 €953

$1,028 COP 3.3M

4.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 €1,168

$620 COP 2.0M

112.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 €1,518

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-9.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,008 COP 3.2M

23.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,036 €2,701

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-23.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,673 €1,488

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-1.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,420 €1,263

$663 COP 2.1M

114.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

10.94

-66.18%

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

Last update for Maia: October 17, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maia

$1.3K 60.2%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 52.8% $694

Groceries & Markets

Maia

$259 11.9%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 14.8% $39

Eating Out

Maia

$175 8%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 2.2% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maia

$164 7.5%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 27.6% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Maia

$142 6.5%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 21.9% $31

Getting Around

Maia

$66 3%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 43.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Maia

$62 2.9%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 5.1% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,072 in Maia 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 114% higher in Maia, 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 $50.0 in Maia versus $47.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in Maia vs $298 in Medellin – so Maia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Maia

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:00 6:00 PM

12:00 12:00 PM

6 h behind Maia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,988

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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Maia Medellin 7,630 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Maia
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

Maia vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maia costs about 34% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,273 per month in Maia and $2,437 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Maia 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 $2,182 in Maia and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 34%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Maia at $2,182. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,625 versus $2,182 in Maia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Maia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.