Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manta and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Manta: $670 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Manta
Learn more

Manta Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Manta

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$670

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $670 in Manta versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Manta $670
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,152 in Manta versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Manta $1,152
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,634 in Manta versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Manta $1,634
Medellin $3,186

Living in Manta costs roughly 59% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Manta is 51% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 $3.04

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-62.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.9 $51.9

$47.05 COP 151.7K

10.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.18 $5.18

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-45.47%

Cappuccino

$2.81 $2.81

$3.01 COP 9,722

-6.64%

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

$0.48 $0.48

$1.80 COP 5,801

-73.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 $0.42

$1.41 COP 4,554

-70.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-8.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 $3.86

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-32.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.51 COP 4,869

-35.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 $2.00

$2.38 COP 7,667

-15.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.77 COP 5,712

-44.63%

Eggs

$2.11 $2.11

$2.89 COP 9,320

-26.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-69.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-68.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.88 $6.88

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-50.82%

Apples (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-75.57%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 $0.72

$1.55 COP 5,005

-53.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.73 $0.73

$2.18 COP 7,039

-66.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 $0.77

$2.18 COP 7,041

-64.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.96 COP 6,328

-75.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.59 COP 5,125

-69.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 $0.65

$1.15 COP 3,694

-43.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.24 COP 4,009

-17.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.96 COP 12.8K

1.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-50.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.66 COP 5,352

-39.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.26 COP 7,281

-1.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 $0.50

$1.17 COP 3,766

-57.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.27 COP 4,089

40.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.05 COP 6,603

-13.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.28 $9.28

$8.55 COP 27.6K

8.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.35 COP 4,343

-45.19%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-33.35%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-12.06%

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

$93.6 $93.6

$170 COP 547.0K

-44.86%

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

$11.20 $11.20

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-17.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.03 $26.03

$28.07 COP 90.5K

-7.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.90 $19.90

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-54.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.50 $35.50

$17.19 COP 55.4K

106.52%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 $5.10

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-26.19%

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

$370 $370

$797 COP 2.6M

-53.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,708 $5,708

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-37.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 $55.4

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-34.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.90 $39.90

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-31.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 $99.3

$135 COP 435.2K

-26.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.1 $62.1

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-36.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$306 $306

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-74.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$137 $137

$642 COP 2.1M

-78.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$916 $916

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-54.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 $337

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-66.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$478 $478

$657 COP 2.1M

-27.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

10.94

-8.14%

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

Last update for Manta: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Manta

$144 21.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 107% $153

Accommodation & Living

Manta

$137 20.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 367% $504

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manta

$131 19.5%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 61.5% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Manta

$116 17.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 46.3% $53

Eating Out

Manta

$100 14.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 70.3% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Manta

$30 4.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 91.2% $27

Getting Around

Manta

$13 * 1.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 643% $81

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $306 in Manta and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 37% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $52 in Manta vs $47 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $144 vs $297, with Manta cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Manta

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

05:36 5:36 AM

Same time as Manta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,553

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manta Medellin 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Manta
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

Manta vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manta is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Manta. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $306 in Manta versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $370 in Manta versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $52 in Manta. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $670 in Manta versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Manta but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Manta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Manta is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Manta wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.