Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maracay and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Maracay: $735 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Maracay
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Maracay Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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Maracay

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$735

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $735 per month in Maracay vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Maracay $735
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,245 per month in Maracay vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Maracay $1,245
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,755 per month in Maracay vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Maracay $1,755
Medellin $3,186

Maracay is about 55% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Maracay sits 46% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.93 VES 4,366

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-39.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.44 VES 28.7K

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-31.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 VES 7,056

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-16.21%

Cappuccino

$1.62 VES 1,439

$3.01 COP 9,485

-46.18%

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

$1.21 VES 1,069

$1.80 COP 5,660

-32.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 VES 1,058

$1.41 COP 4,443

-15.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 VES 1,035

$3.18 COP 9,990

-63.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 VES 2,627

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-48.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.68 VES 2,371

$1.51 COP 4,751

77.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 VES 2,066

$2.38 COP 7,480

-2.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 VES 916

$1.77 COP 5,573

-41.81%

Eggs

$2.72 VES 2,411

$2.89 COP 9,093

-5.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.55 VES 5,807

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-35.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.59 VES 4,951

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-43.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.14 VES 7,210

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-41.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 VES 3,636

$3.97 COP 12.5K

3.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 VES 1,818

$1.55 COP 4,883

32.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 VES 1,903

$2.18 COP 6,867

-1.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 VES 2,013

$2.18 COP 6,870

4.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 VES 2,053

$1.96 COP 6,174

18.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 VES 1,944

$1.59 COP 5,000

37.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 VES 1,433

$1.15 COP 3,604

40.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 VES 2,015

$1.24 COP 3,911

83.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 VES 2,231

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-36.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.88 VES 8,750

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-27.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 VES 1,001

$1.66 COP 5,221

-31.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 VES 1,525

$2.26 COP 7,103

-23.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 VES 424

$1.17 COP 3,674

-58.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.18 VES 17.9K

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-73.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 VES 2,675

$1.27 COP 3,989

137.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.71 VES 2,398

$2.05 COP 6,442

32.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.94 VES 8,808

$8.55 COP 26.9K

16.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 VES 610

$1.35 COP 4,237

-48.89%

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

$25.0K VES 22.2M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-26.56%

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

$39.3K VES 34.8M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

13.37%

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

$12.72 VES 11.3K

$170 COP 533.7K

-92.50%

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

$11.71 VES 10.4K

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-13.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.69 VES 34.3K

$28.07 COP 88.3K

37.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.13 VES 25.8K

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-33.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.30 VES 13.6K

$17.19 COP 54.1K

-10.99%

Cinema Ticket

$3.97 VES 3,516

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-42.55%

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

$75.3 VES 66.7K

$797 COP 2.5M

-90.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,991 VES 5.3M

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-34.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 VES 46.4K

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-38.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.03 VES 31.9K

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-37.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 VES 73.0K

$135 COP 424.6K

-38.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 VES 84.1K

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-2.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$221 VES 195.6K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-81.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$108 VES 96.0K

$642 COP 2.0M

-83.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$571 VES 505.6K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-71.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 VES 242.8K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-72.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$445 VES 393.9K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-89.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$198 VES 175.7K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-89.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$209 VES 185.4K

$657 COP 2.1M

-68.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.5

10.94

96.53%

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

Last update for Maracay: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Maracay

$264 35.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 12.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Maracay

$120 16.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 41.3% $49

Accommodation & Living

Maracay

$108 14.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 492% $533

Eating Out

Maracay

$104 14.2%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 62.8% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maracay

$63 8.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 235% $148

Getting Around

Maracay

$39 5.3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 142% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Maracay

$37 5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 55.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $221 in Maracay versus $1,208 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 in Medellin are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Maracay versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $297 – making Maracay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Maracay

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:10 6:10 PM

17:10 5:10 PM

1 h behind Maracay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

425,606

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VES = 1.13 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to VES – Venezuelan Bolívar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Bolívar (Bs.S)

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 886 VES (1,000 VES = 1.13 USD). 1 EUR = 986 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to VES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Maracay Medellin 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Maracay
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

Maracay vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 123% more than Maracay, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,102 per month in Maracay and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maracay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $221 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Maracay and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Maracay – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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