Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marathon and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,236 in Marathon, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Marathon
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Marathon Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Marathon

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,236

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,236 per month in Marathon vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Marathon $2,236
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,207 per month in Marathon vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Marathon $3,207
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,177 per month in Marathon vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Marathon $4,177
Medellin $3,186

Marathon costs about 36% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Marathon and Medellin sit above the global median – Marathon by 64%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.27 CA$22.85

$8.09 COP 25.4K

101.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 CA$85.7

$47.05 COP 148.0K

29.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.18 CA$12.90

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-3.37%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.35

$3.01 COP 9,485

26.58%

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

$1.77 CA$2.49

$1.80 COP 5,660

-1.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 CA$2.10

$1.41 COP 4,443

5.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 CA$7.72

$3.18 COP 9,990

72.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.21 CA$8.72

$5.75 COP 18.1K

8.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 CA$2.93

$1.51 COP 4,751

38.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 CA$3.67

$2.38 COP 7,480

9.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 CA$4.93

$1.77 COP 5,573

98.31%

Eggs

$3.44 CA$4.83

$2.89 COP 9,093

19.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 CA$14.03

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-1.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.65 CA$16.36

$9.87 COP 31.1K

18.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.96 CA$21.01

$13.99 COP 44.0K

6.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.42

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-2.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 CA$1.91

$1.55 COP 4,883

-12.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.27

$2.18 COP 6,867

72.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.47

$2.18 COP 6,870

78.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 CA$3.43

$1.96 COP 6,174

24.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 CA$3.23

$1.59 COP 5,000

44.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 CA$3.40

$1.15 COP 3,604

110.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.25

$1.24 COP 3,911

29.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.86 CA$19.48

$3.96 COP 12.5K

250.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.59 CA$17.69

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-7.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CA$3.77

$1.66 COP 5,222

62.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CA$4.36

$2.26 COP 7,104

37.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.64 CA$3.71

$1.17 COP 3,674

125.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.7 CA$82.5

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-24.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 CA$4.03

$1.27 COP 3,989

125.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 CA$2.12

$2.05 COP 6,442

-26.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.34 CA$37.01

$8.55 COP 26.9K

208.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 CA$1.46

$1.35 COP 4,237

-22.96%

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

$27.5K CA$38.7K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-19.17%

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

$18.7K CA$26.3K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-45.97%

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

$137 CA$192

$170 COP 533.7K

-19.54%

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

$38.33 CA$53.9

$13.55 COP 42.6K

182.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.2 CA$76.2

$28.07 COP 88.3K

93.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.55 CA$48.54

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-20.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.24 CA$28.43

$17.19 COP 54.1K

17.74%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 CA$15.18

$6.91 COP 21.7K

56.30%

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

$609 CA$856

$797 COP 2.5M

-23.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K CA$18.1K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

41.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 CA$78.8

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-33.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.45 CA$54.0

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-33.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 CA$119

$135 COP 424.6K

-37.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 CA$146

$97.9 COP 307.9K

6.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,264 CA$1,775

$1,208 COP 3.8M

4.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 CA$1,590

$642 COP 2.0M

76.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,017 CA$2,833

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-0.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 CA$2,380

$1,012 COP 3.2M

67.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,326 CA$6,078

$4,170 COP 13.1M

3.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,656 CA$5,137

$1,910 COP 6.0M

91.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,772 CA$2,489

$657 COP 2.1M

169.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

10.94

-57.22%

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

Last update for Marathon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Marathon

$1.1K 50.6%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 43.3% $490

Groceries & Markets

Marathon

$355 15.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 16.4% $58

Eating Out

Marathon

$256 11.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 33.8% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marathon

$229 10.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 7.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Marathon

$127 5.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 32.6% $42

Getting Around

Marathon

$80 3.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 17.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Marathon

$56 2.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 2.4% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,264 in Marathon 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 Marathon are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Marathon versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $355 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Marathon

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:42 1:42 PM

12:42 12:42 PM

1 h behind Marathon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,300

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.712 USD

1 CAD = 0.639 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.712 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.639 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 CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Marathon Medellin 4,830 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Marathon
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

Marathon vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Marathon is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,354 per month in Marathon and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,264 in Marathon and $1,208 in Medellin. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $609 per month in Marathon and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Marathon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,236 in Marathon and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,236 in Marathon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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