Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masaya and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Masaya: $823 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Masaya
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Masaya Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Masaya

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$823

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $823 per month in Masaya vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Masaya $823
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,283 per month in Masaya vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Masaya $1,283
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,744 per month in Masaya vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Masaya $1,744
Medellin $3,186

Masaya is about 50% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Masaya sits 40% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.92 NIO 363

$8.09 COP 25.4K

22.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.43 NIO 1,261

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-26.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.73 NIO 283

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-18.63%

Cappuccino

$2.54 NIO 93.0

$3.01 COP 9,485

-15.61%

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

$0.91 NIO 33.22

$1.80 COP 5,660

-49.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 NIO 26.84

$1.41 COP 4,443

-48.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 NIO 56.0

$3.18 COP 9,990

-51.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 NIO 83.6

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-60.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 NIO 44.66

$1.51 COP 4,751

-19.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 NIO 87.8

$2.38 COP 7,480

0.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 NIO 65.8

$1.77 COP 5,573

1.69%

Eggs

$2.38 NIO 87.3

$2.89 COP 9,093

-17.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.43 NIO 419

$10.19 COP 32.1K

12.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 NIO 233

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-35.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.68 NIO 281

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-45.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 NIO 145

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-0.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 NIO 21.03

$1.55 COP 4,883

-63.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 NIO 67.3

$2.18 COP 6,867

-15.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 NIO 92.0

$2.18 COP 6,870

15.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 NIO 143

$1.96 COP 6,174

99.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 NIO 82.0

$1.59 COP 5,000

40.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 NIO 39.98

$1.15 COP 3,604

-5.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 NIO 38.67

$1.24 COP 3,911

-14.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 NIO 103

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-29.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.85 NIO 544

$13.68 COP 43.0K

8.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 NIO 53.5

$1.66 COP 5,221

-12.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NIO 79.8

$2.26 COP 7,103

-3.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 NIO 58.7

$1.27 COP 3,989

25.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 NIO 58.2

$2.05 COP 6,442

-22.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.85 NIO 251

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-19.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 NIO 50.5

$1.35 COP 4,237

2.22%

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

$22.7K NIO 832.1K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-33.31%

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

$26.4K NIO 966.7K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-23.87%

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

$154 NIO 5,654

$170 COP 533.7K

-9.01%

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

$19.83 NIO 726

$13.55 COP 42.6K

46.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.97 NIO 1,171

$28.07 COP 88.3K

13.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 NIO 332

$6.91 COP 21.7K

31.11%

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

$240 NIO 8,800

$797 COP 2.5M

-69.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,987 NIO 219.3K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-34.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 NIO 2,184

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-29.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.7 NIO 2,369

$58.0 COP 182.3K

11.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 NIO 4,504

$135 COP 424.6K

-8.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 NIO 5,379

$97.9 COP 307.9K

50.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.92

10.94

8.96%

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

Last update for Masaya: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Masaya

$260 31.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 14.4% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masaya

$206 25.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 2.5% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Masaya

$177 21.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 4.7% $8.4

Eating Out

Masaya

$152 18.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 11.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Masaya

$18 * 2.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 218% $39

Getting Around

Masaya

$9.5 * 1.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 881% $84

Accommodation & Living

Masaya

- * 0%

Medellin

$642 39.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Masaya versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $297 – making Masaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇮 Masaya

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:58 4:58 PM

17:58 5:58 PM

1 h ahead of Masaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

178,835

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to NIO – Nicaraguan Córdoba Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇮 Nicaraguan Córdoba (C$)

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 40.77 NIO (100 NIO = 2.45 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 NIO in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Masaya Medellin 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Masaya
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

Masaya vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 99%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,234 per month in Masaya and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Masaya and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Masaya, where all-in costs run around $823, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Masaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $823 in Masaya to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.