Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matera and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Matera: $1,484 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

71

Cost of Living Index in Matera
Learn more

Matera Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Matera

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,484

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,484 per month in Matera vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Matera $1,484
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,356 per month in Matera vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Matera $2,356
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,227 per month in Matera vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Matera $3,227
Medellin $3,186

Matera is about 9% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Matera and Medellin sit above the global median – Matera by 9%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.29 €13.70

$8.09 COP 26.1K

89.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 €54.3

$47.05 COP 151.7K

28.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.34 €10.16

$9.50 COP 30.6K

19.37%

Cappuccino

$1.88 €1.68

$3.01 COP 9,722

-37.54%

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

$2.27 €2.03

$1.80 COP 5,801

26.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.41 COP 4,554

-22.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.14

$3.18 COP 10.2K

80.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-42.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.51 COP 4,869

4.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.38 COP 7,667

-27.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 €2.94

$1.77 COP 5,712

85.31%

Eggs

$3.52 €3.15

$2.89 COP 9,320

21.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.39 €13.79

$10.19 COP 32.9K

51.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.28 €11.00

$9.87 COP 31.8K

24.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.84 €18.67

$13.99 COP 45.1K

48.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.36

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-33.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$1.55 COP 5,005

39.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$2.18 COP 7,039

-48.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 €3.41

$2.18 COP 7,041

74.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.96 COP 6,328

-9.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.59 COP 5,125

3.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.15 COP 3,694

26.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 €0.42

$1.24 COP 4,009

-62.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 €6.05

$3.96 COP 12.8K

70.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.34 €5.68

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-53.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.66 COP 5,352

10.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 €2.79

$2.26 COP 7,281

37.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.17 COP 3,766

47.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.20 €18.09

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-73.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 €3.96

$1.27 COP 4,089

248.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 €1.07

$2.05 COP 6,603

-41.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.74 €21.26

$8.55 COP 27.6K

177.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.35 COP 4,343

49.63%

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

$35.1K €31.5K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

3.10%

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

$37.3K €33.4K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

7.72%

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

$197 €177

$170 COP 547.0K

16.40%

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

$9.37 €8.39

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-30.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 €27.53

$28.07 COP 90.5K

9.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 €49.56

$43.70 COP 140.9K

26.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.43 €20.98

$17.19 COP 55.4K

36.30%

Cinema Ticket

$9.94 €8.90

$6.91 COP 22.3K

43.85%

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

$448 €401

$797 COP 2.6M

-43.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 €7,092

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-13.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.2 €60.2

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-20.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.87 €38.39

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-26.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.3

$135 COP 435.2K

-21.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €121

$97.9 COP 315.6K

37.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 €632

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-41.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$421 €377

$642 COP 2.1M

-34.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 €918

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-49.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$841 €753

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-16.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,772 €2,483

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-33.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,179 €2,847

$1,910 COP 6.2M

66.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 €1,568

$657 COP 2.1M

166.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.08

10.94

-71.85%

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

Last update for Matera: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matera

$421 28.3%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 52.5% $221

Groceries & Markets

Matera

$328 22.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 9.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matera

$238 16%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 11.1% $26

Eating Out

Matera

$228 15.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 25.5% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Matera

$158 10.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 7.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Matera

$75 5.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 23.5% $18

Getting Around

Matera

$37 2.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 150% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Matera 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 Matera are about 2.7 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Matera versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Matera

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

22:07 10:07 PM

6 h behind Matera

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,607

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Matera Medellin 9,740 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Matera
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

Matera vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 10% more than Matera, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,227 per month in Matera 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 Matera, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $705 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 74% less in Matera. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $448 per month in Matera and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,484 in Matera and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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