Cost of Living Comparison Between Mayari and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Mayari and Medellin

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,524 in Mayari versus $1,013 in Medellin.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,914 in Mayari versus $1,602 in Medellin.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,305 in Mayari versus $2,192 in Medellin.

Living in Mayari is roughly 50% more expensive than Medellin, driven mainly by Monthly Utilities & Internet.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mayari is 14% above, Medellin is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.16 CUP 148

$5.99 COP 21.4K

2.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.96 CUP 479

$32.86 COP 117.4K

-39.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.32 CUP 152

$7.09 COP 25.3K

-10.86%

Cappuccino

$1.29 CUP 30.90

$1.71 COP 6,115

-24.56%

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

$2.16 CUP 51.8

$1.10 COP 3,924

96.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 CUP 29.48

$0.78 COP 2,781

57.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 CUP 58.8

$1.68 COP 5,997

45.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 CUP 73.4

$3.07 COP 11.0K

-0.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.89 CUP 69.4

$1.09 COP 3,906

165.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 CUP 20.08

$1.26 COP 4,508

-33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 CUP 60.3

$1.38 COP 4,922

81.88%

Eggs

$3.09 CUP 74.1

$2.19 COP 7,827

41.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.97 CUP 143

$4.40 COP 15.7K

35.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.35 CUP 128

$5.63 COP 20.1K

-4.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.67 CUP 280

$8.89 COP 31.8K

31.27%

Apples (1kg)

$5.14 CUP 123

$2.34 COP 8,349

119.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 CUP 29.51

$1.06 COP 3,777

16.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 CUP 32.79

$1.50 COP 5,374

-8.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 CUP 35.23

$1.38 COP 4,924

6.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 CUP 45.98

$1.15 COP 4,111

66.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 CUP 67.6

$1.16 COP 4,155

143.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 CUP 23.33

$0.89 COP 3,182

8.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 CUP 26.00

$0.84 COP 2,997

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.56 CUP 85.4

$2.28 COP 8,145

56.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.18 CUP 244

$10.64 COP 38.0K

-4.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 CUP 42.51

$1.20 COP 4,284

47.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 CUP 47.53

$2.47 COP 8,824

-19.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 CUP 4.44

$0.86 COP 3,056

-79.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.93 CUP 478

$41.40 COP 147.9K

-51.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.34 CUP 56.2

$1.47 COP 5,264

59.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 CUP 9.35

$1.96 COP 7,009

-80.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.99 CUP 480

$7.74 COP 27.6K

158.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CUP 29.15

$0.95 COP 3,409

27.37%

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

$69.8K CUP 1.7M

$18.1K COP 64.7M

284.82%

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

$81.1K CUP 1.9M

$26.5K COP 94.6M

206.13%

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

$34.42 CUP 826

$82.3 COP 293.7K

-58.15%

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

$40.04 CUP 961

$9.50 COP 33.9K

321.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$247 CUP 5,924

$24.23 COP 86.5K

918.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.06 CUP 961

$25.89 COP 92.4K

54.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.24 CUP 366

$19.00 COP 67.9K

-19.79%

Cinema Ticket

$0.98 CUP 23.58

$3.93 COP 14.0K

-75.06%

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

$118 CUP 2,834

$309 COP 1.1M

-61.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K CUP 420.5K

$5,965 COP 21.3M

193.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 CUP 1,313

$58.7 COP 209.5K

-6.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.30 CUP 967

$32.35 COP 115.5K

24.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.34 CUP 1,064

$103 COP 366.4K

-56.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.1 CUP 1,202

$108 COP 387.2K

-53.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$212 CUP 5,093

$476 COP 1.7M

-55.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 CUP 16.0K

$379 COP 1.4M

76.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$376 CUP 9,019

$838 COP 3.0M

-55.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$685 CUP 16.4K

$724 COP 2.6M

-5.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$397 CUP 9,524

$2,791 COP 10.0M

-85.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$354 CUP 8,504

$1,211 COP 4.3M

-70.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$21.32 CUP 512

$512 COP 1.8M

-95.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.43

-25.54%

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

Last update for Mayari: May 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $212 in Mayari and $476 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 2300% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $20.00 in Mayari vs $33.00 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $247 vs $188, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Mayari vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Mayari. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Medellin earns 2300% less. 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: $212 in Mayari versus $476 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $33.00 versus $20.00 in Mayari. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,524 per month in Mayari versus $1,013 in Medellin – a 50% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,013 in Medellin versus $1,524 in Mayari, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Mayari. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,013 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Mayari. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.