Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Acarigua

For one person, living is cheaper in Acarigua: $814 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Acarigua
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Acarigua Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Acarigua

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Acarigua

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Acarigua actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $814 in Acarigua.

Medellin $1,639
Acarigua $814

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,439 in Acarigua.

Medellin $2,413
Acarigua $1,439

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,064 in Acarigua.

Medellin $3,186
Acarigua $2,064

Living in Medellin is roughly 101% more expensive than in Acarigua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Acarigua is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$10.75 VES 9,541

-24.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$68.6 VES 60.9K

-31.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$10.98 VES 9,739

-13.48%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$3.74 VES 3,314

-19.52%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.50 VES 1,332

20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$1.30 VES 1,156

8.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.05 VES 1,815

55.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.06 VES 2,717

87.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$2.79 VES 2,472

-45.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$2.22 VES 1,966

7.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.83 VES 1,623

-3.28%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$4.80 VES 4,263

-39.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.36 VES 9,192

-1.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$9.49 VES 8,420

4.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$11.30 VES 10.0K

23.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$7.32 VES 6,492

-45.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$2.04 VES 1,812

-24.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$2.13 VES 1,893

2.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$2.34 VES 2,079

-6.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$2.27 VES 2,014

-13.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$2.14 VES 1,900

-25.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.56 VES 1,384

-26.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$2.30 VES 2,045

-46.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.61 VES 4,095

-14.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$11.81 VES 10.5K

15.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.37 VES 1,215

21.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$2.08 VES 1,849

8.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$5.06 VES 4,494

-74.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$2.76 VES 2,451

-25.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$15.12 VES 13.4K

-43.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$0.85 VES 757

58.82%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$24.5K VES 21.7M

38.99%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$39.5K VES 35.1M

-12.32%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$21.88 VES 19.4K

675.37%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$11.90 VES 10.6K

13.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$37.79 VES 33.5K

-25.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.61 VES 5,869

4.54%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$158 VES 140.4K

403.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$6,135 VES 5.4M

48.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$80.8 VES 71.7K

4.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$51.6 VES 45.8K

12.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$135 VES 119.4K

0.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$135 VES 120.2K

-27.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$643 VES 570.4K

197.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-50.27%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Acarigua: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Acarigua

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Acarigua

$338 41.5% 13.7% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Acarigua

$72 8.8% 66.1% $140

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Acarigua

$191 23.5% 12.8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Acarigua

$181 22.3% 7.2% $12

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Acarigua

$19 * 2.3% 79.8% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Acarigua

$13 * 1.6% 77% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $69 in Acarigua for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $338 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇻🇪 Acarigua

🕒 Local time

00:47 12:47 AM

01:47 1:47 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

205,933

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.13 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 887 VES (1,000 VES = 1.13 USD). 1 EUR = 995 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Acarigua 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Acarigua

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

Medellin vs Acarigua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Acarigua is about 50% cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,221 in Acarigua to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $814 in Acarigua – Acarigua is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $814 in Acarigua versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Acarigua but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Acarigua the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.