Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Aguadulce

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguadulce: $958 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Aguadulce
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Aguadulce Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Aguadulce

🇵🇦 Panama

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Aguadulce

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 Aguadulce actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $958 in Aguadulce.

Medellin $1,639
Aguadulce $958

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,533 in Aguadulce.

Medellin $2,413
Aguadulce $1,533

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,109 in Aguadulce.

Medellin $3,186
Aguadulce $2,109

Living in Medellin is roughly 71% more expensive than in Aguadulce, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Aguadulce is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$11.61 PAB 11.61

-30.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$47.62 PAB 47.62

-1.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.79 PAB 7.79

21.95%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$4.03 PAB 4.03

-25.31%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.99 PAB 1.99

-9.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.64 PAB 1.64

-14.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$3.26 PAB 3.26

-2.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$4.05 PAB 4.05

41.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.92 PAB 1.92

-21.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.57 PAB 2.57

-7.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-49.14%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.72 PAB 2.72

6.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$12.60 PAB 12.60

-19.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.69 PAB 6.69

47.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.57 PAB 10.57

32.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$4.08 PAB 4.08

-2.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.94 PAB 1.94

-20.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$4.23 PAB 4.23

-48.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$4.06 PAB 4.06

-46.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$3.51 PAB 3.51

-44.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$4.27 PAB 4.27

-62.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.37 PAB 2.37

-51.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.70 PAB 1.70

-27.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$6.10 PAB 6.10

-35.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$11.70 PAB 11.70

16.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.35 PAB 1.35

22.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.71 PAB 2.71

-16.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.26 PAB 0.26

350.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.43 PAB 2.43

-47.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.85 PAB 1.85

10.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$21.59 PAB 21.59

-60.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.20 PAB 1.20

12.50%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$24.8K PAB 24.8K

37.58%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

63.54%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$131 PAB 131

29.43%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$27.94 PAB 27.94

-51.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$48.23 PAB 48.23

-41.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$45.56 PAB 45.56

-4.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$8.74 PAB 8.74

-20.94%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$548 PAB 548

45.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$9,480 PAB 9,480

-3.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$66.1 PAB 66.1

28.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$48.83 PAB 48.83

18.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$94.8 PAB 94.8

42.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$113 PAB 113

-13.64%

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 %)

10.94

6.39

71.21%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Aguadulce: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Aguadulce

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Aguadulce

$326 34.1% 9.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Aguadulce

$207 21.6% 1.9% $4

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Aguadulce

$203 21.2% 20% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Aguadulce

$145 15.2% 14% $24

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Aguadulce

$13 * 1.3% 86.4% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Aguadulce

$63 6.6% 9.6% $5.5

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $48 in Aguadulce for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $326 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇦 Aguadulce

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

8,501

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.11 PAB (1 PAB = 0.899 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Aguadulce 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Aguadulce

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 Aguadulce: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aguadulce wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Aguadulce the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,437 in Aguadulce 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.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $958 in Aguadulce – a 71% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Aguadulce is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.