Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Aguilares

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguilares: $806 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Aguilares
Learn more

Aguilares Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Aguilares

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Aguilares

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Medellin versus $806 in Aguilares.

Medellin $1,589
Aguilares $806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,364 in Medellin versus $1,292 in Aguilares.

Medellin $2,364
Aguilares $1,292

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,139 in Medellin versus $1,777 in Aguilares.

Medellin $3,139
Aguilares $1,777

Living in Medellin is roughly 97% more expensive than in Aguilares, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 19% above, Aguilares is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$6.90 $6.90

16.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$44.21 $44.21

5.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$6.90 $6.90

36.67%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$3.70 $3.70

-21.35%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$1.15 $1.15

52.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$0.79 $0.79

67.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$1.96 $1.96

59.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$3.58 $3.58

55.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$1.85 $1.85

-23.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$2.77 $2.77

-11.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$1.37 $1.37

18.98%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$3.12 $3.12

-9.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$7.51 $7.51

29.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$6.78 $6.78

37.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$10.37 $10.37

29.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$5.11 $5.11

-21.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$1.47 $1.47

0.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$2.94 $2.94

-27.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$3.52 $3.52

-36.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$2.96 $2.96

-35.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$3.34 $3.34

-51.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$0.97 $0.97

18.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$0.96 $0.96

31.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$3.96 $3.96

-3.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$11.79 $11.79

11.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

$2.27 $2.27

-29.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

$2.89 $2.89

-21.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$5.90 $5.90

-78.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

$2.96 $2.96

-30.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$19.87 $19.87

-58.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$1.20 $1.20

5.83%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$25.2K $25.2K

6.24%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$26.9K $26.9K

28.10%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$128 $128

26.35%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$21.01 $21.01

-37.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$41.77 $41.77

-32.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$5.10 $5.10

19.41%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$160 $160

376.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$4,767 $4,767

86.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$66.4 $66.4

27.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$46.24 $46.24

24.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$116 $116

13.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$117 $117

-18.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.5

28.71%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Aguilares: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Aguilares

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Aguilares

$287 35.5% 0.5% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Aguilares

$191 23.6% 6% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Aguilares

$156 19.2% 6.4% $11

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Aguilares

$145 17.9% 12.8% $21

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Aguilares

$21 * 2.6% 77.3% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Aguilares

$10 * 1.3% 81.9% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $44.00 in Aguilares for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $287 per month, with Aguilares cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇻 Aguilares

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

07:06 7:06 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

21,445

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Aguilares 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Aguilares

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 Aguilares: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aguilares wins on cost – living expenses run 97% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Aguilares the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,384 in Medellin and $1,209 in Aguilares 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.

Childcare runs $764 in Medellin versus $160 in Aguilares. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Aguilares – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $47.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $806 in Aguilares versus $1,589 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Aguilares but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Aguilares the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Aguilares delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Aguilares hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Aguilares gentler on the wallet – expenses run 97% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.