Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ahuachapan

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $1,848 in Ahuachapan, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ahuachapan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Ahuachapan
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Ahuachapan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Ahuachapan

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,848

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ahuachapan

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,848 in Ahuachapan, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Ahuachapan $1,848

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $2,014 in Ahuachapan, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Ahuachapan $2,014

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,180 in Ahuachapan, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Ahuachapan $2,180

Medellin is about 12% cheaper than Ahuachapan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Medellin and Ahuachapan sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Ahuachapan by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.1K

$6.83 $6.83

21.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 147.5K

$44.44 $44.44

5.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.1K

$7.11 $7.11

29.96%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,596

$3.61 $3.61

-15.51%

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

$1.80 COP 5,659

$1.12 $1.12

60.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,345

$0.81 $0.81

70.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.2K

$1.98 $1.98

63.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.5K

$3.49 $3.49

59.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,720

$1.81 $1.81

-17.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,445

$2.81 $2.81

-15.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,332

$1.39 $1.39

22.30%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,301

$3.01 $3.01

-1.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.1K

$7.58 $7.58

34.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.6K

$6.83 $6.83

42.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 43.7K

$10.36 $10.36

34.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.0K

$4.95 $4.95

-16.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,799

$1.38 $1.38

10.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 6,993

$2.55 $2.55

-12.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,135

$3.43 $3.43

-33.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,258

$2.90 $2.90

-31.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,241

$3.20 $3.20

-47.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,711

$0.95 $0.95

24.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,886

$0.91 $0.91

36.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.2K

$3.88 $3.88

-0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.3K

$11.96 $11.96

15.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,212

$2.21 $2.21

-24.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,552

$2.94 $2.94

-18.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,911

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 245.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,011

$6.05 $6.05

-78.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,747

$3.05 $3.05

-29.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.3K

$19.82 $19.82

-57.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,252

$1.25 $1.25

8.00%

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

$34.8K COP 109.3M

$25.0K $25.0K

39.02%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$27.1K $27.1K

28.00%

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

$167 COP 524.0K

$131 $131

27.10%

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

$13.62 COP 42.8K

$21.53 $21.53

-36.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 91.6K

$42.30 $42.30

-31.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 141.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 21.9K

$4.94 $4.94

41.09%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$164 $164

381.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.4M

$4,777 $4,777

89.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 276.1K

$67.6 $67.6

29.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 182.8K

$46.64 $46.64

24.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 437.0K

$117 $117

19.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 310.9K

$119 $119

-17.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.2M

$530 $530

93.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 1.9M

$1,038 $1,038

-40.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 5.9M

$364 $364

416.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$389 $389

159.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.5M

$3,064 $3,064

30.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,291 $1,291

31.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$552 $552

20.13%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Ahuachapan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Ahuachapan

$1K 56.2% 67.5% $418

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Ahuachapan

$283 15.3% 5.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Ahuachapan

$195 10.6% 6.9% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Ahuachapan

$158 8.5% 8.8% $15

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Ahuachapan

$144 7.8% 15.8% $27

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Ahuachapan

$21 * 1.2% 77.6% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Ahuachapan

$9.9 * 0.5% 83.3% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $530 in Ahuachapan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 20% higher in Medellin, 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 $47 in Medellin versus $44 in Ahuachapan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $283 – making Ahuachapan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇻 Ahuachapan

🕒 Local time

01:55 1:55 AM

00:55 12:55 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

110,511

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

1 USD = 0.891 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 3,144 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,528 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Ahuachapan 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ahuachapan

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 Ahuachapan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,625 in Medellin, $1,848 in Ahuachapan – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $2,772 in Ahuachapan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ahuachapan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $530 there versus $1,028 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $1,848 in Ahuachapan. That’s a gap of about 14%.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $164 in Ahuachapan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,625 in Medellin and $1,848 in Ahuachapan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,625 in Medellin to $1,848 in Ahuachapan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.