Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Alcoy

For one person, living is cheaper in Alcoy: $1,580 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Alcoy, Spain
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Alcoy
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,580
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Alcoy

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,580 in Alcoy, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Alcoy $1,580

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $2,339 in Alcoy, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Alcoy $2,339

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $3,098 in Alcoy, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Alcoy $3,098

Medellin costs about 7% more than Alcoy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Alcoy sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, Alcoy by 17%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Alcoy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 26.9K
$10.18 €9.06
-18.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.3K
$56.1 €49.96
-17.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.6K
$12.94 €11.52
-26.82%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.1K
$1.77 €1.57
76.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,705
$1.77 €1.58
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,601
$1.32 €1.18
7.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$3.33 €2.97
-5.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.4K
$2.34 €2.08
143.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Alcoy
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,950
$1.04 €0.92
47.12%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,401
$1.47 €1.31
55.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,282
$1.36 €1.21
42.65%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,905
$3.17 €2.83
-3.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.3K
$13.96 €12.43
-28.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.7K
$8.27 €7.37
26.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.1K
$15.55 €13.85
-10.23%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$2.58 €2.30
56.98%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,937
$2.00 €1.78
-23.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,797
$2.09 €1.86
0.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,409
$2.61 €2.32
-12.26%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,813
$1.77 €1.58
19.21%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,521
$2.01 €1.79
-14.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,780
$1.39 €1.23
-15.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,104
$0.53 €0.48
198.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.6K
$6.10 €5.43
-35.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.4K
$5.71 €5.09
145.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,690
$1.17 €1.04
50.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,760
$1.39 €1.23
94.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Alcoy
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,811
$1.54 €1.38
-23.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 246.4K
$27.54 €24.53
177.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,836
$3.45 €3.07
-47.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,878
$1.40 €1.25
52.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.3K
$27.20 €24.22
-70.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,119
$1.77 €1.57
-27.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.2M
$33.3K €29.7K
3.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.3M
$29.7K €26.4K
14.91%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Alcoy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 574.1K
$153 €136
16.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 44.9K
$17.87 €15.91
-22.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.3K
$29.93 €26.65
2.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Alcoy
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 135.5K
$43.79 €38.99
-4.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.3K
$15.50 €13.80
8.39%
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.1K
$9.15 €8.15
-18.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Alcoy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.6M
$530 €472
49.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.7M
$9,457 €8,421
30.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Alcoy
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 278.9K
$86.9 €77.4
-0.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 191.4K
$35.40 €31.52
67.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 446.9K
$91.0 €81.0
52.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 319.2K
$112 €99.3
-11.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Alcoy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$905 €806
48.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$691 €615
-3.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$1,330 €1,184
48.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$1,076 €958
-4.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.2M
$3,419 €3,045
19.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
$2,102 €1,872
-7.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Alcoy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
$1,898 €1,690
-65.95%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
3.3
231.52%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Alcoy: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Alcoy
$691 3.6% $24
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Alcoy
$261 15.2% $47
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Alcoy
$200 9.9% $22
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Alcoy
$175 1.5% $2.5
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Alcoy
$146 15.1% $26
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Alcoy
$44 52.7% $49
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Alcoy
$62 9.1% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $905 in Alcoy. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Alcoy are about 2.9 times higher, 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 $56 in Alcoy. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $261 in Alcoy – so Alcoy wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇪🇸 Alcoy
🕒 Local time
04:08 4:08 AM
10:08 10:08 AM
6 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
59,493
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Alcoy 8,280 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Alcoy

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 Alcoy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Medellin and in Alcoy compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Medellin, $1,580 in Alcoy – Alcoy comes out roughly 7% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Medellin compared to Alcoy?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $2,370 in Alcoy. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Medellin and Alcoy?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Alcoy, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $905 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 18% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $56 in Alcoy. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How far does $2,000 go in Medellin compared to Alcoy?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,580 in Alcoy, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Medellin or Alcoy?
Families tend to lean toward Alcoy – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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