Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Alert

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,220 in Alert, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
108

Cost of Living Index in Alert
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Alert Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Alert

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,220

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Alert

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $2,220 in Alert, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Alert $2,220

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $3,195 in Alert, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Alert $3,195

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $4,171 in Alert, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Alert $4,171

Medellin is about 27% cheaper than Alert, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Alert sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Alert by 64%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$17.69 CA$25.01

-53.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$65.0 CA$91.9

-27.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$10.53 CA$14.89

-12.25%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.51 CA$4.96

-13.11%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$2.01 CA$2.84

-10.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$1.56 CA$2.20

-11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$5.34 CA$7.54

-39.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$5.58 CA$7.89

-0.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$2.05 CA$2.89

-26.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$2.45 CA$3.46

-3.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$3.29 CA$4.64

-48.33%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$3.42 CA$4.84

-13.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$9.50 CA$13.43

7.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$11.41 CA$16.13

-14.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$14.63 CA$20.68

-4.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$3.85 CA$5.44

7.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.27 CA$1.79

20.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$3.69 CA$5.22

-39.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$3.71 CA$5.25

-38.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$2.44 CA$3.45

-18.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$2.24 CA$3.17

-25.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$2.36 CA$3.34

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$1.55 CA$2.19

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$14.25 CA$20.14

-72.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$12.40 CA$17.53

11.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$2.61 CA$3.69

-36.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.96 CA$4.19

-18.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$2.25 CA$3.18

-44.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$61.2 CA$86.5

27.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$2.88 CA$4.07

-55.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.43 CA$2.02

50.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$22.87 CA$32.33

-63.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.17 CA$1.66

15.38%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$27.3K CA$38.6K

27.47%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$19.3K CA$27.3K

79.33%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$132 CA$186

26.38%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$37.42 CA$52.9

-63.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$54.2 CA$76.7

-46.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$40.55 CA$57.3

11.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$17.87 CA$25.26

-3.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$11.20 CA$15.84

-37.77%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$752 CA$1,063

5.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$13.2K CA$18.7K

-31.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$53.0 CA$74.9

65.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$38.42 CA$54.3

51.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$83.8 CA$118

65.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$103 CA$145

-3.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$1,220 CA$1,725

-15.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$1,116 CA$1,577

-44.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,940 CA$2,743

-3.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$1,667 CA$2,357

-39.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$4,131 CA$5,840

-3.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$3,514 CA$4,968

-51.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.66

134.76%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Alert: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Alert

$1.1K 50.3% 80.1% $496

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Alert

$345 15.5% 15.8% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Alert

$224 10.1% 6.7% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Alert

$125 5.6% 27.6% $48

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Alert

$267 12% 56.5% $96

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Alert

$80 3.6% 15.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Alert

$63 2.8% 6.7% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $1,220 in Alert. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $65.0 in Alert. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $345 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 Alert

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

10:20 10:20 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Alert 8,500 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Alert

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 Alert: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,625 in Medellin, $2,220 in Alert – roughly 37% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $3,330 in Alert. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Alert, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $65.0 in Alert. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Alert at $2,220. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alert it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,625 in Medellin to $2,220 in Alert. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alert makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.