Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Alexandria, Jamaica

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $1,006 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,006

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Alexandria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,006 in Alexandria.

Medellin $1,639
Alexandria $1,006

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,667 in Alexandria.

Medellin $2,413
Alexandria $1,667

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,327 in Alexandria.

Medellin $3,186
Alexandria $2,327

Living in Medellin is roughly 63% more expensive than in Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Alexandria is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$13.76 JMD 2,173

-41.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$76.3 JMD 12.1K

-38.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$8.41 JMD 1,328

12.96%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$5.18 JMD 818

-41.89%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.15 JMD 182

56.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.71 JMD 112

98.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$2.24 JMD 355

41.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.13 JMD 494

83.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$4.21 JMD 665

-64.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$3.77 JMD 596

-36.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.55 JMD 245

14.19%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$3.48 JMD 549

-16.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$11.33 JMD 1,789

-10.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$6.32 JMD 998

56.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$10.26 JMD 1,621

36.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$6.15 JMD 972

-35.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$3.80 JMD 601

-59.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$7.26 JMD 1,146

-69.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$2.95 JMD 467

-26.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$3.33 JMD 526

-41.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.64 JMD 416

-39.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$3.02 JMD 478

-61.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$1.45 JMD 229

-14.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$9.67 JMD 1,527

-59.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$11.15 JMD 1,761

22.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$2.95 JMD 465

-43.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$3.97 JMD 627

-43.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.24 JMD 196

2.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$3.17 JMD 501

-35.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$6.22 JMD 982

37.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.46 JMD 231

-7.53%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$43.8K JMD 6.9M

-22.31%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$33.2K JMD 5.2M

4.55%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$170 JMD 26.8K

-0.14%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$29.37 JMD 4,641

-53.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$53.4 JMD 8,434

-47.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$13.09 JMD 2,068

-47.21%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$365 JMD 57.7K

118.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$8,251 JMD 1.3M

10.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$23.63 JMD 3,734

258.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$30.87 JMD 4,877

87.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$76.5 JMD 12.1K

76.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$101 JMD 16.0K

-3.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.45

15.77%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Alexandria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Alexandria

$383 38.1% 29.1% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Alexandria

$253 25.1% 19.6% $41

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Alexandria

$222 22.1% 31.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Alexandria

$105 10.4% 38.1% $64

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Alexandria

$17 * 1.7% 81.7% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Alexandria

$26 * 2.6% 54.5% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $76 in Alexandria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $383 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇲 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

09:09 9:09 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,927

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Alexandria 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Alexandria

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 Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,006 in Alexandria, so Alexandria is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,509 in Alexandria 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 $797 in Medellin versus $365 in Alexandria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $76 in Alexandria. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Alexandria gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.