Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Alges

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,009 in Alges, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Alges outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Alges
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Alges Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Alges

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Alges

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $2,009 in Alges, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Alges $2,009

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $2,853 in Alges, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Alges $2,853

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $3,697 in Alges, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Alges $3,697

Medellin is about 20% cheaper than Alges, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Alges sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Alges by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$15.36 €13.66

-48.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$54.7 €48.68

-15.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$9.41 €8.37

0.96%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.64 €2.35

17.80%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$2.35 €2.09

-22.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$2.25 €2.00

-38.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$3.39 €3.01

-10.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$5.54 €4.93

-0.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.04 €0.93

39.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.96 €1.75

20.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$2.23 €1.98

-24.66%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$3.42 €3.04

-16.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$10.82 €9.63

-5.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$7.10 €6.31

34.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$14.95 €13.30

-6.09%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.85 €2.54

42.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.37 €1.22

9.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.78 €1.59

21.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$2.24 €2.00

3.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.56 €1.39

23.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$2.23 €1.98

-26.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.54 €1.37

-26.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.78 €0.69

60.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$5.67 €5.05

-29.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$4.90 €4.35

172.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.16 €1.03

46.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$3.09 €2.75

-23.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$2.26 €2.01

-46.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$44.01 €39.15

73.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$4.56 €4.06

-71.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.99 €0.88

116.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$17.84 €15.87

-52.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$2.05 €1.83

-36.59%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$33.8K €30.1K

-17.17%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$38.1K €33.9K

-7.09%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$137 €122

25.97%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$24.63 €21.91

-45.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$56.3 €50.1

-48.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$44.85 €39.89

0.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$17.11 €15.22

-0.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$7.20 €6.40

-12.78%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$597 €531

28.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$18.7K €16.6K

-51.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$76.8 €68.3

12.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$33.38 €29.69

71.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$90.7 €80.6

50.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$94.8 €84.3

3.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$1,240 €1,103

-14.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$1,055 €938

-41.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$2,047 €1,821

-7.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,559 €1,386

-34.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$2,991 €2,660

35.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$2,264 €2,014

-25.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$1,229 €1,093

-46.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.67

198.09%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Alges: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Alges

$1.1K 52.5% 71.3% $439

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Alges

$253 12.6% 14.2% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Alges

$218 10.8% 1.6% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Alges

$133 6.6% 21.8% $37

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Alges

$229 11.4% 36.1% $61

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Alges

$63 3.1% 33% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Alges

$59 3% 2.5% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $1,240 in Alges. 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 88% higher in Alges, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $55.0 in Alges. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Medellin vs $253 in Alges – so Alges wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇹 Alges

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

15:21 3:21 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

19,327

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Alges 7,530 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Alges

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 Alges: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,614 in Medellin, $2,009 in Alges – roughly 24% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $3,013 in Alges. 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.

Kindergarten costs $770 per month in Medellin and $597 in Alges. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Alges – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Alges at $2,009. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alges it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Alges has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,614 in Medellin to $2,009 in Alges. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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