Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Antigua Guatemala

For one person, living is cheaper in Antigua Guatemala: $1,269 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Antigua Guatemala
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Antigua Guatemala Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Antigua Guatemala

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Antigua Guatemala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Medellin versus $1,269 in Antigua Guatemala.

Medellin $1,589
Antigua Guatemala $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,364 in Medellin versus $2,123 in Antigua Guatemala.

Medellin $2,364
Antigua Guatemala $2,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,139 in Medellin versus $2,977 in Antigua Guatemala.

Medellin $3,139
Antigua Guatemala $2,977

Living in Medellin is roughly 25% more expensive than in Antigua Guatemala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 19% above, Antigua Guatemala is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$6.63 Q 50.7

20.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$51.7 Q 395

-10.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$7.64 Q 58.4

23.43%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$3.41 Q 26.08

-14.66%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$1.15 Q 8.81

52.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$0.93 Q 7.14

41.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$3.23 Q 24.69

-3.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$4.63 Q 35.41

19.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$2.04 Q 15.60

-30.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$3.11 Q 23.78

-21.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$1.93 Q 14.76

-15.54%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$2.44 Q 18.65

15.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$5.48 Q 41.88

76.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$9.20 Q 70.3

1.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$10.54 Q 80.6

27.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$3.79 Q 28.97

5.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$1.64 Q 12.55

-9.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$2.83 Q 21.62

-25.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$1.67 Q 12.75

34.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$1.53 Q 11.67

24.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$1.74 Q 13.27

-6.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$0.67 Q 5.16

71.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$1.19 Q 9.10

5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$3.86 Q 29.49

-1.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$8.02 Q 61.3

63.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

$1.74 Q 13.30

-8.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

$2.58 Q 19.74

-12.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$2.58 Q 19.75

-54.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$4.56 Q 34.81

-72.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$10.49 Q 80.2

-21.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$1.28 Q 9.82

-0.78%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$22.8K Q 174.4K

17.35%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$21.8K Q 166.8K

57.63%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$57.0 Q 436

184.43%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$28.77 Q 220

-54.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$45.71 Q 349

-38.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$41.18 Q 315

7.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

$28.13 Q 215

-41.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$6.51 Q 49.73

-6.45%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$338 Q 2,585

125.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$6,808 Q 52.0K

30.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$43.44 Q 332

95.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$48.13 Q 368

19.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$92.1 Q 704

43.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$79.5 Q 608

20.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$884 Q 6,757

16.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$518 Q 3,960

16.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$1,900 Q 14.5K

-5.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$1,195 Q 9,129

-16.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

$2,963 Q 22.6K

32.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

$1,198 Q 9,155

36.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$609 Q 4,655

2.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.62

-5.85%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Antigua Guatemala: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Antigua Guatemala

$518 41.3% 14.3% $86

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Antigua Guatemala

$267 21.2% 7.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Antigua Guatemala

$132 10.5% 35.4% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Antigua Guatemala

$118 9.4% 28.9% $48

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Antigua Guatemala

$151 12% 9.4% $16

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Antigua Guatemala

$15 * 1.2% 83.7% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Antigua Guatemala

$54 4.3% 4.1% $2.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $884 in Antigua Guatemala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 3% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $52.0 in Antigua Guatemala. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $267, with Antigua Guatemala cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇬🇹 Antigua Guatemala

🕒 Local time

21:56 9:56 PM

20:56 8:56 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

46,054

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.57 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Antigua Guatemala 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Antigua Guatemala

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 Antigua Guatemala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Antigua Guatemala differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($1,589 vs $1,269 including rent). Antigua Guatemala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,028 in Medellin versus $884 in Antigua Guatemala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $764 in Medellin versus $338 in Antigua Guatemala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Antigua Guatemala – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $47.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,269 in Antigua Guatemala versus $1,589 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Antigua Guatemala but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Antigua Guatemala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Antigua Guatemala are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Antigua Guatemala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.