Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Antiguo Cuscatlan

For one person, living is cheaper in Antiguo Cuscatlan: $810 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Antiguo Cuscatlan
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Antiguo Cuscatlan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Antiguo Cuscatlan

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$810

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Antiguo Cuscatlan

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $810 in Antiguo Cuscatlan, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Antiguo Cuscatlan $810

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,304 in Antiguo Cuscatlan, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Antiguo Cuscatlan $1,304

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,798 in Antiguo Cuscatlan, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Antiguo Cuscatlan $1,798

Medellin costs about 102% more than Antiguo Cuscatlan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Antiguo Cuscatlan is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$6.93 $6.93

16.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$45.34 $45.34

3.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.13 $7.13

33.24%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.63 $3.63

-17.08%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.12 $1.12

60.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.81 $0.81

74.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.04 $2.04

55.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.58 $3.58

60.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.80 $1.80

-16.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.89 $2.89

-17.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.40 $1.40

26.43%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.94 $2.94

-1.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$7.84 $7.84

29.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.87 $6.87

43.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.34 $10.34

35.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$5.00 $5.00

-20.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.43 $1.43

8.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.63 $2.63

-17.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$3.36 $3.36

-35.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$3.01 $3.01

-34.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$3.35 $3.35

-52.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.03 $1.03

11.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.90 $0.90

37.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.90 $3.90

1.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$11.82 $11.82

15.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.27 $2.27

-26.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.95 $2.95

-23.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$6.02 $6.02

-78.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$3.06 $3.06

-33.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$20.13 $20.13

-57.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.29 $1.29

4.65%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$24.7K $24.7K

37.68%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$27.6K $27.6K

25.80%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$129 $129

31.70%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$21.07 $21.07

-35.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$41.89 $41.89

-32.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$4.92 $4.92

40.45%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$162 $162

392.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$4,664 $4,664

95.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$66.8 $66.8

26.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$46.91 $46.91

23.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$117 $117

15.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$115 $115

-14.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$602 $602

100.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.5

28.71%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Antiguo Cuscatlan: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$286 35.3% 3.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$192 23.7% 9.2% $19

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$146 18% 14.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$156 19.2% 7.9% $13

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$21 * 2.6% 77.2% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$9.8 * 1.2% 82.9% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $602 in Antiguo Cuscatlan. 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 in Medellin versus $45 in Antiguo Cuscatlan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $286 – making Antiguo Cuscatlan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇻 Antiguo Cuscatlan

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

11:49 11:49 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

33,767

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Antiguo Cuscatlan 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Antiguo Cuscatlan

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 Antiguo Cuscatlan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $810 in Antiguo Cuscatlan – roughly 102% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,215 in Antiguo Cuscatlan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Antiguo Cuscatlan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $602 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $45 in Antiguo Cuscatlan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Antiguo Cuscatlan, where all-in costs run around $810, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Antiguo Cuscatlan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin 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 $810 in Antiguo Cuscatlan to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.