Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Arecibo

For one person, living is cheaper in Arecibo: $1,281 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Arecibo
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Arecibo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Arecibo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,281

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Arecibo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,281 in Arecibo.

Medellin $1,614
Arecibo $1,281

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $2,005 in Arecibo.

Medellin $2,402
Arecibo $2,005

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $2,730 in Arecibo.

Medellin $3,190
Arecibo $2,730

Living in Medellin is roughly 26% more expensive than in Arecibo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Arecibo is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$12.13 $12.13

-34.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$81.2 $81.2

-43.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$8.55 $8.55

11.11%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$3.42 $3.42

-9.06%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.90 $1.90

-3.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.50 $1.50

-8.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$3.05 $3.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$5.09 $5.09

8.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.79 $1.79

-18.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$3.36 $3.36

-29.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.94 $1.94

-13.40%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$4.48 $4.48

-36.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$12.78 $12.78

-20.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$9.48 $9.48

0.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$13.47 $13.47

4.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$4.97 $4.97

-18.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$2.59 $2.59

-42.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$4.81 $4.81

-54.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$4.84 $4.84

-52.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$3.69 $3.69

-47.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$3.99 $3.99

-58.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$3.53 $3.53

-67.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.60 $1.60

-21.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$11.98 $11.98

-66.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$15.87 $15.87

-15.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$3.09 $3.09

-44.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$4.06 $4.06

-41.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$40.63 $40.63

88.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$2.54 $2.54

-48.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.46 $1.46

46.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$41.96 $41.96

-79.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$0.91 $0.91

42.86%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$40.4K $40.4K

-30.69%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$28.2K $28.2K

25.80%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$324 $324

-46.94%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$68.1 $68.1

-80.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$66.1 $66.1

-56.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$10.59 $10.59

-40.70%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$833 $833

-7.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$12.6K $12.6K

-28.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$56.1 $56.1

54.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$61.5 $61.5

-7.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$109 $109

25.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$114 $114

-13.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$1,191 $1,191

-45.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.55

67.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Arecibo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Arecibo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Arecibo

$395 30.8% 34% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Arecibo

$459 35.8% 114% $244

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Arecibo

$153 12% 9.9% $17

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Arecibo

$203 15.8% 20.4% $34

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Arecibo

$50 * 3.9% 45.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Arecibo

$21 * 1.7% 63.4% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

Arecibo pays 83% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $81.0 in Arecibo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $395 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇷 Arecibo

🕒 Local time

02:21 2:21 AM

03:21 3:21 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

39,634

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Arecibo 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Arecibo

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 Arecibo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arecibo is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and leisure. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 83% lower in Arecibo. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 34% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Arecibo – a meal for two runs $81.0 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,281 in Arecibo versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Arecibo but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Arecibo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Arecibo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Arecibo 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 Arecibo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.