Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Arequipa Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Arequipa

😐 Solo nomad: Medellin is 45% more expensive than Arequipa without rent, and 62.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Medellin is 48.3% more expensive than Arequipa without rent, and 42.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Medellin
Arequipa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.03 COPĀ 22.9K
$4.15 PENĀ 14.14
45.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.17 COPĀ 125.7K
$28.05 PENĀ 95.7
18.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.29 COPĀ 27.6K
$5.45 PENĀ 18.58
33.76%
Cappuccino
$1.63 COPĀ 6,174
$2.52 PENĀ 8.60
-35.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.05 COPĀ 3,974
$0.76 PENĀ 2.60
38.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.77 COPĀ 2,918
$0.40 PENĀ 1.35
92.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.73 COPĀ 6,554
$2.25 PENĀ 7.68
-23.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 COPĀ 12.0K
$6.04 PENĀ 20.59
-47.35%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Arequipa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 COPĀ 4,043
$1.52 PENĀ 5.20
-29.61%
White Bread (500g)
$1.31 COPĀ 4,968
$1.28 PENĀ 4.37
2.34%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.38 COPĀ 5,230
$1.27 PENĀ 4.32
8.66%
Eggs
$2.25 COPĀ 8,515
$2.08 PENĀ 7.11
8.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.48 COPĀ 17.0K
$5.44 PENĀ 18.55
-17.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.74 COPĀ 21.7K
$5.24 PENĀ 17.88
9.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.86 COPĀ 33.6K
$7.50 PENĀ 25.57
18.13%
Apples (1kg)
$2.24 COPĀ 8,496
$1.49 PENĀ 5.09
50.34%
Banana (1kg)
$1.06 COPĀ 4,015
$1.18 PENĀ 4.03
-10.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.51 COPĀ 5,736
$1.22 PENĀ 4.14
23.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.36 COPĀ 5,154
$0.82 PENĀ 2.80
65.85%
Potato (1kg)
$1.12 COPĀ 4,247
$0.58 PENĀ 1.98
93.10%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 COPĀ 4,430
$0.55 PENĀ 1.86
112.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.90 COPĀ 3,418
$0.44 PENĀ 1.51
104.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 COPĀ 3,171
$0.73 PENĀ 2.47
15.07%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.26 COPĀ 8,559
$4.87 PENĀ 16.59
-53.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.97 COPĀ 37.8K
$5.18 PENĀ 17.66
92.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 COPĀ 4,482
$2.48 PENĀ 8.47
-52.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39 COPĀ 9,054
$2.22 PENĀ 7.58
7.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Arequipa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.86 COPĀ 3,255
$0.27 PENĀ 0.91
218.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.45 COPĀ 157.1K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.47 COPĀ 5,559
$2.05 PENĀ 7.01
-28.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.95 COPĀ 7,372
$2.06 PENĀ 7.01
-5.34%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.76 COPĀ 29.4K
$12.90 PENĀ 43.99
-39.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.97 COPĀ 3,665
$1.54 PENĀ 5.27
-37.01%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.9K COPĀ 68.0M
$18.9K PENĀ 64.4K
-4.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K COPĀ 101.2M
$25.2K PENĀ 86.0K
6.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Arequipa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$81.1 COPĀ 307.3K
$39.50 PENĀ 135
105.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.40 COPĀ 35.6K
$10.48 PENĀ 35.75
-10.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.61 COPĀ 89.4K
$30.17 PENĀ 103
-21.74%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Arequipa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.55 COPĀ 96.8K
$21.27 PENĀ 72.5
20.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.29 COPĀ 73.1K
$8.50 PENĀ 28.98
126.94%
Cinema Ticket
$4.10 COPĀ 15.5K
$4.52 PENĀ 15.43
-9.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Arequipa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$306 COPĀ 1.2M
$59.6 PENĀ 203
413.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,899 COPĀ 22.3M
$6,330 PENĀ 21.6K
-6.80%
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Arequipa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.8 COPĀ 226.6K
$38.11 PENĀ 130
56.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.96 COPĀ 121.1K
$22.08 PENĀ 75.3
44.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 COPĀ 389.1K
$63.4 PENĀ 216
61.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 COPĀ 408.7K
$55.1 PENĀ 188
95.74%
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Arequipa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$483 COPĀ 1.8M
$244 PENĀ 831
98.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$377 COPĀ 1.4M
$160 PENĀ 547
135.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$822 COPĀ 3.1M
$539 PENĀ 1,838
52.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$721 COPĀ 2.7M
$390 PENĀ 1,329
84.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,784 COPĀ 10.5M
$2,038 PENĀ 6,949
36.62%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,320 COPĀ 5.0M
$990 PENĀ 3,376
33.34%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Arequipa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$538 COPĀ 2.0M
$658 PENĀ 2,243
-18.25%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.43
15
-10.47%

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

Last update for Medellin: March 3, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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