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

😐 Solo nomad: Medellin is 23.1% more expensive than Arequipa without rent, and 58.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Medellin is 32.2% more expensive than Arequipa without rent, and 44.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.14 COP 22.1K

$4.26 PEN 14.63

44.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.05 COP 119.0K

$28.24 PEN 96.9

17.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.32 COP 26.4K

$5.70 PEN 19.56

28.42%

Cappuccino

$1.66 COP 5,972

$2.49 PEN 8.55

-33.33%

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

$1.10 COP 3,977

$0.81 PEN 2.78

35.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 COP 2,815

$0.37 PEN 1.26

110.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.71 COP 6,173

$2.21 PEN 7.57

-22.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 COP 11.4K

$5.94 PEN 20.37

-46.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 COP 4,002

$1.53 PEN 5.26

-27.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 COP 4,708

$1.22 PEN 4.19

7.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 COP 4,968

$1.26 PEN 4.33

9.52%

Eggs

$2.22 COP 7,989

$2.16 PEN 7.42

2.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.34 COP 15.6K

$5.58 PEN 19.14

-22.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.80 COP 20.9K

$5.29 PEN 18.13

9.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.98 COP 32.3K

$7.57 PEN 25.96

18.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 COP 8,144

$1.45 PEN 4.98

55.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 COP 4,013

$1.17 PEN 4.01

-5.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 COP 5,271

$1.18 PEN 4.04

23.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 COP 4,917

$0.75 PEN 2.59

82.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 COP 3,999

$0.59 PEN 2.01

88.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 COP 4,189

$0.54 PEN 1.85

114.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 COP 3,203

$0.44 PEN 1.50

102.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 COP 3,116

$0.73 PEN 2.50

19.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.35 COP 8,474

$4.94 PEN 16.95

-52.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.86 COP 39.1K

$5.06 PEN 17.35

114.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 COP 4,319

$2.42 PEN 8.29

-50.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 COP 8,924

$2.31 PEN 7.94

7.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 COP 2,835

$0.27 PEN 0.91

192.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.77 COP 146.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 COP 5,124

$2.12 PEN 7.28

-33.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 COP 6,883

$2.12 PEN 7.28

-9.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.65 COP 27.5K

$12.88 PEN 44.18

-40.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 COP 3,481

$1.55 PEN 5.31

-37.42%

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

$18.1K COP 65.2M

$18.9K PEN 64.9K

-4.38%

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

$26.3K COP 94.7M

$25.1K PEN 86.1K

4.85%

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

$81.3 COP 292.8K

$40.21 PEN 138

102.21%

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

$9.63 COP 34.7K

$10.71 PEN 36.75

-10.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.36 COP 87.7K

$30.34 PEN 104

-19.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.02 COP 93.7K

$21.65 PEN 74.3

20.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.92 COP 68.1K

$8.56 PEN 29.37

121.03%

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 COP 14.0K

$4.52 PEN 15.52

-13.94%

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

$304 COP 1.1M

$60.6 PEN 208

401.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,902 COP 21.3M

$6,415 PEN 22.0K

-7.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.7 COP 211.3K

$36.93 PEN 127

58.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.48 COP 117.0K

$22.20 PEN 76.1

46.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 COP 366.4K

$63.7 PEN 219

59.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 COP 389.5K

$54.7 PEN 188

97.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$474 COP 1.7M

$237 PEN 812

100.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 COP 1.3M

$156 PEN 536

137.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$848 COP 3.1M

$542 PEN 1,859

56.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$716 COP 2.6M

$391 PEN 1,342

83.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,871 COP 10.3M

$2,004 PEN 6,874

43.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,375 COP 5.0M

$997 PEN 3,420

37.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$542 COP 1.9M

$649 PEN 2,226

-16.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.43

-10.47%

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

Last update for Medellin: April 13, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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