Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Argos

For one person, living is cheaper in Argos: $1,254 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Argos
Learn more

Argos Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Argos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,254

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Argos

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,254 in Argos, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Argos $1,254

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,845 in Argos, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Argos $1,845

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,436 in Argos, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Argos $2,436

Medellin costs about 31% more than Argos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Argos is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$10.96 €9.84

-26.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$36.22 €32.54

29.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.61 €6.84

24.84%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.53 €2.27

18.97%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.66 €1.49

8.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.63 €0.57

123.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.82 €2.53

12.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.32 €2.98

73.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.33 €1.19

13.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.40 €1.26

70.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.57 €1.41

12.74%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.34 €3.00

-13.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$12.21 €10.97

-16.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.55 €5.88

50.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$8.94 €8.03

56.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.44 €1.29

175.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.54 €1.39

0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.01 €0.90

115.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.85 €1.66

17.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.98 €0.88

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.10 €0.99

44.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.76 €0.68

51.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.59 €0.53

110.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.56 €4.10

-13.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$5.46 €4.90

150.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.77 €1.59

-6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$3.20 €2.88

-29.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.39 €1.25

-15.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$54.1 €48.58

43.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$4.58 €4.12

-72.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.10 €0.99

86.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$16.83 €15.12

-49.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$2.07 €1.86

-34.78%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$27.9K €25.0K

22.19%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$24.4K €21.9K

42.27%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$168 €151

0.90%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$21.57 €19.38

-37.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$27.22 €24.45

3.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$56.5 €50.8

-22.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$24.95 €22.41

-31.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$9.71 €8.72

-28.84%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$473 €425

68.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$4,792 €4,305

90.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$80.6 €72.4

5.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$38.70 €34.77

49.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$80.1 €71.9

68.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$56.7 €50.9

72.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$483 €434

150.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$391 €352

63.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$730 €656

177.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$597 €536

69.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,543 €2,285

63.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,952 €1,754

-2.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$707 €635

-7.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.38

149.77%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Argos: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Argos

$391 31.2% 39% $250

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Argos

$214 17.1% 27.8% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Argos

$217 17.3% 2.7% $5.6

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Argos

$171 13.6% 0.7% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Argos

$115 9.2% 31.8% $54

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Argos

$70 5.6% 25.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Argos

$76 6.1% 32% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $483 in Argos. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 8% higher in Argos, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $36 in Argos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $214 – making Argos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇬🇷 Argos

🕒 Local time

15:28 3:28 PM

22:28 10:28 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

22,209

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

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

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Argos 10,310 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Argos

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 Argos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 31% more than Argos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,881 in Argos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Argos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $483 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,254 in Argos. That makes Argos about 24% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Argos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,254 in Argos. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Argos – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Argos is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 24% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.