Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ariana

For one person, living is cheaper in Ariana: $666 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Ariana
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Ariana Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Ariana

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ariana

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $666 in Ariana, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Ariana $666

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,039 in Ariana, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Ariana $1,039

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,413 in Ariana, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Ariana $1,413

Medellin costs about 142% more than Ariana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Ariana is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$4.44 TND 13.29

78.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$17.44 TND 52.3

164.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$4.77 TND 14.29

99.16%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$1.11 TND 3.33

180.18%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.66 TND 1.97

177.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.33 TND 1.00

318.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.65 TND 4.95

84.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$1.38 TND 4.12

298.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$0.52 TND 1.56

178.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$0.26 TND 0.78

807.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.77 TND 5.30

-5.08%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.55 TND 4.64

84.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$7.27 TND 21.79

40.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$6.03 TND 18.06

58.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$11.19 TND 33.52

25.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.66 TND 4.97

145.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$2.65 TND 7.93

-43.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.12 TND 3.34

93.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$0.76 TND 2.28

203.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.80 TND 2.40

141.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.71 TND 2.11

130.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.52 TND 1.57

117.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.33 TND 0.99

278.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$3.43 TND 10.28

16.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$6.78 TND 20.30

96.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.24 TND 3.70

37.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.58 TND 4.73

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.35 TND 1.04

245.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$10.04 TND 30.07

661.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$0.30 TND 0.89

340.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.33 TND 1.00

548.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$1.75 TND 5.25

384.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$0.82 TND 2.44

58.54%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$37.3K TND 111.7K

-24.93%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$33.3K TND 99.7K

6.41%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$59.8 TND 179

187.97%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$9.20 TND 27.55

45.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$20.51 TND 61.4

40.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$31.26 TND 93.6

44.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$16.96 TND 50.8

0.47%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$4.36 TND 13.07

44.04%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$103 TND 308

649.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$3,289 TND 9,850

174.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$38.46 TND 115

124.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$58.2 TND 174

-1.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$90.1 TND 270

51.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$65.7 TND 197

49.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$244 TND 731

332.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$160 TND 479

285.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$441 TND 1,322

328.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$292 TND 876

249.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,110 TND 3,324

265.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$732 TND 2,193

129.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$331 TND 991

97.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.67

2.53%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ariana: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Ariana

$160 24% 74% $456

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Ariana

$172 25.8% 41.7% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Ariana

$89 13.4% 58.2% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Ariana

$114 17% 33.2% $57

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Ariana

$78 11.7% 53.6% $90

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Ariana

$13 2% 85.7% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Ariana

$40 6% 30.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $244 in Ariana. 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 97% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $17.00 in Ariana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $172 – making Ariana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇳 Ariana

🕒 Local time

12:55 12:55 PM

18:55 6:55 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

114,486

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, 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).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Ariana 9,220 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ariana

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 Ariana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,614 in Medellin, $666 in Ariana – roughly 142% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,000 in Ariana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ariana, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 71% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $17.00 in Ariana. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ariana, where all-in costs run around $666, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Ariana 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 $666 in Ariana to $1,614 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ariana. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.