Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ariel

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,629 in Ariel, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in Ariel
Learn more

Ariel Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Ariel

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ariel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $2,629 in Ariel.

Medellin $1,614
Ariel $2,629

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $3,767 in Ariel.

Medellin $2,402
Ariel $3,767

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $4,905 in Ariel.

Medellin $3,190
Ariel $4,905

Living in Medellin costs roughly 39% less than in Ariel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Ariel 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.1K

$23.11 ₪71.5

-65.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.2K

$64.1 ₪198

-28.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$24.50 ₪75.8

-61.22%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,860

$4.44 ₪13.74

-29.95%

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

$1.83 COP 5,796

$2.98 ₪9.23

-38.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,357

$1.28 ₪3.95

7.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,666

$11.22 ₪34.70

-72.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$9.86 ₪30.51

-44.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,597

$2.26 ₪7.01

-35.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,491

$2.44 ₪7.54

-3.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,325

$2.30 ₪7.10

-26.96%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,072

$5.44 ₪16.81

-47.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$21.98 ₪68.0

-53.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$12.89 ₪39.86

-26.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$28.49 ₪88.1

-50.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$4.29 ₪13.27

-5.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,739

$3.90 ₪12.07

-61.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,887

$2.33 ₪7.20

-6.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,305

$4.09 ₪12.66

-43.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,110

$1.76 ₪5.43

9.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,193

$1.42 ₪4.40

15.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,568

$3.50 ₪10.81

-67.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,952

$0.98 ₪3.03

27.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$14.25 ₪44.08

-72.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$11.11 ₪34.37

20.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,380

$2.74 ₪8.47

-37.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,520

$2.55 ₪7.90

-7.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,825

$2.52 ₪7.78

-51.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.4K

$105 ₪325

-27.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,177

$2.54 ₪7.85

-48.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,770

$1.27 ₪3.93

68.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$40.24 ₪124

-78.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,112

$2.64 ₪8.15

-50.76%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$56.6K ₪174.9K

-50.51%

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

$35.4K COP 112.2M

$57.6K ₪178.1K

-38.48%

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

$172 COP 545.3K

$264 ₪817

-34.85%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$11.29 ₪34.94

18.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.0K

$45.50 ₪141

-36.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.4K

$74.7 ₪231

-39.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$12.85 ₪39.74

-51.13%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$1,146 ₪3,544

-32.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$24.1K ₪74.5K

-62.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 273.8K

$37.44 ₪116

130.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.0K

$40.93 ₪127

39.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.6K

$98.1 ₪303

39.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.2K

$116 ₪359

-15.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$1,459 ₪4,512

-27.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$1,104 ₪3,415

-44.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$2,575 ₪7,965

-26.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,660 ₪5,134

-38.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$9,307 ₪28.8K

-56.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$8,551 ₪26.5K

-80.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.05

116.63%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ariel: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Ariel

$1.1K 42% 79.3% $488

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Ariel

$443 16.9% 50.4% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Ariel

$321 12.2% 49.8% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Ariel

$132 5% 22.6% $38

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Ariel

$404 15.4% 140% $236

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Ariel

$124 4.7% 33.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Ariel

$100 3.8% 73.7% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Medellin and $1,459 in Ariel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $64.0 in Ariel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $443 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇱 Ariel

🕒 Local time

23:38 11:38 PM

07:38 7:38 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

20,540

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1 ILS = 0.323 USD

1 ILS = 0.287 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,169 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,568 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.09 ILS (1 ILS = 0.323 USD). 1 EUR = 3.48 ILS (1 ILS = 0.287 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Ariel 11,560 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ariel

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 Ariel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 63% lower than in Ariel. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,421 in Medellin and $3,943 in Ariel to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,055 in Medellin versus $1,459 in Ariel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,614 per month in Medellin versus $2,629 in Ariel – a 63% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 38% less than in Ariel. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $2,629 in Ariel, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Ariel. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,614 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Ariel 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 Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Ariel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.