Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Arona

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Arona: $1,639 and $1,583 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Arona
Learn more

Arona Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Arona

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,583

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Arona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,583 in Arona.

Medellin $1,639
Arona $1,583

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,500 in Arona.

Medellin $2,413
Arona $2,500

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $3,418 in Arona.

Medellin $3,186
Arona $3,418

Living in Medellin is roughly 4% more expensive than in Arona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Arona 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.3K

$16.68 €14.96

-51.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 147.2K

$78.4 €70.3

-39.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.7K

$8.85 €7.94

7.34%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,433

$1.67 €1.49

80.24%

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

$1.80 COP 5,629

$2.88 €2.58

-37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,419

$1.14 €1.02

23.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,935

$3.89 €3.49

-18.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.0K

$5.57 €5.00

3.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,724

$1.37 €1.23

10.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,439

$2.18 €1.96

9.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,542

$4.02 €3.61

-55.97%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,043

$2.96 €2.65

-2.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 31.9K

$15.11 €13.56

-32.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 30.9K

$14.04 €12.59

-29.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 43.8K

$15.07 €13.52

-7.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.4K

$2.81 €2.52

41.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,856

$1.68 €1.51

-7.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,829

$3.13 €2.81

-30.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,832

$2.23 €2.00

-2.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,140

$1.87 €1.68

4.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 4,973

$1.84 €1.65

-13.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,584

$1.66 €1.49

-30.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,889

$0.66 €0.59

87.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.4K

$6.79 €6.09

-41.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 42.8K

$4.51 €4.05

203.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,193

$0.93 €0.83

78.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,064

$1.63 €1.47

38.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,654

$1.87 €1.67

-37.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 242.1K

$37.52 €33.65

106.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,967

$5.54 €4.97

-77.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,406

$1.87 €1.68

9.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.8K

$32.01 €28.71

-73.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,214

$2.11 €1.89

-36.02%

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

$34.1K COP 106.6M

$36.1K €32.4K

-5.58%

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

$34.7K COP 108.5M

$34.7K €31.2K

-0.18%

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

$170 COP 530.8K

$194 €174

-12.40%

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

$13.55 COP 42.4K

$11.93 €10.70

13.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 87.8K

$27.27 €24.46

2.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 136.7K

$58.3 €52.3

-24.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 53.8K

$20.22 €18.14

-14.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.6K

$13.28 €11.91

-47.97%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$895 €803

-11.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.5M

$19.5K €17.5K

-53.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 265.0K

$89.4 €80.2

-5.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 181.3K

$37.29 €33.45

55.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 422.2K

$106 €95.2

27.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 306.2K

$130 €117

-24.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$680 €610

77.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$502 €451

27.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.3M

$1,310 €1,175

54.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$903 €810

12.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.0M

$2,697 €2,419

54.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,817 €1,630

5.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.65

199.73%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Arona: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Arona

$502 31.8% 21.7% $139

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Arona

$313 19.8% 5.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Arona

$233 14.7% 10.2% $22

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Arona

$227 14.3% 33.6% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Arona

$163 10.3% 3.4% $5.7

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Arona

$60 3.8% 36% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Arona

$85 5.4% 47.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $680 in Arona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $78 in Arona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $313 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇹 Arona

🕒 Local time

18:32 6:32 PM

00:32 12:32 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

14,310

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.2 USD

10,000 COP = 2.87 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 27, 2026: 1 USD = 3,129 COP (10,000 COP = 3.2 USD). 1 EUR = 3,488 COP (10,000 COP = 2.87 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Arona 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Arona

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 Arona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arona is cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and utilities. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $2,374 in Arona 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $680 in Arona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $895 in Arona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Arona is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.