Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Arrest

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,800 in Arrest, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Arrest
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Arrest Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Arrest

🇫🇷 France

$1,800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Arrest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,800 in Arrest.

Medellin $1,639
Arrest $1,800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,757 in Arrest.

Medellin $2,413
Arrest $2,757

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $3,713 in Arrest.

Medellin $3,186
Arrest $3,713

Living in Medellin costs roughly 9% less than in Arrest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Arrest 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$16.82 €15.11

-51.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$56.2 €50.5

-16.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$13.24 €11.90

-28.25%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.97 €2.67

1.35%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$3.05 €2.74

-40.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$2.08 €1.87

-32.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$8.52 €7.66

-62.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$5.57 €5.00

3.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.30 €1.17

16.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.69 €1.52

40.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.49 €2.24

-28.92%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.92 €3.52

-26.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$10.07 €9.05

1.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$12.03 €10.80

-17.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$15.92 €14.30

-12.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.99 €2.68

32.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$3.03 €2.72

-48.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.46 €1.31

49.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$4.20 €3.78

-48.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.83 €1.65

7.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.08 €1.87

-23.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.62 €1.46

-29.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.16 €0.14

675.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$12.64 €11.35

-68.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$5.56 €4.99

146.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.43 €1.28

16.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.59 €1.43

42.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.94 €1.74

-39.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$50.4 €45.31

53.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.27 €2.04

-44.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.14 €1.03

79.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$32.61 €29.30

-73.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$2.17 €1.95

-37.79%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$34.9K €31.3K

-2.36%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$35.8K €32.2K

-3.22%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$200 €180

-15.18%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$32.60 €29.28

-58.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$31.74 €28.51

-11.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$40.19 €36.10

8.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$15.48 €13.91

-55.36%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$889 €799

-10.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$10.6K €9,481

-13.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$129 €116

-34.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$46.35 €41.63

25.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$98.9 €88.8

36.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$158 €142

-38.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$825 €741

46.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$626 €563

2.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,536 €1,380

31.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,160 €1,042

-12.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$3,727 €3,348

11.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$3,368 €3,026

-43.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.9

180.51%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Arrest: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Arrest

$626 34.8% 2.4% $15

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Arrest

$293 16.3% 1.3% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Arrest

$264 14.7% 25.1% $53

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Arrest

$284 15.8% 67.6% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Arrest

$195 10.8% 15.2% $26

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Arrest

$66 3.7% 29.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Arrest

$71 4% 23.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $825 in Arrest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $56 in Arrest. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $293, with Arrest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇫🇷 Arrest

🕒 Local time

17:54 5:54 PM

23:54 11:54 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

900

💱 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

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Medellin Arrest 8,560 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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Arrest

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 Arrest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is about 9% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $2,700 in Arrest 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 $825 in Arrest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $889 in Arrest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $56 in Arrest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.