Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Artemisa

For one person, living is cheaper in Artemisa: $569 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Artemisa
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Artemisa Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Artemisa

🇨🇺 Cuba

$569

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Artemisa

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $569 in Artemisa, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Artemisa $569

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $900 in Artemisa, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Artemisa $900

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,231 in Artemisa, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Artemisa $1,231

Medellin costs about 188% more than Artemisa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Artemisa is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$3.56 CUP 85.6

127.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 149.1K

$25.10 CUP 602

87.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$4.98 CUP 120

90.76%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,554

$1.02 CUP 24.45

195.10%

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

$1.80 COP 5,701

$1.53 CUP 36.67

17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,476

$0.92 CUP 22.18

53.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.1K

$1.18 CUP 28.36

169.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$1.96 CUP 46.99

193.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,785

$2.68 CUP 64.4

-43.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,535

$1.41 CUP 33.86

68.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,613

$1.72 CUP 41.23

2.91%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,159

$3.60 CUP 86.4

-19.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$4.53 CUP 109

124.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.3K

$4.63 CUP 111

113.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$8.36 CUP 201

67.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$5.94 CUP 143

-33.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,918

$1.01 CUP 24.25

53.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,917

$3.99 CUP 95.8

-45.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,920

$2.28 CUP 54.6

-4.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,219

$2.80 CUP 67.2

-30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,037

$2.67 CUP 64.2

-40.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,630

$0.78 CUP 18.65

47.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,939

$0.57 CUP 13.77

117.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.6K

$1.60 CUP 38.49

147.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.4K

$5.36 CUP 129

155.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,259

$1.71 CUP 41.07

-2.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,155

$2.04 CUP 49.08

10.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,701

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 245.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,018

$2.67 CUP 64.0

-52.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,489

$0.34 CUP 8.06

502.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$19.90 CUP 477

-57.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,268

$1.27 CUP 30.37

6.30%

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

$34.1K COP 108.0M

$60.0K CUP 1.4M

-43.22%

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

$34.7K COP 109.9M

$59.9K CUP 1.4M

-42.14%

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

$170 COP 537.6K

$46.50 CUP 1,116

264.84%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$39.39 CUP 945

-65.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.9K

$89.5 CUP 2,149

-68.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$0.82 CUP 19.76

742.68%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$153 CUP 3,678

419.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.9M

$12.6K CUP 302.3K

-27.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.4K

$20.03 CUP 481

322.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.7K

$10.09 CUP 242

474.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.6K

$78.5 CUP 1,885

71.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.1K

$65.8 CUP 1,578

48.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.1M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.1

20.22%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Artemisa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Artemisa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Artemisa

$234 41.1% 21.1% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Artemisa

$175 30.8% 17% $36

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Artemisa

$75 13.2% 55.6% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Artemisa

$78 13.8% 53.6% $90

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Artemisa

$4.4 * 0.8% 95.4% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Artemisa

$1.7 * 0.3% 97.1% $56

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $25 in Artemisa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $234 – making Artemisa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇺 Artemisa

🕒 Local time

03:02 3:02 AM

04:02 4:02 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

48,897

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.73 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 3,169 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,538 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.8 CUP (100 CUP = 3.73 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Artemisa 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Artemisa

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 Artemisa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $569 in Artemisa – Artemisa comes out roughly 65% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $854 in Artemisa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $569 in Artemisa. That makes Artemisa about 65% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $153 in Artemisa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Artemisa, where all-in costs run around $569, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Artemisa 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 $569 in Artemisa to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.