Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Aruba

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,353 in Aruba, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Aruba outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Aruba

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Aruba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,353 in Aruba.

Medellin $1,639
Aruba $2,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $4,233 in Aruba.

Medellin $2,413
Aruba $4,233

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $6,112 in Aruba.

Medellin $3,186
Aruba $6,112

Living in Medellin costs roughly 30% less than in Aruba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Aruba 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$14.86 AWG 26.58

-45.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$90.1 AWG 161

-47.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$10.54 AWG 18.86

-9.87%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$5.12 AWG 9.15

-41.21%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.42 AWG 4.34

-25.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$2.27 AWG 4.06

-37.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$5.29 AWG 9.48

-39.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$7.19 AWG 12.87

-20.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.66 AWG 2.97

-9.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$2.85 AWG 5.10

-16.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$3.00 AWG 5.37

-41.00%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.75 AWG 6.71

-22.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$14.27 AWG 25.53

-28.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.15 AWG 7.43

137.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$2.05 AWG 3.67

-24.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$2.53 AWG 4.53

-53.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$2.38 AWG 4.27

-43.28%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$233 AWG 417

-27.20%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$132 AWG 236

-89.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$85.2 AWG 152

-67.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$296 AWG 529

169.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$18.1K AWG 32.4K

-49.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$64.5 AWG 115

-10.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$118 AWG 212

14.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$653 AWG 1,169

84.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,391 AWG 2,489

-53.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$3,255 AWG 5,825

-37.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$3,978 AWG 7,118

-74.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,938 AWG 3,467

-66.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Aruba: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Aruba

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Aruba

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Aruba

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Aruba

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Aruba

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Aruba

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Aruba

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $653 in Aruba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aruba pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $90 in Aruba. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $148, with Aruba cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇼 Aruba

🕒 Local time

22:25 10:25 PM

23:25 11:25 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

15,236

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AWG, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2 AWG (1 AWG = 0.5 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Aruba 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Aruba

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 Aruba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,353 in Aruba, so Medellin is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 66% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $653 in Aruba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Aruba pay roughly 50% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $2,353 in Aruba – Medellin is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Aruba on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.