Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Aruba

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $2,527 in Aruba, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,589
/mo nomad
🇦🇼 Aruba
$2,527
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Medellin is 36.7% cheaper than Aruba without rent, and 37.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Medellin is 39.4% cheaper than Aruba without rent, and 47.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Aruba
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.01 COP 25.5K
$18.46 AWG 33.04
-56.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.55 COP 148.3K
$89.9 AWG 161
-48.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.43 COP 30.1K
$10.12 AWG 18.11
-6.82%
Cappuccino
$2.91 COP 9,277
$4.98 AWG 8.91
-41.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 COP 5,585
$2.09 AWG 3.74
-16.27%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.32 COP 4,218
$1.81 AWG 3.24
-27.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.13 COP 9,969
$5.56 AWG 9.95
-43.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.55 COP 17.7K
$7.80 AWG 13.96
-28.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Aruba
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 COP 4,495
$1.79 AWG 3.20
-21.23%
White Bread (500g)
$2.44 COP 7,777
$2.84 AWG 5.08
-14.08%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 COP 5,191
$3.24 AWG 5.81
-49.69%
Eggs
$2.82 COP 8,990
$4.95 AWG 8.86
-43.03%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.69 COP 30.9K
$12.99 AWG 23.25
-25.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.32 COP 29.7K
$7.67 AWG 13.72
21.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.46 COP 42.9K
$12.37 AWG 22.14
8.81%
Apples (1kg)
$4.00 COP 12.8K
$4.79 AWG 8.57
-16.49%
Banana (1kg)
$1.48 COP 4,719
$2.83 AWG 5.06
-47.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.12 COP 6,768
$6.41 AWG 11.47
-66.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.25 COP 7,178
$5.11 AWG 9.14
-55.97%
Potato (1kg)
$1.91 COP 6,092
$3.47 AWG 6.21
-44.96%
Onion (1kg)
$1.62 COP 5,160
$1.99 AWG 3.56
-18.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,658
$2.85 AWG 5.11
-59.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 COP 4,021
$2.40 AWG 4.30
-47.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.82 COP 12.2K
$9.84 AWG 17.62
-61.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.11 COP 41.8K
$9.93 AWG 17.77
32.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 COP 5,083
$4.68 AWG 8.37
-65.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,188
$4.42 AWG 7.91
-48.87%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Aruba
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,731
$2.47 AWG 4.42
-52.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$75.0 COP 239.0K
$94.1 AWG 168
-20.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,056
$19.04 AWG 34.08
-93.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,531
$3.93 AWG 7.04
-47.84%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.20 COP 26.1K
$22.12 AWG 39.60
-62.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.27 COP 4,046
$2.48 AWG 4.44
-48.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K COP 85.3M
$25.8K AWG 46.1K
3.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.4K COP 109.6M
$35.4K AWG 63.4K
-2.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Aruba
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$162 COP 516.9K
$232 AWG 414
-29.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.12 COP 41.8K
$88.1 AWG 158
-85.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.09 COP 89.5K
$102 AWG 182
-72.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Aruba
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.33 COP 141.2K
$76.7 AWG 137
-42.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.33 COP 52.0K
$39.26 AWG 70.3
-58.41%
Cinema Ticket
$6.09 COP 19.4K
$9.90 AWG 17.72
-38.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Aruba
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$764 COP 2.4M
$230 AWG 412
232.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,904 COP 28.4M
$11.9K AWG 21.3K
-25.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Aruba
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$85.0 COP 270.8K
$67.8 AWG 121
25.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.5 COP 183.2K
$76.3 AWG 137
-24.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$132 COP 419.8K
$126 AWG 226
4.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$95.8 COP 305.1K
$125 AWG 223
-23.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Aruba
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,028 COP 3.3M
$983 AWG 1,760
4.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$604 COP 1.9M
$1,001 AWG 1,792
-39.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,802 COP 5.7M
$2,660 AWG 4,762
-32.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$993 COP 3.2M
$2,574 AWG 4,607
-61.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,921 COP 12.5M
$2,272 AWG 4,067
72.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,639 COP 5.2M
$1,759 AWG 3,149
-6.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Aruba
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$626 COP 2.0M
$2,442 AWG 4,372
-74.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
6.25
75.04%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Aruba: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$604
Aruba
$1K 65.6% $396
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$288
Aruba
$392 36% $104
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$203
Aruba
$421 107% $218
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$166
Aruba
$178 6.9% $11
Eating Out
Medellin
$166
Aruba
$297 78.4% $130
Getting Around
Medellin
$91
Aruba
$143 56.4% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Aruba
$96 70.7% $40
Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇦🇼 Aruba
🕒 Local time
05:17 5:17 AM
06:17 6:17 AM
1 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
106,739
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AWG, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.499 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Aruba 920 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

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