Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Arviat

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,189 in Arviat, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Arviat
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Arviat Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Arviat

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,189

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Arviat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,189 in Arviat.

Medellin $1,639
Arviat $2,189

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,243 in Arviat.

Medellin $2,413
Arviat $3,243

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $4,297 in Arviat.

Medellin $3,186
Arviat $4,297

Living in Medellin costs roughly 25% less than in Arviat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Arviat 61% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$17.53 CA$24.51

-53.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$63.3 CA$88.6

-25.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$10.86 CA$15.19

-12.52%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$3.76 CA$5.26

-19.95%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$2.00 CA$2.80

-10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$1.67 CA$2.34

-15.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$5.10 CA$7.13

-37.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$5.72 CA$8.00

0.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$2.12 CA$2.96

-28.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$2.59 CA$3.62

-8.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$3.67 CA$5.14

-51.77%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$3.55 CA$4.96

-18.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$9.78 CA$13.68

4.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$10.52 CA$14.72

-6.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$14.80 CA$20.70

-5.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$3.43 CA$4.80

15.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.20 CA$1.67

29.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$3.89 CA$5.45

-43.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$4.27 CA$5.97

-48.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$2.16 CA$3.02

-9.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$2.54 CA$3.56

-37.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$2.10 CA$2.94

-45.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$1.62 CA$2.27

-23.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$14.07 CA$19.68

-71.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$11.34 CA$15.87

20.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$2.69 CA$3.77

-38.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$3.12 CA$4.36

-27.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$2.24 CA$3.13

-47.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$60.6 CA$84.8

27.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$2.89 CA$4.05

-56.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$1.43 CA$2.00

43.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$25.36 CA$35.47

-66.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.18 CA$1.65

14.41%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$24.0K CA$33.5K

42.18%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$21.8K CA$30.5K

59.08%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$142 CA$198

19.71%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$35.93 CA$50.3

-62.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$51.8 CA$72.4

-45.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$33.89 CA$47.40

28.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$16.43 CA$22.98

4.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$10.08 CA$14.09

-31.45%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$681 CA$953

16.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$12.6K CA$17.6K

-27.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$63.1 CA$88.3

34.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$39.95 CA$55.9

45.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$98.3 CA$137

37.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$112 CA$157

-12.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,187 CA$1,660

1.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$1,070 CA$1,497

-40.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,854 CA$2,594

9.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,776 CA$2,484

-43.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$4,712 CA$6,591

-11.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$3,477 CA$4,863

-45.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.68

133.76%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Arviat: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Arviat

$1.1K 48.9% 66.8% $428

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Arviat

$345 15.8% 16.3% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Arviat

$229 10.5% 8.6% $18

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Arviat

$270 12.3% 58.9% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Arviat

$141 6.5% 16.5% $28

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Arviat

$80 3.6% 14.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Arviat

$54 2.5% 6.1% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,187 in Arviat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $63 in Arviat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $345 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 Arviat

🕒 Local time

06:57 6:57 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,800

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Arviat 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Arviat

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 Arviat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,189 in Arviat, so Medellin is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $3,283 in Arviat 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 $1,187 in Arviat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $681 in Arviat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Arviat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.