Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Avellaneda Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Avellaneda

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Medellin versus $1,191 in Avellaneda.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,447 in Medellin versus $1,992 in Avellaneda.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,253 in Medellin versus $2,792 in Avellaneda.

Living in Medellin is roughly 38% more expensive than in Avellaneda, driven mainly by Getting Around.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 19% above, Avellaneda is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.04 COP 24.8K

$15.61 ARS 23.6K

-48.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.29 COP 148.6K

$54.9 ARS 82.7K

-11.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.42 COP 29.0K

$13.03 ARS 19.6K

-27.71%

Cappuccino

$2.94 COP 9,040

$3.81 ARS 5,740

-22.83%

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

$1.86 COP 5,735

$2.06 ARS 3,100

-9.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 COP 4,479

$1.74 ARS 2,625

-16.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 COP 9,882

$3.61 ARS 5,439

-11.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 COP 17.6K

$3.67 ARS 5,531

55.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 COP 4,428

$1.38 ARS 2,076

4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 COP 7,389

$2.18 ARS 3,286

10.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,228

$1.50 ARS 2,255

13.33%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 8,896

$2.43 ARS 3,670

18.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.06 COP 30.9K

$10.31 ARS 15.6K

-2.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.97 COP 30.7K

$6.63 ARS 9,996

50.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 COP 43.7K

$11.32 ARS 17.1K

25.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 COP 12.3K

$2.26 ARS 3,409

76.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 COP 4,878

$2.16 ARS 3,255

-26.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 COP 6,624

$1.38 ARS 2,079

55.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 COP 7,078

$2.13 ARS 3,217

7.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 COP 6,169

$1.10 ARS 1,658

81.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 COP 4,646

$1.02 ARS 1,540

48.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 COP 3,701

$1.62 ARS 2,442

-25.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 COP 3,946

$1.76 ARS 2,653

-27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 COP 11.8K

$3.24 ARS 4,883

18.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.01 COP 43.1K

$5.06 ARS 7,632

176.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 COP 5,256

$1.99 ARS 2,996

-14.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 COP 8,440

$2.85 ARS 4,299

-3.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 COP 3,834

$0.97 ARS 1,471

28.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.9 COP 239.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 COP 4,016

$1.61 ARS 2,433

-18.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 COP 6,680

$0.98 ARS 1,477

121.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.29 COP 25.5K

$7.59 ARS 11.4K

9.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 COP 4,172

$1.21 ARS 1,828

12.40%

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

$27.5K COP 84.5M

$27.7K ARS 41.8M

-0.74%

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

$36.5K COP 112.4M

$33.4K ARS 50.4M

9.39%

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

$169 COP 519.2K

$84.8 ARS 127.9K

99.08%

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

$13.57 COP 41.8K

$16.84 ARS 25.4K

-19.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.32 COP 87.2K

$26.87 ARS 40.5K

5.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.71 COP 140.7K

$30.45 ARS 45.9K

50.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.22 COP 53.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 COP 20.5K

$8.36 ARS 12.6K

-20.45%

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

$803 COP 2.5M

$300 ARS 452.7K

167.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,190 COP 28.3M

$4,226 ARS 6.4M

117.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.4 COP 268.8K

$105 ARS 158.5K

-16.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.4 COP 182.7K

$75.3 ARS 113.6K

-21.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 427.5K

$119 ARS 179.6K

16.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 COP 314.0K

$124 ARS 187.5K

-17.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,071 COP 3.3M

$478 ARS 721.8K

123.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$653 COP 2.0M

$305 ARS 460.3K

113.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,925 COP 5.9M

$993 ARS 1.5M

93.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 COP 3.2M

$772 ARS 1.2M

35.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,123 COP 12.7M

$2,410 ARS 3.6M

71.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,697 COP 5.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$655 COP 2.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

56.56

-80.66%

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

Last update for Medellin: September 7, 2026

Last update for Avellaneda: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,071 in Medellin and $478 in Avellaneda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48.00 in Medellin vs $55.0 in Avellaneda. Groceries flip the comparison at $300 vs $248, with Avellaneda cheaper for home cooking.

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 Avellaneda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Avellaneda wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Avellaneda the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,462 in Medellin and $1,787 in Avellaneda 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: $1,071 in Medellin versus $478 in Avellaneda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $803 in Medellin versus $300 in Avellaneda. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Avellaneda – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $48.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,191 in Avellaneda versus $1,641 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Avellaneda but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Avellaneda the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Avellaneda delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,191 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Avellaneda hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Avellaneda are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Avellaneda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.