Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Avellaneda

For one person, living is cheaper in Avellaneda: $1,317 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Avellaneda
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Avellaneda Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Avellaneda

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Avellaneda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,317 in Avellaneda.

Medellin $1,639
Avellaneda $1,317

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,131 in Avellaneda.

Medellin $2,413
Avellaneda $2,131

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,945 in Avellaneda.

Medellin $3,186
Avellaneda $2,945

Living in Medellin is roughly 24% more expensive than in Avellaneda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Avellaneda is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$17.91 ARS 27.6K

-54.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$64.3 ARS 98.9K

-26.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$13.09 ARS 20.1K

-27.43%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.81 ARS 5,854

-21.00%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.03 ARS 3,121

-11.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$2.12 ARS 3,255

-33.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$4.09 ARS 6,293

-22.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.66 ARS 5,635

57.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.55 ARS 2,385

-2.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.30 ARS 3,542

3.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.84 ARS 2,836

-3.80%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.48 ARS 3,819

16.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.76 ARS 18.1K

-13.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$7.54 ARS 11.6K

30.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$12.82 ARS 19.7K

9.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.53 ARS 3,899

56.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.28 ARS 3,512

-32.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.50 ARS 2,311

45.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$2.95 ARS 4,531

-26.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.11 ARS 1,702

76.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.92 ARS 1,411

72.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.41 ARS 2,175

-12.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.05 ARS 4,699

29.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$5.13 ARS 7,891

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.86 ARS 2,860

-10.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.97 ARS 4,566

-23.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.08 ARS 1,660

8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.31 ARS 2,022

-3.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.24 ARS 1,908

8.87%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$22.4K ARS 34.4M

52.22%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$37.0K ARS 56.9M

-6.31%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$133 ARS 204.7K

27.52%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$16.91 ARS 26.0K

-19.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$25.34 ARS 39.0K

10.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$31.48 ARS 48.4K

38.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$22.70 ARS 34.9K

-24.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$8.06 ARS 12.4K

-14.27%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$249 ARS 382.3K

220.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$3,658 ARS 5.6M

149.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$123 ARS 189.9K

-31.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$70.5 ARS 108.4K

-17.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$108 ARS 165.9K

25.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$119 ARS 183.4K

-17.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$517 ARS 795.0K

133.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$365 ARS 561.3K

75.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,008 ARS 1.6M

101.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$716 ARS 1.1M

41.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,456 ARS 2.2M

31.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

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 Avellaneda: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Avellaneda

$365 27.7% 43.1% $277

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Avellaneda

$262 * 19.9% 11.8% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Avellaneda

$175 13.3% 17% $36

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Avellaneda

$273 20.7% 60.7% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Avellaneda

$189 14.4% 12.1% $20

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Avellaneda

$5.6 * 0.4% 94% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Avellaneda

$48 3.6% 17.3% $9.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $517 in Avellaneda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $64 in Avellaneda. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $262, with Avellaneda cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇷 Avellaneda

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

17:35 5:35 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

342,677

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,538 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,712 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Avellaneda 4,900 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Avellaneda

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 Avellaneda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Avellaneda wins on cost – living expenses run 20% 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 $2,459 in Medellin and $1,976 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $517 in Avellaneda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $249 in Avellaneda. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $64 in Avellaneda. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Avellaneda is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.