Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ayacucho

For one person, living is cheaper in Ayacucho: $474 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Ayacucho
Learn more

Ayacucho Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Ayacucho

🇵🇪 Peru

$474

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ayacucho

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $474 in Ayacucho.

Medellin $1,639
Ayacucho $474

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $766 in Ayacucho.

Medellin $2,413
Ayacucho $766

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,058 in Ayacucho.

Medellin $3,186
Ayacucho $1,058

Living in Medellin is roughly 246% more expensive than in Ayacucho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Ayacucho is 65% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$1.69 PEN 5.83

378.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$1.78 PEN 6.13

69.10%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.91 PEN 3.14

97.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.30 PEN 1.05

370.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$1.47 PEN 5.09

116.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$4.38 PEN 15.11

31.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$0.56 PEN 1.94

216.07%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$1.79 PEN 6.18

61.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$2.95 PEN 10.19

245.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$4.27 PEN 14.75

131.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$5.66 PEN 19.53

147.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$1.18 PEN 4.09

236.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$0.57 PEN 1.96

171.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$0.60 PEN 2.09

263.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$0.56 PEN 1.94

289.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$0.30 PEN 1.05

553.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$0.30 PEN 1.05

430.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.28 PEN 0.95

310.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.88 PEN 3.04

40.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$5.90 PEN 20.35

131.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$2.98 PEN 10.29

-44.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$4.40 PEN 15.18

-48.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.61 PEN 2.10

91.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$35.47 PEN 122

118.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$2.26 PEN 7.81

-43.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$1.15 PEN 3.96

78.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$4.31 PEN 14.87

98.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-21.05%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$9,956 PEN 34.4K

242.17%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$12.3K PEN 42.5K

181.42%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$11.47 PEN 39.57

18.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$17.16 PEN 59.2

63.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$14.48 PEN 49.98

201.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$29.41 PEN 102

-41.55%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$4.44 PEN 15.33

55.63%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$72.4 PEN 250

999.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$17.29 PEN 59.7

389.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$26.45 PEN 91.3

119.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$102 PEN 353

31.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$103 PEN 355

-4.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$342 PEN 1,181

252.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$88.5 PEN 305

625.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$861 PEN 2,971

135.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$232 PEN 800

336.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$1,884 PEN 6,501

121.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,739 PEN 6,003

9.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$471 PEN 1,626

39.46%

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 Ayacucho: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Ayacucho

$88 18.7% 86.2% $553

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Ayacucho

$120 * 25.3% 59.7% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Ayacucho

$29 * 6% 86.4% $183

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Ayacucho

$56 * 11.8% 67.1% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Ayacucho

$112 23.6% 33.7% $57

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Ayacucho

$46 9.7% 50.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Ayacucho

$23 4.9% 59.4% $34

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 $342 in Ayacucho. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 39% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇪 Ayacucho

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

99,427

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, 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 = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Ayacucho 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ayacucho

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 Ayacucho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ayacucho wins on cost – living expenses run 71% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ayacucho the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 39% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $342 in Ayacucho. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $72 in Ayacucho. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Ayacucho runs roughly 54% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $474 in Ayacucho versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Ayacucho but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Ayacucho the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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