Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Babahoyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Babahoyo: $797 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Babahoyo
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Babahoyo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Babahoyo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$797

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Babahoyo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $797 in Babahoyo.

Medellin $1,639
Babahoyo $797

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,299 in Babahoyo.

Medellin $2,413
Babahoyo $1,299

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,801 in Babahoyo.

Medellin $3,186
Babahoyo $1,801

Living in Medellin is roughly 106% more expensive than in Babahoyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Babahoyo is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$3.35 $3.35

141.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$37.80 $37.80

24.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$6.68 $6.68

42.22%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.87 $2.87

4.88%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.83 $0.83

116.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.82 $0.82

71.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.83 $2.83

12.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.49 $3.49

64.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.06 $1.06

42.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.72 $1.72

38.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.55 $1.55

14.19%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.94 $1.94

48.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$6.64 $6.64

53.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$4.80 $4.80

105.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$7.27 $7.27

92.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.14 $2.14

85.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.13 $1.13

37.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.37 $1.37

59.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.08 $1.08

101.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.40 $1.40

40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.10 $1.10

44.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.78 $0.78

47.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.02 $1.02

21.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$5.82 $5.82

-31.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$7.38 $7.38

85.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.38 $1.38

20.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.85 $2.85

-20.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.30 $0.30

290.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.52 $1.52

-16.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.12 $1.12

83.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$10.45 $10.45

-18.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.72 $0.72

87.50%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$22.7K $22.7K

49.86%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$34.1K $34.1K

1.53%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$33.73 $33.73

402.96%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$12.14 $12.14

11.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$26.59 $26.59

5.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$29.18 $29.18

49.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$16.29 $16.29

5.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$7.88 $7.88

-12.31%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$299 $299

166.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$5,114 $5,114

78.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$60.4 $60.4

40.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$50.1 $50.1

15.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$93.3 $93.3

44.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$67.1 $67.1

45.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$395 $395

205.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$256 $256

151.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$772 $772

162.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$504 $504

100.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.09

8.42%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Babahoyo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Babahoyo

$256 32.1% 60.2% $386

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Babahoyo

$185 23.2% 37.8% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Babahoyo

$72 9.1% 65.7% $139

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Babahoyo

$109 13.7% 35.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Babahoyo

$122 15.3% 27.9% $47

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Babahoyo

$8.3 * 1% 91.1% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Babahoyo

$45 5.6% 21.9% $13

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 $395 in Babahoyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $38 in Babahoyo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $185 per month, with Babahoyo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇨 Babahoyo

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

84,164

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Babahoyo 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Babahoyo

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 Babahoyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Babahoyo wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Babahoyo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,196 in Babahoyo 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 $395 in Babahoyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $299 in Babahoyo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Babahoyo – a meal for two runs $38 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.