Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Banos

For one person, living is cheaper in Banos: $819 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Banos
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Banos Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Banos

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$819

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Banos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $819 in Banos.

Medellin $1,639
Banos $819

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,260 in Banos.

Medellin $2,413
Banos $1,260

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,701 in Banos.

Medellin $3,186
Banos $1,701

Living in Medellin is roughly 100% more expensive than in Banos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Banos is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.78 $2.78

191.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.8K

$30.08 $30.08

56.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$5.02 $5.02

89.24%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,729

$2.60 $2.60

15.77%

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

$1.80 COP 5,806

$0.92 $0.92

95.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,558

$0.73 $0.73

93.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$2.99 $2.99

6.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.02 $2.02

184.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,873

$1.05 $1.05

43.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,673

$1.99 $1.99

19.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,716

$0.86 $0.86

105.81%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,327

$1.49 $1.49

93.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.04 $7.04

44.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$5.04 $5.04

95.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$5.85 $5.85

139.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.49 $1.49

166.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,009

$0.49 $0.49

216.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,044

$1.02 $1.02

113.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$0.95 $0.95

129.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,333

$0.51 $0.51

284.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,129

$0.91 $0.91

74.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$0.51 $0.51

125.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,012

$1.02 $1.02

21.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$5.83 $5.83

-32.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$11.80 $11.80

15.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,356

$1.55 $1.55

7.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,286

$2.15 $2.15

5.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,769

$0.36 $0.36

225.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,092

$1.27 $1.27

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,608

$1.23 $1.23

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$11.90 $11.90

-28.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,346

$0.87 $0.87

55.17%

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

$34.1K COP 109.9M

$23.1K $23.1K

47.47%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$30.6K $30.6K

13.24%

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

$170 COP 547.5K

$33.82 $33.82

401.63%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$14.62 $14.62

-7.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$25.86 $25.86

8.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.0K

$29.84 $29.84

46.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$14.62 $14.62

17.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.28 $7.28

-5.08%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$369 $369

115.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,777 $5,777

57.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.4K

$64.8 $64.8

30.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.0K

$39.86 $39.86

45.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.5K

$127 $127

5.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.8K

$91.7 $91.7

6.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$440 $440

174.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$275 $275

132.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$705 $705

187.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$448 $448

125.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.05

8.86%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Banos: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Banos

$275 33.6% 57.1% $366

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Banos

$176 21.5% 40.7% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Banos

$74 9.1% 64.8% $137

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Banos

$94 11.5% 44.5% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Banos

$146 17.8% 13.8% $23

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Banos

$8.9 * 1.1% 90.5% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Banos

$44 5.4% 22.8% $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 $440 in Banos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $30 in Banos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $176 per month, with Banos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇨 Banos

🕒 Local time

00:35 12:35 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

9,501

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,617 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Banos 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Banos

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 Banos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Banos wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Banos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,228 in Banos 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 $440 in Banos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $369 in Banos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Banos – a meal for two runs $30 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Banos is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Banos is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.