Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bucha

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucha: $746 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Bucha
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Bucha Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Bucha

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$746

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bucha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $746 in Bucha.

Medellin $1,625
Bucha $746

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $1,142 in Bucha.

Medellin $2,412
Bucha $1,142

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $1,538 in Bucha.

Medellin $3,199
Bucha $1,538

Living in Medellin is roughly 118% more expensive than in Bucha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Bucha is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$9.86 ₴443

-15.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$22.50 ₴1,010

108.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$6.60 ₴296

40.00%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$1.00 ₴45.09

205.00%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.62 ₴27.81

190.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.37 ₴16.60

272.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$0.87 ₴39.16

272.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$1.93 ₴86.5

188.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.12 ₴50.1

33.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.89 ₴40.04

166.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.50 ₴67.5

13.33%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.97 ₴88.5

50.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$8.09 ₴363

26.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$5.20 ₴233

87.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$6.83 ₴306

103.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$0.99 ₴44.59

317.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.52 ₴68.1

0.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.87 ₴84.1

18.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$2.76 ₴124

-17.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.69 ₴31.10

188.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.45 ₴20.42

271.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.41 ₴63.2

-16.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.51 ₴23.07

143.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$3.39 ₴152

14.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$4.73 ₴212

191.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$0.95 ₴42.66

74.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.37 ₴61.4

75.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.46 ₴20.45

169.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$13.82 ₴620

465.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$2.07 ₴93.1

-38.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.48 ₴21.61

347.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$3.98 ₴179

110.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.69 ₴76.0

-20.12%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$31.4K ₴1.4M

10.73%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$24.6K ₴1.1M

41.02%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$98.5 ₴4,419

69.27%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$6.39 ₴287

113.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$6.35 ₴285

358.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$26.50 ₴1,189

70.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$15.20 ₴682

13.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$4.60 ₴206

51.52%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$402 ₴18.0K

96.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$4,197 ₴188.4K

115.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$67.3 ₴3,023

30.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$17.42 ₴782

233.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$54.5 ₴2,447

154.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$56.4 ₴2,531

75.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$200 ₴8,961

415.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$197 ₴8,821

215.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$465 ₴20.9K

304.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$331 ₴14.8K

204.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,038 ₴46.6K

284.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$769 ₴34.5K

121.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$548 ₴24.6K

21.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

17.88

-38.81%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bucha: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Bucha

$197 26.3% 68.3% $423

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Bucha

$172 23% 42.3% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Bucha

$111 14.9% 46.9% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Bucha

$88 11.8% 49% $85

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Bucha

$123 16.5% 28% $48

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Bucha

$20 2.7% 78.9% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Bucha

$36 4.8% 39.5% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $200 in Bucha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 21% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $23.00 in Bucha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $172 per month, with Bucha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇦 Bucha

🕒 Local time

20:22 8:22 PM

04:22 4:22 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

27,460

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 UAH = 2.23 USD

100 UAH = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 44.89 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.46 UAH (100 UAH = 1.98 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Bucha 10,570 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bucha

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 Bucha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Bucha differ by about 118% in total monthly costs ($1,625 vs $746 including rent). Bucha is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 21% 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $200 in Bucha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,625 per month in Medellin versus $746 in Bucha – a 118% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucha runs roughly 466% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $746 in Bucha versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucha but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bucha 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.

Expats usually find Bucha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 118% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.