Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Buenos Aires Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Buenos Aires

🙂 Solo nomad: Medellin is 35.3% cheaper than Buenos Aires without rent, and 29% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Medellin is 36.6% cheaper than Buenos Aires without rent, and 30.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Buenos Aires
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.23 COP 26K
$15.09 ARS 17.9K
-58.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.34 COP 134.8K
$61 ARS 72.5K
-47.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.39 COP 30.8K
$11.88 ARS 14.1K
-37.79%
Cappuccino
$1.72 COP 7,155
$3.95 ARS 4,696
-56.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.1 COP 4,575
$2.12 ARS 2,512
-48.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 COP 3,060
$1.53 ARS 1,823
-52.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.66 COP 6,916
$3.55 ARS 4,215
-53.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.2 COP 13.3K
$3.99 ARS 4,737
-19.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Buenos Aires
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.09 COP 4,552
$1.52 ARS 1,809
-28.29%
White Bread (500g)
$1.24 COP 5,188
$2.56 ARS 3,042
-51.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 COP 5,544
$2.27 ARS 2,700
-41.41%
Eggs
$2.22 COP 9,252
$3.19 ARS 3,788
-30.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.55 COP 19K
$12 ARS 14.3K
-62.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.71 COP 23.8K
$8.05 ARS 9,563
-29.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.59 COP 35.8K
$9.52 ARS 11.3K
-9.77%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 COP 9,410
$2.59 ARS 3,078
-12.74%
Banana (1kg)
$1.07 COP 4,461
$2.02 ARS 2,393
-47.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.51 COP 6,293
$1.31 ARS 1,551
15.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.42 COP 5,911
$2.61 ARS 3,095
-45.59%
Potato (1kg)
$1.11 COP 4,619
$1.51 ARS 1,791
-26.49%
Onion (1kg)
$1.18 COP 4,932
$1.48 ARS 1,755
-20.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.89 COP 3,718
$1.81 ARS 2,150
-50.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 COP 3,507
$1.43 ARS 1,703
-41.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.35 COP 9,809
$3.17 ARS 3,767
-25.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.34 COP 38.9K
$5.91 ARS 7,019
58.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 COP 4,927
$2.26 ARS 2,689
-47.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49 COP 10.4K
$3.09 ARS 3,664
-19.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Buenos Aires
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.83 COP 3,464
$0.68 ARS 807
22.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.9 COP 174.7K
$15.85 ARS 18.8K
164.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.41 COP 5,899
$1.63 ARS 1,938
-13.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.96 COP 8,164
$0.85 ARS 1,013
130.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.85 COP 32.7K
$6.13 ARS 7,281
28.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.02 COP 4,265
$1.12 ARS 1,335
-8.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.6K COP 73.4M
$24.8K ARS 29.4M
-28.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K COP 109.2M
$28.6K ARS 34M
-8.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Buenos Aires
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 COP 344.1K
$112 ARS 133.4K
-26.52%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.44 COP 39.4K
$21.32 ARS 25.3K
-55.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.51 COP 98K
$28.5 ARS 33.8K
-17.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Buenos Aires
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.68 COP 107.1K
$42.35 ARS 50.3K
-39.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.14 COP 79.8K
$11.6 ARS 13.8K
65.00%
Cinema Ticket
$3.96 COP 16.5K
$8.8 ARS 10.4K
-55.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Buenos Aires
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$305 COP 1.3M
$322 ARS 382.2K
-5.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,925 COP 24.7M
$5,088 ARS 6M
16.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Buenos Aires
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.9 COP 241.4K
$108 ARS 128.7K
-46.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.59 COP 131.7K
$87.5 ARS 104K
-63.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 COP 430.1K
$123 ARS 146.2K
-16.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 COP 440.5K
$132 ARS 156.7K
-19.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Buenos Aires
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$489 COP 2M
$659 ARS 782.6K
-25.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$379 COP 1.6M
$432 ARS 513.2K
-12.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$827 COP 3.4M
$1,187 ARS 1.4M
-30.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$729 COP 3M
$789 ARS 937K
-7.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,190 COP 9.1M
$2,743 ARS 3.3M
-20.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,532 COP 6.4M
$2,007 ARS 2.4M
-23.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Buenos Aires
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$550 COP 2.3M
$805 ARS 955.5K
-31.65%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.43
52.71
-74.52%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 28, 2025

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.