Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cabo Rojo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabo Rojo: $1,236 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Cabo Rojo
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Cabo Rojo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Cabo Rojo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,236

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cabo Rojo

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,236 in Cabo Rojo, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Cabo Rojo $1,236

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,948 in Cabo Rojo, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Cabo Rojo $1,948

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,659 in Cabo Rojo, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Cabo Rojo $2,659

Medellin costs about 37% more than Cabo Rojo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Cabo Rojo is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$10.02 $10.02

-16.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$83.4 $83.4

-44.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$8.79 $8.79

7.74%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.63 $3.63

-13.77%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$1.85 $1.85

-4.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$1.50 $1.50

-5.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.53 $1.53

105.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.45 $3.45

65.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$2.14 $2.14

-28.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$3.58 $3.58

-36.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$2.45 $2.45

-20.82%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$7.37 $7.37

-58.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$12.35 $12.35

-19.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$9.86 $9.86

5.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$13.20 $13.20

5.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$5.03 $5.03

-19.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$2.63 $2.63

-41.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$4.88 $4.88

-56.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$4.78 $4.78

-52.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$3.89 $3.89

-45.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$3.85 $3.85

-55.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$3.39 $3.39

-65.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$1.59 $1.59

-0.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$12.02 $12.02

-67.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$15.43 $15.43

-9.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$3.12 $3.12

-43.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$4.03 $4.03

-32.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$2.53 $2.53

-28.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$1.52 $1.52

40.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$42.46 $42.46

-80.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$0.77 $0.77

66.23%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$34.1K $34.1K

0.94%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$27.7K $27.7K

23.08%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$325 $325

-45.37%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$65.7 $65.7

-78.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$70.3 $70.3

-56.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$10.69 $10.69

-30.12%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$816 $816

-3.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$12.3K $12.3K

0.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$55.6 $55.6

55.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$62.1 $62.1

-4.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$108 $108

28.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$112 $112

-12.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$4,260 $4,260

-84.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.55

67.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cabo Rojo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Cabo Rojo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Cabo Rojo

$413 33.4% 34.5% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Cabo Rojo

$461 37.3% 108% $239

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Cabo Rojo

$178 14.4% 3.2% $5.5

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Cabo Rojo

$152 12.3% 11.7% $20

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Cabo Rojo

$10 * 0.8% 89.2% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Cabo Rojo

$21 * 1.7% 62.4% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Cabo Rojo are about 6.6 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $83 in Cabo Rojo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $413 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇷 Cabo Rojo

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

02:47 2:47 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

50,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Cabo Rojo 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cabo Rojo

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 Cabo Rojo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 37% more than Cabo Rojo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,855 in Cabo Rojo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $1,236 in Cabo Rojo. That makes Cabo Rojo about 27% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $816 in Cabo Rojo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,692 in Medellin and $1,236 in Cabo Rojo. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,236 in Cabo Rojo to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.