Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cafayate

For one person, living is cheaper in Cafayate: $1,263 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Cafayate
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Cafayate Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Cafayate

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,263

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cafayate

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,263 in Cafayate, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Cafayate $1,263

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $2,114 in Cafayate, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Cafayate $2,114

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,965 in Cafayate, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Cafayate $2,965

Medellin costs about 34% more than Cafayate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Cafayate is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$17.28 ARS 26.7K

-51.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$56.5 ARS 87.3K

-17.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$12.77 ARS 19.7K

-25.84%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.81 ARS 5,890

-17.85%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$2.19 ARS 3,382

-19.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$1.92 ARS 2,969

-26.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.76 ARS 5,810

-16.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.99 ARS 6,169

42.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$1.34 ARS 2,076

14.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$2.25 ARS 3,478

1.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.84 ARS 2,850

5.43%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$2.71 ARS 4,194

13.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$11.49 ARS 17.7K

-13.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$7.73 ARS 11.9K

35.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$11.59 ARS 17.9K

20.45%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.43 ARS 3,761

66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$2.24 ARS 3,465

-31.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$1.49 ARS 2,305

40.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$2.66 ARS 4,109

-13.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$1.06 ARS 1,634

99.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$0.96 ARS 1,484

78.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$1.49 ARS 2,306

6.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.39 ARS 5,231

15.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$5.01 ARS 7,746

180.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$2.06 ARS 3,179

-14.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$3.34 ARS 5,166

-18.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$1.02 ARS 1,577

15.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$1.55 ARS 2,394

16.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.24 ARS 1,916

3.23%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$25.8K ARS 39.9M

33.49%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$32.6K ARS 50.3M

4.85%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$123 ARS 189.9K

44.58%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$17.16 ARS 26.5K

-19.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$24.09 ARS 37.2K

27.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$31.00 ARS 47.9K

35.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$21.04 ARS 32.5K

-20.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$9.41 ARS 14.5K

-20.62%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$235 ARS 362.8K

236.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$4,135 ARS 6.4M

197.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$113 ARS 173.9K

-23.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$81.3 ARS 125.6K

-27.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$113 ARS 175.3K

21.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$115 ARS 177.5K

-14.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$518 ARS 800.3K

158.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$331 ARS 511.1K

101.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,075 ARS 1.7M

83.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$811 ARS 1.3M

27.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,298 ARS 2.0M

49.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cafayate: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Cafayate

$331 26.2% 50.4% $336

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Cafayate

$257 * 20.4% 16.4% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Cafayate

$164 13% 26.2% $58

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Cafayate

$266 21% 53.8% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Cafayate

$190 15% 10.3% $18

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Cafayate

$5.6 * 0.5% 94% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Cafayate

$50 3.9% 12.4% $7.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $518 in Cafayate. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $56 in Cafayate. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $257 in Cafayate – so Cafayate wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇷 Cafayate

🕒 Local time

17:42 5:42 PM

19:42 7:42 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

14,850

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,545 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,728 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.79 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Cafayate 3,740 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cafayate

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 Cafayate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Medellin, $1,263 in Cafayate – Cafayate comes out roughly 25% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,894 in Cafayate. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cafayate, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $518 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $56 in Cafayate. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,263 in Cafayate, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Cafayate – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.