Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Caguas

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Caguas: $1,614 and $1,621 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Caguas
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Caguas Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Caguas

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Caguas

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,621 in Caguas, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Caguas $1,621

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $2,580 in Caguas, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Caguas $2,580

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $3,539 in Caguas, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Caguas $3,539

Medellin and Caguas have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Medellin and Caguas sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Caguas by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$14.74 $14.74

-46.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$82.9 $82.9

-44.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$8.99 $8.99

5.67%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.28 $2.28

36.40%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.12 $1.12

63.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.24 $1.24

11.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.52 $1.52

100.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$4.12 $4.12

33.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$2.16 $2.16

-32.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$2.80 $2.80

-15.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$2.31 $2.31

-27.27%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$4.97 $4.97

-42.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$6.90 $6.90

47.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$9.13 $9.13

4.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$11.99 $11.99

17.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$5.15 $5.15

-20.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$2.61 $2.61

-42.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.39 $2.39

-9.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$4.53 $4.53

-49.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$2.57 $2.57

-24.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$2.71 $2.71

-39.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$2.26 $2.26

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.60 $1.60

-21.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$10.64 $10.64

-62.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$14.03 $14.03

-4.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.45 $1.45

17.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.18 $2.18

8.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$1.98 $1.98

-38.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$70.3 $70.3

8.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$2.44 $2.44

-45.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.54 $1.54

38.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$42.73 $42.73

-80.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$0.89 $0.89

46.07%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$30.5K $30.5K

-8.37%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$25.8K $25.8K

37.34%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$185 $185

-7.07%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$59.9 $59.9

-77.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$56.2 $56.2

-48.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$35.28 $35.28

28.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$50.9 $50.9

-66.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$9.83 $9.83

-36.11%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$300 $300

156.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$12.3K $12.3K

-26.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$26.14 $26.14

230.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$35.43 $35.43

61.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$81.1 $81.1

68.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$115 $115

-14.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$752 $752

40.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$528 $528

16.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,080 $1,080

75.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$977 $977

4.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$2,422 $2,422

67.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$849 $849

97.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$3,041 $3,041

-78.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.85

125.57%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Caguas: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Caguas

$528 32.6% 14.3% $88

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Caguas

$336 20.7% 13.9% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Caguas

$301 18.6% 40.7% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Caguas

$116 7.2% 31.8% $54

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Caguas

$198 12.2% 17.3% $29

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Caguas

$88 5.5% 5.4% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Caguas

$55 3.4% 5% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $752 in Caguas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 366% higher in Caguas. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $83.0 in Caguas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $336 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇷 Caguas

🕒 Local time

18:34 6:34 PM

19:34 7:34 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

70,318

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Caguas 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Caguas

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 Caguas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $2,432 in Caguas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $83.0 in Caguas. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 9% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Caguas at $1,621. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Caguas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,614 versus $1,621 in Caguas. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Caguas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.