Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Calama

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $587 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Calama
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Calama Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Calama

🇨🇱 Chile

$587

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Calama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $587 in Calama.

Medellin $1,639
Calama $587

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,195 in Calama.

Medellin $2,413
Calama $1,195

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,802 in Calama.

Medellin $3,186
Calama $1,802

Living in Medellin is roughly 179% more expensive than in Calama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Calama is 57% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.93 CLP 6,883

16.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$31.87 CLP 31.7K

47.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$1.99 CLP 1,976

51.26%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.87 CLP 867

106.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.87 CLP 859

62.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$2.98 CLP 2,962

6.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$4.91 CLP 4,875

17.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.12 CLP 1,114

34.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$0.80 CLP 792

197.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$2.68 CLP 2,662

-33.96%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$4.80 CLP 4,769

-39.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.98 CLP 8,922

13.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$6.13 CLP 6,091

61.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$7.42 CLP 7,375

88.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.19 CLP 1,179

233.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.03 CLP 1,020

50.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.49 CLP 1,477

46.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.08 CLP 1,075

101.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.90 CLP 890

117.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.98 CLP 969

62.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$5.19 CLP 5,152

-23.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$4.15 CLP 4,120

229.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.04 CLP 1,030

59.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.20 CLP 1,191

88.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.95 CLP 944

23.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.46 CLP 1,453

40.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.42 CLP 1,415

-4.93%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$40.80 CLP 40.5K

315.81%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$13.16 CLP 13.1K

113.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$50.8 CLP 50.4K

-13.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$19.97 CLP 19.8K

-13.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.51 CLP 4,484

53.22%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$305 CLP 303.4K

160.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$34.75 CLP 34.5K

143.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$28.04 CLP 27.8K

106.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$44.75 CLP 44.5K

201.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$60.3 CLP 59.9K

62.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$322 CLP 320.0K

274.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$103 CLP 102.2K

523.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$795 CLP 790.1K

154.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$617 CLP 612.5K

64.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$1,406 CLP 1.4M

196.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,221 CLP 1.2M

56.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,094 CLP 1.1M

-39.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

118.80%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Calama: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Calama

$103 17.5% 84% $539

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Calama

$173 * 29.5% 41.8% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Calama

$54 * 9.2% 74.5% $157

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Calama

$111 * 18.9% 34.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Calama

$76 12.9% 55.3% $93

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Calama

$11 * 1.9% 88.1% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Calama

$60 10.2% 3.9% $2.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $322 in Calama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calama pays 66% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $32 in Calama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $173 per month, with Calama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇱 Calama

🕒 Local time

17:42 5:42 PM

19:42 7:42 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

157,575

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.07 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 993 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.01 USD). 1 EUR = 1,109 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.02 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Calama 3,280 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Calama

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 Calama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calama wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Calama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 40% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $322 in Calama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $587 in Calama – Calama is about 64% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $587 in Calama versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Calama but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Calama 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.