Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Caldas da Rainha

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Caldas da Rainha: $1,589 and $1,532 a month, rent and utilities included.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Caldas da Rainha
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Caldas da Rainha Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Caldas da Rainha

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Caldas da Rainha

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 Caldas da Rainha actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Medellin vs $1,532 in Caldas da Rainha, rent included.

Medellin $1,589
Caldas da Rainha $1,532

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Medellin vs $2,352 in Caldas da Rainha, rent included.

Medellin $2,364
Caldas da Rainha $2,352

A family of three spends $3,139 per month in Medellin vs $3,172 in Caldas da Rainha, rent included.

Medellin $3,139
Caldas da Rainha $3,172

Medellin costs about 4% more than Caldas da Rainha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Caldas da Rainha sit above the global median – Medellin by 19%, Caldas da Rainha by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$15.73 €14.03

-49.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$50.9 €45.38

-8.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$10.22 €9.12

-7.73%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$2.05 €1.83

41.95%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$2.36 €2.10

-25.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$1.42 €1.26

-7.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$2.78 €2.48

12.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$3.87 €3.46

43.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$1.07 €0.95

31.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$1.44 €1.28

69.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$1.56 €1.39

4.49%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$3.01 €2.69

-6.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$10.38 €9.26

-6.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$7.26 €6.48

28.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$12.81 €11.44

5.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$1.87 €1.67

113.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$1.33 €1.18

11.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$1.68 €1.50

26.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$2.46 €2.19

-8.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$1.92 €1.71

-0.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$1.88 €1.68

-13.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$1.29 €1.15

-10.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$0.84 €0.75

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$5.74 €5.12

-33.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$3.95 €3.53

231.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

$1.64 €1.46

-2.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

$1.72 €1.54

31.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$3.67 €3.27

-68.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

$34.14 €30.46

119.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$2.83 €2.53

-55.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$1.91 €1.71

-33.51%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$33.8K €30.2K

-20.77%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$37.7K €33.7K

-8.83%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$108 €96.0

50.81%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$18.14 €16.19

-27.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$38.70 €34.54

-27.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$48.88 €43.62

-9.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

$27.78 €24.79

-41.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$8.78 €7.84

-30.64%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$399 €356

91.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$5,537 €4,941

60.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$95.8 €85.5

-11.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$42.87 €38.26

34.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$112 €100

17.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$68.4 €61.1

39.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$891 €795

15.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$671 €599

-9.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$1,401 €1,251

28.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$1,122 €1,001

-11.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

$2,845 €2,539

37.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

$2,284 €2,038

-28.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$1,145 €1,022

-45.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.11

251.77%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Caldas da Rainha: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Caldas da Rainha

$671 43.4% 11% $66

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Caldas da Rainha

$230 14.9% 20.3% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Caldas da Rainha

$164 10.6% 19.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Caldas da Rainha

$144 9.3% 13.7% $23

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Caldas da Rainha

$218 14.1% 30.9% $51

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Caldas da Rainha

$52 * 3.3% 43.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Caldas da Rainha

$66 4.3% 17.6% $9.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $891 in Caldas da Rainha. 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 83% higher in Caldas da Rainha, 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $51.0 in Caldas da Rainha. Groceries tell a different story – $288 in Medellin vs $230 in Caldas da Rainha – so Caldas da Rainha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇹 Caldas da Rainha

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

12:41 12:41 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

50,917

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Caldas da Rainha 7,550 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Caldas da Rainha

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 Caldas da Rainha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Medellin and $2,298 in Caldas da Rainha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Caldas da Rainha, 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 $47.00 in Medellin and $51.0 in Caldas da Rainha. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,589 in Medellin and $1,532 in Caldas da Rainha. That's a gap of about 4%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Caldas da Rainha, where all-in costs run around $1,532, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Caldas da Rainha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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