Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $2,232 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Calgary

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Medellin versus $2,232 in Calgary.

Medellin $1,589
Calgary $2,232

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,364 in Medellin versus $3,363 in Calgary.

Medellin $2,364
Calgary $3,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,139 in Medellin versus $4,493 in Calgary.

Medellin $3,139
Calgary $4,493

Living in Medellin costs roughly 29% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 19% above, Calgary 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.8K

$17.22 CA$24.49

-53.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 149.9K

$71.2 CA$101

-34.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.4K

$10.56 CA$15.02

-10.70%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,374

$3.77 CA$5.37

-22.81%

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

$1.75 COP 5,643

$1.91 CA$2.72

-8.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,263

$1.84 CA$2.62

-28.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$4.86 CA$6.92

-35.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.9K

$5.55 CA$7.90

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,542

$1.88 CA$2.67

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,858

$2.73 CA$3.88

-10.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,245

$5.34 CA$7.60

-69.48%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 9,084

$3.77 CA$5.36

-25.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 31.2K

$11.29 CA$16.06

-14.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 30.0K

$11.46 CA$16.30

-18.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 43.3K

$18.26 CA$25.97

-26.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.9K

$4.64 CA$6.60

-13.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,768

$1.44 CA$2.04

2.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,839

$4.22 CA$6.01

-49.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,253

$3.86 CA$5.49

-41.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,155

$2.62 CA$3.73

-27.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,214

$2.66 CA$3.78

-39.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$2.59 CA$3.68

-55.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,063

$1.53 CA$2.18

-17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.3K

$14.26 CA$20.28

-73.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 42.2K

$15.27 CA$21.71

-14.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,136

$2.41 CA$3.43

-33.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,263

$3.09 CA$4.40

-26.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$2.88 CA$4.10

-59.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 241.5K

$88.7 CA$126

-15.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,098

$3.23 CA$4.60

-60.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,600

$1.38 CA$1.97

48.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.4K

$26.49 CA$37.67

-69.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,088

$1.18 CA$1.67

7.63%

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

$26.8K COP 86.2M

$28.3K CA$40.2K

-5.30%

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

$34.4K COP 110.8M

$20.7K CA$29.5K

65.98%

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

$162 COP 522.3K

$159 CA$227

1.85%

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

$13.12 COP 42.3K

$37.61 CA$53.5

-65.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 90.5K

$49.68 CA$70.7

-43.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 142.7K

$53.3 CA$75.7

-16.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.6K

$18.31 CA$26.04

-10.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.6K

$14.08 CA$20.02

-56.75%

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

$764 COP 2.5M

$809 CA$1,151

-5.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.7M

$15.9K CA$22.5K

-43.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 273.6K

$58.8 CA$83.6

44.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 185.1K

$38.84 CA$55.2

48.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 424.2K

$91.4 CA$130

44.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 308.3K

$109 CA$155

-12.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$1,237 CA$1,760

-16.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$996 CA$1,417

-39.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.8M

$1,908 CA$2,714

-5.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$1,671 CA$2,377

-40.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.6M

$3,530 CA$5,022

11.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.3M

$3,336 CA$4,745

-50.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$3,130 CA$4,452

-80.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.51

142.57%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Calgary

$996 44.8% 64.8% $392

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Calgary

$387 17.4% 34.3% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Calgary

$247 11.1% 21.2% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Calgary

$134 6% 19.4% $32

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 59.4% $99

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Calgary

$110 5% 21% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Calgary

$81 3.7% 44.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $1,237 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 400% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $71.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $387 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

21:26 9:26 PM

20:26 8:26 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Calgary 6,110 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Calgary

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 Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 400% lower in Calgary. 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $1,237 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,589 per month in Medellin versus $2,232 in Calgary – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,589 in Medellin versus $2,232 in Calgary, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medellin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Calgary, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.