Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cali Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cali

😐 Solo nomad: Medellin is 12.5% more expensive than Cali without rent, and 33.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Medellin is 15.1% more expensive than Cali without rent, and 31.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Cali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.14 COP 22.1K
$3.59 COP 12.9K
71.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.05 COP 119.0K
$29.10 COP 104.8K
13.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.32 COP 26.4K
$7.19 COP 25.9K
1.81%
Cappuccino
$1.66 COP 5,971
$1.63 COP 5,881
1.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 COP 3,977
$0.95 COP 3,413
15.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 COP 2,815
$0.60 COP 2,148
30.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.71 COP 6,172
$1.01 COP 3,635
69.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.17 COP 11.4K
$2.61 COP 9,413
21.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Cali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.11 COP 4,002
$1.22 COP 4,393
-9.02%
White Bread (500g)
$1.31 COP 4,707
$1.48 COP 5,318
-11.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.38 COP 4,967
$1.21 COP 4,370
14.05%
Eggs
$2.22 COP 7,989
$2.58 COP 9,290
-13.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.34 COP 15.6K
$4.29 COP 15.4K
1.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.80 COP 20.9K
$5.39 COP 19.4K
7.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.98 COP 32.3K
$7.72 COP 27.8K
16.32%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 COP 8,143
$2.40 COP 8,625
-5.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.11 COP 4,013
$0.90 COP 3,223
23.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.46 COP 5,271
$1.14 COP 4,095
28.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.37 COP 4,916
$1.30 COP 4,684
5.38%
Potato (1kg)
$1.11 COP 3,999
$0.88 COP 3,183
26.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.16 COP 4,188
$1.10 COP 3,966
5.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.89 COP 3,202
$0.70 COP 2,511
27.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.87 COP 3,116
$0.65 COP 2,330
33.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.35 COP 8,473
$2.90 COP 10.4K
-18.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.86 COP 39.1K
$11.64 COP 41.9K
-6.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 COP 4,319
$1.08 COP 3,886
11.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 COP 8,923
$1.92 COP 6,903
29.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Cali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.79 COP 2,835
$0.67 COP 2,424
17.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.77 COP 146.8K
$20.32 COP 73.2K
100.64%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 COP 5,124
$1.60 COP 5,748
-11.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.91 COP 6,882
$1.96 COP 7,064
-2.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.65 COP 27.5K
$9.88 COP 35.6K
-22.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.97 COP 3,481
$0.94 COP 3,375
3.19%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.1K COP 65.2M
$21.6K COP 77.9M
-16.32%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K COP 94.7M
$29.3K COP 105.5M
-10.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Cali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$81.3 COP 292.8K
$80.8 COP 291.1K
0.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.63 COP 34.7K
$8.61 COP 31.0K
11.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.36 COP 87.7K
$24.32 COP 87.6K
0.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Cali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.02 COP 93.7K
$19.57 COP 70.5K
32.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.92 COP 68.1K
$14.55 COP 52.4K
30.03%
Cinema Ticket
$3.89 COP 14.0K
$4.75 COP 17.1K
-18.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Cali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$304 COP 1.1M
$223 COP 801.4K
36.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,902 COP 21.3M
$6,060 COP 21.8M
-2.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Cali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.7 COP 211.3K
$63.9 COP 230.0K
-8.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.48 COP 116.9K
$43.39 COP 156.2K
-25.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 COP 366.3K
$76.4 COP 275.0K
33.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 COP 389.4K
$89.2 COP 321.0K
21.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Cali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$474 COP 1.7M
$241 COP 867.5K
96.82%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 COP 1.3M
$185 COP 667.7K
99.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$848 COP 3.1M
$617 COP 2.2M
37.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$716 COP 2.6M
$407 COP 1.5M
75.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,871 COP 10.3M
$1,145 COP 4.1M
150.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,375 COP 5.0M
$916 COP 3.3M
50.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Cali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$542 COP 1.9M
$503 COP 1.8M
7.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.43
11.58
15.98%

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

Last update for Medellin: April 13, 2026

Last update for Cali: April 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
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