Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cali

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,193 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Cali
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Cali Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $1,193 in Cali.

Medellin $1,625
Cali $1,193

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $1,823 in Cali.

Medellin $2,412
Cali $1,823

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $2,453 in Cali.

Medellin $3,199
Cali $2,453

Living in Medellin is roughly 36% more expensive than in Cali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Cali is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$5.50 COP 17.4K

50.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$56.7 COP 179.8K

-17.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$6.12 COP 19.4K

50.98%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.16 COP 10.0K

-3.48%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$2.45 COP 7,777

-26.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$2.19 COP 6,952

-36.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$3.44 COP 10.9K

-5.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$3.53 COP 11.2K

57.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.65 COP 5,218

-9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.72 COP 5,463

37.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.76 COP 5,570

-3.41%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$3.17 COP 10.0K

-6.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$8.98 COP 28.5K

13.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$9.42 COP 29.9K

3.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$11.04 COP 35.0K

25.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$3.80 COP 12.0K

8.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.19 COP 3,768

28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.35 COP 4,295

64.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$2.09 COP 6,619

8.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.75 COP 5,550

13.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.71 COP 5,418

-2.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.01 COP 3,199

16.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.86 COP 2,737

44.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$4.36 COP 13.8K

-11.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$16.69 COP 52.9K

-17.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.52 COP 4,827

9.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.96 COP 6,219

22.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$1.09 COP 3,444

13.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$65.0 COP 205.9K

20.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.20 COP 3,818

6.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.56 COP 1,789

283.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$3.47 COP 11.0K

141.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.35 COP 4,295

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$35.4K COP 112.1M

-1.68%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$34.8K COP 110.5M

-0.47%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$101 COP 319.5K

65.36%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$15.47 COP 49.1K

-11.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$27.81 COP 88.2K

4.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$32.57 COP 103.3K

38.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$10.15 COP 32.2K

69.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$4.97 COP 15.8K

40.24%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$404 COP 1.3M

95.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$11.5K COP 36.5M

-21.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$83.8 COP 265.7K

4.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$44.92 COP 142.4K

29.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$113 COP 357.5K

23.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$98.9 COP 313.7K

-0.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$626 COP 2.0M

64.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$367 COP 1.2M

68.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,531 COP 4.9M

22.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$533 COP 1.7M

88.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,369 COP 4.3M

191.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,215 COP 3.9M

40.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$585 COP 1.9M

13.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

13.88

-21.18%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cali: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Cali

$367 30.8% 40.8% $253

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Cali

$270 22.7% 9.2% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Cali

$144 12.1% 31.2% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Cali

$153 12.8% 11.3% $20

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Cali

$143 12% 16.2% $28

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Cali

$73 6.1% 23% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Cali

$43 3.6% 28% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $626 in Cali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 13% 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 $57.0 in Cali. Groceries flip the comparison at $298 vs $270, with Cali cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇴 Cali

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,568,609

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Cali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cali is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 36% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,028 in Medellin versus $626 in Cali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $404 in Cali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,193 in Cali versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cali but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Cali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Cali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.