Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cambridge Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,251 in Cambridge Bay, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Cambridge Bay, Canada
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Cambridge Bay
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,251
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cambridge Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,251 in Cambridge Bay.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Cambridge Bay $2,251

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,293 in Cambridge Bay.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Cambridge Bay $3,293

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $4,335 in Cambridge Bay.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Cambridge Bay $4,335

Living in Medellin costs roughly 27% less than in Cambridge Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Cambridge Bay 65% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Cambridge Bay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.6K
$22.62 CA$31.64
-64.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.9K
$65.0 CA$90.9
-27.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$11.52 CA$16.11
-17.53%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,540
$3.80 CA$5.32
-20.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,693
$2.00 CA$2.80
-10.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,469
$1.61 CA$2.26
-12.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.0K
$4.79 CA$6.69
-33.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.2K
$4.96 CA$6.94
15.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Cambridge Bay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,778
$2.11 CA$2.95
-28.44%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,524
$2.52 CA$3.53
-5.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,606
$2.99 CA$4.19
-40.80%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,146
$3.42 CA$4.79
-15.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.2K
$9.98 CA$13.95
2.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.2K
$12.86 CA$17.98
-23.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.3K
$13.94 CA$19.50
0.36%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.6K
$3.76 CA$5.26
5.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,911
$1.32 CA$1.85
17.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,907
$3.15 CA$4.40
-30.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,910
$3.84 CA$5.37
-43.23%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,210
$2.72 CA$3.80
-27.94%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,029
$2.22 CA$3.10
-28.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,625
$2.67 CA$3.74
-56.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,934
$1.74 CA$2.43
-28.74%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$14.67 CA$20.52
-73.01%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.3K
$14.54 CA$20.33
-5.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,252
$2.41 CA$3.37
-31.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,145
$2.79 CA$3.90
-19.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Cambridge Bay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,696
$2.32 CA$3.25
-49.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 244.8K
$64.0 CA$89.5
20.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,013
$3.00 CA$4.19
-57.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,480
$1.46 CA$2.04
40.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.1K
$20.90 CA$29.23
-59.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,262
$1.17 CA$1.64
15.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.8M
$26.3K CA$36.8K
29.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.7M
$18.6K CA$26.0K
86.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Cambridge Bay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 536.8K
$129 CA$181
31.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.9K
$38.55 CA$53.9
-64.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.8K
$54.1 CA$75.7
-48.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Cambridge Bay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 138.3K
$42.99 CA$60.1
1.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.4K
$16.17 CA$22.61
6.31%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.9K
$9.48 CA$13.26
-27.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Cambridge Bay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$558 CA$781
42.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.8M
$14.9K CA$20.8K
-38.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Cambridge Bay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 268.1K
$52.0 CA$72.8
62.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 183.4K
$42.63 CA$59.6
35.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 427.1K
$79.4 CA$111
69.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 309.7K
$92.6 CA$129
5.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Cambridge Bay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$1,153 CA$1,613
4.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$1,097 CA$1,534
-41.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$1,867 CA$2,611
8.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$1,722 CA$2,408
-41.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.2M
$4,906 CA$6,862
-14.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$3,094 CA$4,327
-38.25%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Cambridge Bay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
4.68
133.76%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cambridge Bay: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Cambridge Bay
$1.1K 70.9% $455
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Cambridge Bay
$357 20.3% $60
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Cambridge Bay
$222 5% $11
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Cambridge Bay
$310 82.5% $140
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Cambridge Bay
$120 29% $49
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Cambridge Bay
$84 10.7% $10
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Cambridge Bay
$62 7.7% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,153 in Cambridge Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $65 in Cambridge Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $357 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇨🇦 Cambridge Bay
🕒 Local time
06:06 6:06 AM
05:06 5:06 AM
1 h behind Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
1,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Cambridge Bay 7,310 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Cambridge Bay

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 Cambridge Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Medellin and in Cambridge Bay?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,251 in Cambridge Bay, so Medellin is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Medellin compared to Cambridge Bay?
You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $3,376 in Cambridge Bay to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Medellin and in Cambridge Bay?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,153 in Cambridge Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Medellin or Cambridge Bay?
All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $2,251 in Cambridge Bay – Medellin is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How do commuting costs compare in Medellin and in Cambridge Bay?
A monthly transit pass in Cambridge Bay runs roughly 17% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How far does $2,500 go in Medellin compared to Cambridge Bay?
Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Medellin and Cambridge Bay?
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.

Medellin vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?