Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and the Canary Islands

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in the Canary Islands: $1,614 and $1,650 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in the Canary Islands
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Canary Islands Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,650

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in the Canary Islands

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 the Canary Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,650 in the Canary Islands.

Medellin $1,614
Canary Islands $1,650

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $2,373 in the Canary Islands.

Medellin $2,402
Canary Islands $2,373

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $3,095 in the Canary Islands.

Medellin $3,190
Canary Islands $3,095

Living in Medellin costs roughly 2% less than in the Canary Islands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Canary Islands 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$20.32 €18.07

-60.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$61.1 €54.3

-24.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$9.42 €8.38

0.85%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.05 €1.83

51.71%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.86 €1.65

-1.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.10 €0.98

25.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.85 €2.53

7.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.42 €3.04

60.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.36 €1.21

6.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$2.39 €2.13

-1.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.58 €1.40

6.33%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.18 €1.94

31.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$19.31 €17.18

-47.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$9.93 €8.83

-4.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$17.23 €15.33

-18.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.73 €2.43

49.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$2.25 €2.00

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.16 €1.92

0.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$2.51 €2.23

-7.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$2.14 €1.91

-9.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$2.02 €1.80

-18.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.70 €1.51

-33.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.93 €0.83

34.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$4.66 €4.14

-14.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$7.86 €6.99

69.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.70 €1.51

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.75 €1.55

35.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.86 €0.76

40.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$4.24 €3.78

-68.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.69 €1.50

26.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$16.59 €14.75

-48.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.70 €1.51

-23.53%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$24.9K €22.2K

12.32%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$29.0K €25.8K

22.26%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$126 €112

36.49%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$20.91 €18.60

-36.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$35.49 €31.57

-19.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$47.49 €42.25

-4.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$24.07 €21.41

-29.21%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$9.85 €8.76

-36.24%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$400 €355

92.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$5,096 €4,533

76.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$68.3 €60.7

26.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$38.65 €34.38

47.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$89.6 €79.7

52.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$114 €101

-13.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$1,111 €988

-5.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$680 €605

-9.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$825 €734

23.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$1,369 €1,218

-52.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.33

228.53%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for the Canary Islands: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Canary Islands

$680 41.2% 10.5% $64

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Canary Islands

$316 19.2% 7.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Canary Islands

$182 11.1% 14.8% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Canary Islands

$140 8.5% 17.9% $30

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Canary Islands

$248 15.1% 47.5% $80

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Canary Islands

$16 * 1% 82.7% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Canary Islands

$67 4.1% 16.2% $9.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Medellin and $1,111 in the Canary Islands. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Canary Islands pays 110% 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: $46.00 in Medellin vs $61.0 in the Canary Islands for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $316 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇸 Canary Islands

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

18:28 6:28 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

12,050

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Canary Islands 6,630 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Canary Islands

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 Canary Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in the Canary Islands. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 110% lower in the Canary Islands. 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: $1,055 in Medellin versus $1,111 in the Canary Islands. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in the Canary Islands. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,614 per month in Medellin versus $1,650 in the Canary Islands – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,650 in the Canary Islands, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in the Canary Islands. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,614 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Canary Islands are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in the Canary Islands. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.