Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Candelaria

For one person, living is cheaper in Candelaria: $1,327 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Candelaria
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Candelaria Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Candelaria

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,327

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Candelaria

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,327 in Candelaria, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Candelaria $1,327

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,085 in Candelaria, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Candelaria $2,085

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,844 in Candelaria, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Candelaria $2,844

Medellin costs about 24% more than Candelaria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Candelaria is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$19.01 $19.01

-57.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$81.5 $81.5

-42.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$9.21 $9.21

3.15%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.70 $3.70

-18.65%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.88 $1.88

-4.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.46 $1.46

-3.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$3.06 $3.06

3.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$4.97 $4.97

15.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$2.16 $2.16

-30.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$3.54 $3.54

-32.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.33 $2.33

-24.03%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$7.19 $7.19

-59.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$12.35 $12.35

-17.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$9.91 $9.91

-0.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$13.47 $13.47

3.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$5.11 $5.11

-22.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.57 $2.57

-39.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$4.82 $4.82

-54.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$4.87 $4.87

-55.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$3.71 $3.71

-47.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$3.97 $3.97

-59.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$3.38 $3.38

-65.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.66 $1.66

-25.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$12.10 $12.10

-67.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$15.81 $15.81

-13.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$3.12 $3.12

-46.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$4.09 $4.09

-44.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.46 $2.46

-48.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.51 $1.51

35.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$41.21 $41.21

-79.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.17 $1.17

15.38%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$34.0K $34.0K

0.10%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$28.2K $28.2K

22.77%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$326 $326

-48.00%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$68.8 $68.8

-80.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$69.4 $69.4

-59.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$10.69 $10.69

-35.36%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$806 $806

-1.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$12.3K $12.3K

-25.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$55.7 $55.7

52.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$61.3 $61.3

-5.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$110 $110

23.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$114 $114

-14.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.55

67.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Candelaria: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Candelaria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Candelaria

$415 31.3% 39.6% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Candelaria

$464 35% 120% $253

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Candelaria

$263 19.8% 54.9% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Candelaria

$153 11.6% 9.3% $16

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Candelaria

$10 * 0.8% 89.3% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Candelaria

$21 * 1.6% 62.8% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $81 in Candelaria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $415 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇷 Candelaria

🕒 Local time

17:06 5:06 PM

18:06 6:06 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

17,631

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Candelaria 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Candelaria

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 Candelaria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $1,327 in Candelaria – Candelaria comes out roughly 19% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,990 in Candelaria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,327 in Candelaria. That makes Candelaria about 19% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $806 in Candelaria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,327 in Candelaria, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,327 in Candelaria to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.