Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Caranavi

For one person, living is cheaper in Caranavi: $615 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Caranavi
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Caranavi Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Caranavi

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$615

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Caranavi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $615 in Caranavi.

Medellin $1,692
Caranavi $615

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $889 in Caranavi.

Medellin $2,471
Caranavi $889

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $1,163 in Caranavi.

Medellin $3,249
Caranavi $1,163

Living in Medellin is roughly 175% more expensive than in Caranavi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Caranavi is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$1.39 BOB 16.69

500.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$9.03 BOB 108

415.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$3.94 BOB 47.33

140.36%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.70 BOB 20.42

84.12%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$0.41 BOB 4.88

331.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.29 BOB 3.42

389.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$0.88 BOB 10.57

257.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.29 BOB 27.49

148.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$0.69 BOB 8.28

121.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$0.81 BOB 9.72

182.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$0.73 BOB 8.78

165.75%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$0.49 BOB 5.84

526.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$3.51 BOB 42.12

184.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$1.08 BOB 13.02

867.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$3.42 BOB 41.02

308.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.67 BOB 20.08

142.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$0.54 BOB 6.44

183.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$0.48 BOB 5.76

337.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$0.70 BOB 8.37

227.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$0.55 BOB 6.55

283.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$0.44 BOB 5.26

288.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$0.50 BOB 6.00

134.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$0.58 BOB 6.90

172.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$1.88 BOB 22.58

107.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$3.02 BOB 36.21

364.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$1.25 BOB 15.04

40.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$1.55 BOB 18.57

74.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$0.29 BOB 3.42

306.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

$8.22 BOB 98.7

828.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$0.81 BOB 9.76

123.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$0.83 BOB 9.91

156.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$8.65 BOB 104

-6.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$0.47 BOB 5.61

172.34%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$8,267 BOB 99.2K

316.60%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$11.9K BOB 142.8K

186.92%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$22.97 BOB 276

673.75%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$14.40 BOB 173

-3.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$18.48 BOB 222

66.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$8.25 BOB 98.9

408.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$12.55 BOB 151

33.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$3.86 BOB 46.27

93.52%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$85.3 BOB 1,024

826.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$1,305 BOB 15.7K

842.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$15.90 BOB 191

443.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$17.50 BOB 210

238.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$28.53 BOB 342

384.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$35.46 BOB 426

178.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$496 BOB 5,952

170.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$340 BOB 4,078

96.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$662 BOB 7,940

198.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$571 BOB 6,847

81.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$211 BOB 2,533

206.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.94

37.78%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Caranavi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Caranavi

$340 55.3% 49.1% $327

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Caranavi

$90 14.6% 70.8% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Caranavi

$56 9.1% 74.9% $166

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Caranavi

$55 9% 68.1% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Caranavi

$44 7.1% 74.6% $128

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Caranavi

$14 2.3% 84.7% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Caranavi

$16 2.6% 71.9% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $496 in Caranavi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $9 in Caranavi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $90 per month, with Caranavi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇴 Caranavi

🕒 Local time

22:09 10:09 PM

23:09 11:09 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

13,569

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 BOB = 8.33 USD

100 BOB = 7.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BOB, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Bolivian Boliviano exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 12 BOB (100 BOB = 8.33 USD). 1 EUR = 13.42 BOB (100 BOB = 7.45 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Caranavi 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Caranavi

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 Caranavi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caranavi is about 64% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Medellin is about 3.1 times higher, 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $496 in Caranavi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Caranavi – a meal for two runs $9 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,692 per month in Medellin versus $615 in Caranavi – Caranavi is about 64% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $615 in Caranavi versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Caranavi but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Caranavi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Caranavi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.