Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Carrefour

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $1,801 in Carrefour, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,625
/mo nomad
Carrefour
🇭🇹 Haiti
$1,801
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Carrefour

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $1,801 in Carrefour.

  • Medellin $1,625
  • Carrefour $1,801

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $2,698 in Carrefour.

  • Medellin $2,412
  • Carrefour $2,698

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $3,595 in Carrefour.

  • Medellin $3,199
  • Carrefour $3,595

Living in Medellin costs roughly 10% less than in Carrefour, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Carrefour 33% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Carrefour
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.30 COP 26.3K
$14.82 HTG 1,930
-43.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.91 COP 148.7K
$91.5 HTG 11.9K
-48.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.24 COP 29.3K
$6.93 HTG 902
33.33%
Cappuccino
$3.05 COP 9,676
$1.68 HTG 218
81.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,707
$1.52 HTG 198
18.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 COP 4,382
$1.49 HTG 194
-7.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 COP 10.3K
$5.12 HTG 666
-36.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.56 COP 17.6K
$7.19 HTG 937
-22.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Carrefour
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 COP 4,760
$1.54 HTG 201
-2.60%
White Bread (500g)
$2.37 COP 7,508
$2.34 HTG 305
1.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.70 COP 5,377
$3.14 HTG 408
-45.86%
Eggs
$2.96 COP 9,379
$2.72 HTG 354
8.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.22 COP 32.4K
$7.83 HTG 1,020
30.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.74 COP 30.9K
$5.93 HTG 773
64.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.90 COP 44.1K
$11.94 HTG 1,555
16.42%
Apples (1kg)
$4.13 COP 13.1K
$1.81 HTG 235
128.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,839
$2.46 HTG 320
-37.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 COP 7,052
$0.96 HTG 126
131.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.27 COP 7,194
$2.35 HTG 306
-3.40%
Potato (1kg)
$1.99 COP 6,311
$6.02 HTG 784
-66.94%
Onion (1kg)
$1.67 COP 5,285
$0.97 HTG 127
72.16%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.18 COP 3,742
$0.68 HTG 89.0
73.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,919
$0.99 HTG 129
25.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.87 COP 12.3K
$3.95 HTG 514
-2.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.78 COP 43.7K
$11.56 HTG 1,506
19.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,256
$0.92 HTG 120
80.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 COP 7,615
$1.54 HTG 201
55.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Carrefour
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.24 COP 3,944
$0.18 HTG 23.95
588.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$78.2 COP 248.0K
$19.93 HTG 2,596
292.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 COP 4,044
$0.36 HTG 47.27
255.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.15 COP 6,803
$0.42 HTG 54.3
411.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.37 COP 26.5K
$20.16 HTG 2,626
-58.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,288
$1.29 HTG 168
4.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K COP 110.2M
$40.5K HTG 5.3M
-14.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 110.0M
$44.5K HTG 5.8M
-22.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Carrefour
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 COP 528.4K
$100 HTG 13.0K
66.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.62 COP 43.2K
$50.3 HTG 6,556
-72.94%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.12 COP 92.3K
$163 HTG 21.2K
-82.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Carrefour
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.09 COP 143.0K
$69.5 HTG 9,046
-35.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.18 COP 54.5K
$19.74 HTG 2,571
-12.97%
Cinema Ticket
$6.97 COP 22.1K
$10.13 HTG 1,319
-31.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Carrefour
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.5M
$101 HTG 13.1K
684.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,041 COP 28.7M
$7,117 HTG 926.9K
27.04%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Carrefour
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.8 COP 278.4K
$80.2 HTG 10.4K
9.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.2 COP 184.4K
$74.8 HTG 9,736
-22.21%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$139 COP 440.7K
$118 HTG 15.4K
17.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.9 COP 313.5K
$153 HTG 19.9K
-35.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Carrefour
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,028 COP 3.3M
$868 HTG 113.1K
18.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$620 COP 2.0M
$716 HTG 93.3K
-13.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,881 COP 6.0M
$1,278 HTG 166.4K
47.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 COP 3.2M
$1,084 HTG 141.2K
-7.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,988 COP 12.6M
$765 HTG 99.7K
420.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,702 COP 5.4M
$604 HTG 78.7K
181.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Carrefour
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$663 COP 2.1M
$1,402 HTG 182.5K
-52.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
15
-27.07%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Carrefour: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$619
Carrefour
$716 15.6% $97
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$298
Carrefour
$256 14% $42
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$209
Carrefour
$313 49.6% $104
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$173
Carrefour
$192 10.9% $19
Eating Out
Medellin
$171
Carrefour
$211 23.8% $41
Getting Around
Medellin
$95
Carrefour
$23 75.7% $72
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$59
Carrefour
$90 52% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $868 in Carrefour. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carrefour pays 111% 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 $92.0 in Carrefour. Groceries flip the comparison at $298 vs $256, with Carrefour cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇭🇹 Carrefour
🕒 Local time
07:32 7:32 AM
08:32 8:32 AM
1 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
511,345
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

HTG, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Haitian Gourde exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 130 HTG (1,000 HTG = 7.68 USD). 1 EUR = 146 HTG (1,000 HTG = 6.83 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Carrefour 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Carrefour

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 Carrefour: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Medellin and in Carrefour?
Medellin and Carrefour differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($1,625 vs $1,801 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 111% lower in Carrefour. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Medellin and in Carrefour?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,028 in Medellin versus $868 in Carrefour. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Medellin and Carrefour?
Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $101 in Carrefour. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Carrefour pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more doable on $2,500 per month?
At $1,625 in Medellin versus $1,801 in Carrefour, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Carrefour. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Medellin and Carrefour?
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.
Where should expats move: Medellin or Carrefour?
Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Carrefour. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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