Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cartago Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cartago

😐 Solo nomad: Medellin is 3.7% more expensive than Cartago without rent, and 23.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Medellin is 20.5% more expensive than Cartago without rent, and 26.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.14 COP 22.1K

$3.53 COP 12.7K

73.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.05 COP 119.0K

$28.53 COP 102.7K

15.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.32 COP 26.4K

$7.22 COP 26.0K

1.39%

Cappuccino

$1.66 COP 5,971

$1.56 COP 5,611

6.41%

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

$1.10 COP 3,977

$0.88 COP 3,181

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 COP 2,815

$0.59 COP 2,129

32.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.71 COP 6,172

$1.01 COP 3,644

69.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 COP 11.4K

$2.51 COP 9,027

26.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 COP 4,002

$1.23 COP 4,425

-9.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 COP 4,707

$1.49 COP 5,354

-12.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 COP 4,967

$1.25 COP 4,515

10.40%

Eggs

$2.22 COP 7,989

$2.55 COP 9,178

-12.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.34 COP 15.6K

$4.12 COP 14.8K

5.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.80 COP 20.9K

$5.54 COP 20.0K

4.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.98 COP 32.3K

$7.76 COP 28.0K

15.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 COP 8,143

$2.45 COP 8,823

-7.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 COP 4,013

$0.91 COP 3,281

21.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 COP 5,271

$1.15 COP 4,129

26.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 COP 4,916

$1.27 COP 4,561

7.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 COP 3,999

$0.82 COP 2,969

35.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 COP 4,188

$1.09 COP 3,941

6.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 COP 3,202

$0.71 COP 2,565

25.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 COP 3,116

$0.70 COP 2,526

24.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.35 COP 8,473

$2.81 COP 10.1K

-16.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.86 COP 39.1K

$11.44 COP 41.2K

-5.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 COP 4,319

$1.11 COP 3,983

8.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 COP 8,923

$1.86 COP 6,691

33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 COP 2,835

$0.67 COP 2,422

17.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.77 COP 146.8K

$30.46 COP 109.7K

33.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 COP 5,124

$1.58 COP 5,691

-10.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 COP 6,882

$1.89 COP 6,795

1.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.65 COP 27.5K

$9.67 COP 34.8K

-20.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 COP 3,481

$1.01 COP 3,621

-3.96%

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

$18.1K COP 65.2M

$21.8K COP 78.4M

-16.92%

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

$26.3K COP 94.7M

$30.4K COP 109.6M

-13.59%

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

$81.3 COP 292.8K

$80.3 COP 289.1K

1.26%

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

$9.63 COP 34.7K

$8.63 COP 31.1K

11.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.36 COP 87.7K

$23.99 COP 86.4K

1.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.02 COP 93.7K

$23.53 COP 84.7K

10.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.92 COP 68.1K

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 COP 14.0K

$4.87 COP 17.5K

-20.12%

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

$304 COP 1.1M

$227 COP 815.8K

34.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,902 COP 21.3M

$6,053 COP 21.8M

-2.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.7 COP 211.3K

$63.6 COP 229.0K

-7.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.48 COP 116.9K

$43.78 COP 157.6K

-25.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 COP 366.3K

$78.3 COP 282.0K

29.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 COP 389.4K

$89.5 COP 322.1K

20.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$474 COP 1.7M

$284 COP 1.0M

67.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 COP 1.3M

$235 COP 847.0K

57.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$848 COP 3.1M

$539 COP 1.9M

57.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$716 COP 2.6M

$426 COP 1.5M

68.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,871 COP 10.3M

$1,465 COP 5.3M

95.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,375 COP 5.0M

$1,436 COP 5.2M

-4.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$542 COP 1.9M

$312 COP 1.1M

73.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.43

11.58

15.98%

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

Last update for Medellin: April 13, 2026

Last update for Cartago: April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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