Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cascais

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,351 in Cascais, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Cascais
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Cascais Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Cascais

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cascais

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,351 in Cascais.

Medellin $1,639
Cascais $2,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,777 in Cascais.

Medellin $2,413
Cascais $3,777

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $5,204 in Cascais.

Medellin $3,186
Cascais $5,204

Living in Medellin costs roughly 30% less than in Cascais, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Cascais 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$15.86 €14.21

-48.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$44.62 €39.99

5.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$9.49 €8.50

0.11%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$2.69 €2.41

11.90%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$2.16 €1.94

-16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$2.21 €1.98

-36.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$3.30 €2.96

-3.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$5.49 €4.92

4.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.31 €1.17

15.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$2.30 €2.06

3.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.64 €1.47

7.93%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$3.32 €2.97

-12.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$10.79 €9.67

-5.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$7.02 €6.29

40.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$15.08 €13.52

-7.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.84 €2.54

39.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.51 €1.35

2.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$2.55 €2.28

-14.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$2.25 €2.01

-3.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$1.56 €1.40

25.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$2.29 €2.05

-30.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$1.71 €1.53

-32.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$1.06 €0.95

16.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$5.70 €5.11

-30.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$7.73 €6.93

76.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$1.27 €1.14

30.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$4.42 €3.96

-48.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$2.19 €1.96

-46.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$45.02 €40.34

71.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$2.21 €1.98

-42.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$2.06 €1.85

-34.47%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$34.2K €30.6K

-0.36%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$38.0K €34.0K

-8.74%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$134 €120

27.04%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$24.90 €22.31

-45.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$56.0 €50.2

-49.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$42.84 €38.39

2.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$11.36 €10.18

51.32%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$7.12 €6.38

-2.95%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$839 €752

-5.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$18.6K €16.7K

-51.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$77.5 €69.4

9.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$37.50 €33.60

54.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$105 €93.9

28.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$136 €122

-28.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,859 €1,666

-35.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$1,358 €1,217

-52.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$4,213 €3,776

-51.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$3,032 €2,717

-66.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$7,644 €6,850

-45.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$5,128 €4,596

-62.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,246 €2,013

-70.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.67

198.09%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cascais: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Cascais

$1.4K 57.8% 112% $716

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Cascais

$273 11.6% 8.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Cascais

$214 9.1% 1.5% $3.2

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Cascais

$233 9.9% 37.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Cascais

$160 6.8% 5.2% $8.8

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Cascais

$56 * 2.4% 40.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cascais

$57 2.4% 0.8% $0.5

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 $1,208 in Medellin and $1,859 in Cascais. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cascais pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $45 in Cascais for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $273 per month, with Cascais cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇹 Cascais

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

09:40 9:40 AM

5 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

214,158

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Cascais 7,510 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cascais

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 Cascais: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 71% lower in Medellin. 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,859 in Cascais. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cascais pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Cascais – a meal for two runs $45 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Cascais on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.