Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Catania

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Catania: $1,625 and $1,561 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Catania
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Catania Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Catania

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Catania

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $1,561 in Catania.

Medellin $1,625
Catania $1,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $2,390 in Catania.

Medellin $2,412
Catania $2,390

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $3,219 in Catania.

Medellin $3,199
Catania $3,219

Living in Medellin is roughly 4% more expensive than in Catania, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Catania 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$17.12 €15.23

-51.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$55.8 €49.62

-15.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$11.11 €9.88

-16.83%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.10 €1.86

45.24%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$2.90 €2.58

-37.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$2.07 €1.84

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$6.70 €5.96

-51.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$4.09 €3.64

35.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.31 €1.17

14.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.59 €1.41

49.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$2.68 €2.39

-36.57%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$3.41 €3.03

-13.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$11.37 €10.12

-10.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$12.04 €10.71

-19.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$15.66 €13.93

-11.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.99 €1.77

107.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.68 €1.50

-8.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.38 €1.23

60.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$2.66 €2.37

-14.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.76 €1.56

13.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.31 €1.16

27.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.23 €1.09

-4.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.47 €0.42

163.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$6.57 €5.84

-41.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$7.89 €7.02

74.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.75 €1.56

-5.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.53 €1.36

56.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$1.60 €1.43

-22.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$36.97 €32.89

111.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$4.44 €3.95

-71.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.10 €0.98

95.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$22.19 €19.74

-62.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$2.13 €1.90

-36.62%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$36.7K €32.6K

-5.20%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$37.0K €32.9K

-6.22%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$315 €280

-47.13%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$10.58 €9.41

28.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$34.75 €30.91

-16.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$60.0 €53.4

-24.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$14.53 €12.92

18.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$9.16 €8.15

-23.91%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$447 €397

76.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$6,707 €5,966

34.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$85.8 €76.3

2.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$33.89 €30.15

71.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$88.2 €78.4

57.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$128 €114

-22.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$607 €539

69.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$381 €339

62.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,153 €1,026

63.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$783 €696

28.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$2,254 €2,005

76.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,522 €1,354

11.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$1,763 €1,568

-62.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.55

208.17%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Catania: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Catania

$381 24.4% 38.4% $238

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Catania

$280 17.9% 6.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Catania

$361 23.1% 72.2% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Catania

$151 9.7% 12.5% $22

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Catania

$257 16.5% 50.4% $86

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Catania

$53 3.4% 44% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Catania

$78 5% 32.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $607 in Catania. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Catania pays 166% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $56.0 in Catania. Groceries flip the comparison at $298 vs $280, with Catania cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇹 Catania

🕒 Local time

09:18 9:18 AM

16:18 4:18 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

298,037

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Catania 9,640 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Catania

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 Catania: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Catania is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 166% lower in Catania. 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $607 in Catania. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,625 per month in Medellin versus $1,561 in Catania – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Catania runs roughly 112% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,561 in Catania versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Catania but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Catania the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Catania is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Catania gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.