Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cathedral City, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,626 in Cathedral City, CA, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Cathedral City, CA
Learn more

Cathedral City, CA Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Cathedral City, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cathedral City, CA

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 Cathedral City, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,626 in Cathedral City, CA.

Medellin $1,639
Cathedral City, CA $2,626

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,862 in Cathedral City, CA.

Medellin $2,413
Cathedral City, CA $3,862

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $5,098 in Cathedral City, CA.

Medellin $3,186
Cathedral City, CA $5,098

Living in Medellin costs roughly 38% less than in Cathedral City, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Cathedral City, CA 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$18.69 $18.69

-56.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$75.8 $75.8

-37.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$10.90 $10.90

-12.84%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$5.18 $5.18

-41.89%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.49 $2.49

-27.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.97 $1.97

-28.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$6.04 $6.04

-47.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$6.96 $6.96

-17.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.00 $1.00

51.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$3.46 $3.46

-31.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$4.42 $4.42

-59.95%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$4.25 $4.25

-32.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$12.16 $12.16

-16.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$11.32 $11.32

-12.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$15.20 $15.20

-7.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$4.82 $4.82

-17.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.58 $1.58

-1.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$4.22 $4.22

-48.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$4.58 $4.58

-52.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.80 $2.80

-30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.86 $2.86

-44.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.12 $2.12

-45.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$2.17 $2.17

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$9.77 $9.77

-59.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$13.90 $13.90

-1.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,222

$1.77 $1.77

-6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,104

$3.45 $3.45

-34.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.98 $1.98

-40.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$62.0 $62.0

24.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$3.55 $3.55

-64.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.59 $1.59

28.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$29.44 $29.44

-70.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.89 $0.89

51.69%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$29.8K $29.8K

14.26%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$26.0K $26.0K

33.14%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$186 $186

-8.99%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$53.2 $53.2

-74.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$68.8 $68.8

-59.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$42.71 $42.71

2.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$13.46 $13.46

-48.66%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$1,308 $1,308

-39.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$23.8K $23.8K

-61.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$50.3 $50.3

68.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$39.94 $39.94

45.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$85.1 $85.1

58.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$113 $113

-13.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,629 $1,629

-25.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$1,347 $1,347

-52.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$2,592 $2,592

-21.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$2,266 $2,266

-55.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,761 $2,761

51.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,402 $2,402

-20.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.51

68.05%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cathedral City, CA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Cathedral City, CA

$1.3K 51.3% 110% $706

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Cathedral City, CA

$384 14.6% 29.1% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Cathedral City, CA

$308 11.8% 46% $97

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Cathedral City, CA

$306 11.7% 80.6% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Cathedral City, CA

$130 5% 23.1% $39

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Cathedral City, CA

$81 3.1% 13% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cathedral City, CA

$70 2.7% 21% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,629 in Cathedral City, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $76 in Cathedral City, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $384 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Cathedral City, CA

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

12:03 12:03 PM

2 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

51,493

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Cathedral City, CA 5,190 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cathedral City, CA

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 Cathedral City, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Cathedral City, CA differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($1,639 vs $2,626 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $3,939 in Cathedral City, CA to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,629 in Cathedral City, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cathedral City, CA runs roughly 20% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $1,308 in Cathedral City, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,626 in Cathedral City, CA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Cathedral City, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin 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.