Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cavan

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,477 in Cavan, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Cavan, Ireland
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Cavan
🇮🇪 Ireland
$2,477
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cavan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,477 in Cavan.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Cavan $2,477

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,769 in Cavan.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Cavan $3,769

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $5,061 in Cavan.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Cavan $5,061

Living in Medellin costs roughly 34% less than in Cavan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Cavan 82% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Cavan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$16.56 €14.83
-51.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.7K
$88.7 €79.5
-46.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.6K
$16.90 €15.14
-43.79%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,722
$3.31 €2.97
-9.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,801
$3.44 €3.08
-47.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,554
$1.99 €1.78
-29.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.2K
$5.92 €5.30
-46.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.5K
$6.53 €5.85
-11.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Cavan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,869
$1.20 €1.08
25.83%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,667
$2.23 €2.00
6.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,712
$1.58 €1.42
12.03%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,320
$4.33 €3.88
-33.26%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$13.11 €11.74
-22.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.8K
$15.86 €14.21
-37.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.1K
$9.90 €8.87
41.31%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$5.62 €5.03
-29.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,005
$2.72 €2.43
-43.01%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,039
$6.85 €6.14
-68.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,041
$4.95 €4.43
-55.96%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,328
$2.75 €2.47
-28.73%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,125
$1.15 €1.03
38.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,694
$1.25 €1.12
-8.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,009
$1.11 €0.99
11.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$18.33 €16.42
-78.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.1K
$13.51 €12.10
1.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,352
$4.52 €4.05
-63.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,281
$5.54 €4.96
-59.21%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Cavan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,766
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.5K
$310 €277
-75.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,089
$5.71 €5.12
-77.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,603
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$11.37 €10.18
-24.80%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,343
$2.05 €1.84
-34.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 109.8M
$36.1K €32.4K
-5.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.8M
$36.2K €32.4K
-4.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Cavan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.0K
$244 €219
-30.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$22.39 €20.05
-39.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.5K
$49.03 €43.91
-42.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Cavan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 140.9K
$110 €98.5
-60.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.4K
$33.01 €29.56
-47.92%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$22.75 €20.37
-69.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Cavan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Cavan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.2K
$91.0 €81.5
-6.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 186.9K
$27.63 €24.74
109.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.2K
$90.6 €81.1
48.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 315.6K
$33.52 €30.02
191.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Cavan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$1,150 €1,030
5.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$901 €807
-28.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$2,116 €1,895
-4.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$1,595 €1,429
-36.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.4M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Cavan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$2,898 €2,595
-77.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
4.05
170.12%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cavan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Cavan
$901 40.5% $260
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Cavan
$392 32.2% $95
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Cavan
$316 49.5% $105
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Cavan
$287 69.4% $118
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Cavan
$109 35.4% $60
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Cavan
$316 * 237% $222
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Cavan
$156 170% $98

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 $1,150 in Cavan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cavan pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $89 in Cavan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $392 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇮🇪 Cavan
🕒 Local time
14:17 2:17 PM
19:17 7:17 PM
5 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
11,000
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Cavan 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Cavan

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 Cavan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Medellin and in Cavan?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,477 in Cavan, so Medellin is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 77% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Medellin and in Cavan?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,150 in Cavan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Cavan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Medellin or Cavan?
All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $2,477 in Cavan – Medellin is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How does quality of life compare between Medellin and Cavan?
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.
How do I decide between Medellin and Cavan?
It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Cavan on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Medellin vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?