Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cayenne

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,353 in Cayenne, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Cayenne
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Cayenne Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Cayenne

🇬🇫 French Guiana

$2,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cayenne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $2,353 in Cayenne.

Medellin $1,692
Cayenne $2,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $3,829 in Cayenne.

Medellin $2,471
Cayenne $3,829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $5,305 in Cayenne.

Medellin $3,249
Cayenne $5,305

Living in Medellin costs roughly 28% less than in Cayenne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Cayenne 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$13.08 €11.67

-36.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$111 €99.4

-58.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$10.65 €9.50

-11.08%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$3.98 €3.55

-21.36%

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

$1.77 COP 5,728

$3.48 €3.11

-49.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,620

$2.99 €2.67

-52.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.93 €3.50

-19.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$4.38 €3.90

30.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,971

$3.95 €3.52

-61.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$4.99 €4.45

-54.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,308

$3.00 €2.67

-35.33%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,945

$7.33 €6.54

-58.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$30.25 €26.99

-66.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$16.32 €14.55

-35.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$29.83 €26.61

-53.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$4.80 €4.28

-15.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,957

$4.34 €3.87

-64.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,825

$5.32 €4.74

-60.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,439

$9.77 €8.72

-76.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,841

$4.70 €4.19

-55.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,543

$5.68 €5.06

-69.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,795

$3.98 €3.55

-70.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,125

$1.90 €1.69

-16.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$9.31 €8.30

-58.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.6K

$10.74 €9.58

30.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,714

$2.89 €2.58

-39.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,796

$1.15 €1.02

135.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

$2.18 €1.94

-45.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$33.96 €30.29

124.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

$5.72 €5.10

-68.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

$4.06 €3.63

-47.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$7.86 €7.01

3.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,136

$2.22 €1.98

-42.34%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$44.8K €40.0K

-23.11%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$45.5K €40.5K

-24.91%

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

$178 COP 576.4K

$219 €195

-18.76%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$43.82 €39.09

-68.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$68.0 €60.6

-54.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$35.53 €31.70

18.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$28.48 €25.41

-41.01%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$9.45 €8.43

-20.95%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$676 €603

16.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$10.4K €9,268

18.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 280.0K

$99.4 €88.6

-13.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$66.3 €59.2

-10.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.7K

$128 €114

8.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.5K

$98.7 €88.0

0.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$946 €843

41.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$869 €775

-23.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,800 €1,606

9.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,767 €1,576

-41.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$3,065 €2,734

33.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$3,448 €3,076

-43.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$2,192 €1,955

-70.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.5

143.11%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cayenne: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Cayenne

$869 36.9% 30.3% $202

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Cayenne

$615 26.1% 100% $308

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Cayenne

$331 14.1% 48.7% $108

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Cayenne

$239 10.1% 38.3% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Cayenne

$176 7.5% 2.4% $4.2

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Cayenne

$69 2.9% 26.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Cayenne

$54 2.3% 4.3% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $946 in Cayenne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cayenne 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 $111 in Cayenne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $615 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇬🇫 Cayenne

🕒 Local time

19:55 7:55 PM

21:55 9:55 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

65,493 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Cayenne 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cayenne

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 Cayenne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $946 in Cayenne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $111 in Cayenne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,692 per month in Medellin versus $2,353 in Cayenne – Medellin is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Cayenne on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.