Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cayo Coco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cayo Coco: $1,224 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Cayo Coco
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Cayo Coco Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Cayo Coco

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cayo Coco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,224 in Cayo Coco.

Medellin $1,639
Cayo Coco $1,224

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,689 in Cayo Coco.

Medellin $2,413
Cayo Coco $1,689

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,155 in Cayo Coco.

Medellin $3,186
Cayo Coco $2,155

Living in Medellin is roughly 34% more expensive than in Cayo Coco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Cayo Coco is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.11 CUP 123

58.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$14.92 CUP 358

215.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$6.90 CUP 166

37.68%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$0.97 CUP 23.34

210.31%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.05 CUP 49.24

-12.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.98 CUP 23.61

43.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.94 CUP 46.63

63.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.08 CUP 74.0

86.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$3.04 CUP 72.9

-50.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.99 CUP 23.72

140.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.97 CUP 47.29

-10.15%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.69 CUP 88.6

-21.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$5.86 CUP 141

73.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$5.06 CUP 121

95.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$9.80 CUP 235

42.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$5.07 CUP 122

-21.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.01 CUP 24.25

53.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.02 CUP 24.48

113.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$0.99 CUP 23.73

120.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.98 CUP 23.58

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$3.09 CUP 74.2

-48.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.01 CUP 24.30

13.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.99 CUP 23.64

25.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.95 CUP 70.8

34.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$10.02 CUP 241

36.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.96 CUP 46.99

-15.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.96 CUP 47.01

15.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$20.39 CUP 489

279.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.97 CUP 23.33

30.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.02 CUP 24.48

100.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$20.19 CUP 485

-57.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.98 CUP 23.42

37.76%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$71.3K CUP 1.7M

-52.25%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$80.8K CUP 1.9M

-57.08%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$39.92 CUP 958

324.97%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$40.23 CUP 966

-66.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$221 CUP 5,307

-87.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$40.44 CUP 971

8.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$10.03 CUP 241

71.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$0.99 CUP 23.71

597.98%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$89.0 CUP 2,136

795.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$15.1K CUP 362.8K

-39.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$40.38 CUP 969

109.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$29.55 CUP 709

96.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$73.9 CUP 1,773

82.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$81.3 CUP 1,950

20.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$404 CUP 9,699

198.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$417 CUP 10.0K

53.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,031 CUP 24.7K

96.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$623 CUP 14.9K

62.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$300 CUP 7,202

1289.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$354 CUP 8,487

440.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$19.60 CUP 471

3252.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.40%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cayo Coco: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Cayo Coco

$417 34.1% 35% $224

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Cayo Coco

$234 19.2% 21.1% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Cayo Coco

$301 24.6% 42.6% $90

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Cayo Coco

$101 8.3% 40.3% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Cayo Coco

$101 8.3% 40.1% $68

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Cayo Coco

$26 * 2.2% 71.7% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cayo Coco

$42 3.5% 26.3% $15

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 $404 in Cayo Coco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 34 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $15 in Cayo Coco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $234 per month, with Cayo Coco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇺 Cayo Coco

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.73 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.78 CUP (100 CUP = 3.73 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Cayo Coco 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cayo Coco

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 Cayo Coco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cayo Coco wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cayo Coco the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Medellin is about 34 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $404 in Cayo Coco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cayo Coco runs roughly 74% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $89 in Cayo Coco. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cayo Coco is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Cayo Coco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.