Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cento

For one person, living is cheaper in Cento: $1,638 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $650 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Cento
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Cento Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Cento

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cento

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,638 in Cento.

Medellin $1,692
Cento $1,638

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $2,655 in Cento.

Medellin $2,471
Cento $2,655

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $3,672 in Cento.

Medellin $3,249
Cento $3,672

Living in Medellin is roughly 3% more expensive than in Cento, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Cento 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$20.05 €17.84

-58.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$90.2 €80.3

-48.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$13.35 €11.88

-29.06%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.27 €2.02

37.89%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$3.45 €3.07

-48.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$1.64 €1.46

-13.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$6.09 €5.42

-48.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$5.62 €5.01

1.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$1.43 €1.27

6.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$2.76 €2.46

-17.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$2.72 €2.42

-28.68%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$3.87 €3.44

-20.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$18.13 €16.13

-44.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$12.27 €10.92

-14.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$17.32 €15.42

-19.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.24 €1.99

80.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$1.70 €1.51

-10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$1.95 €1.74

7.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$2.46 €2.19

-6.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$1.35 €1.20

56.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$1.41 €1.26

21.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$1.63 €1.45

-28.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$0.56 €0.50

182.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$6.67 €5.93

-41.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$7.78 €6.92

80.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$1.56 €1.38

12.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$1.89 €1.69

43.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

$1.63 €1.45

-27.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

$42.22 €37.58

80.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$4.48 €3.99

-59.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$1.48 €1.32

43.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$27.78 €24.72

-70.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$2.10 €1.87

-39.05%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$35.5K €31.6K

-3.05%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$37.9K €33.8K

-10.02%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$237 €211

-25.01%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$11.28 €10.04

23.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$27.99 €24.91

9.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

$53.5 €47.65

-21.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$23.42 €20.84

-28.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$10.15 €9.04

-26.40%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$425 €378

86.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$4,424 €3,937

177.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$88.3 €78.6

-2.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$43.51 €38.72

36.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$93.5 €83.2

48.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$150 €134

-34.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$536 €477

150.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$444 €395

50.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,062 €945

86.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$915 €814

12.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$2,942 €2,618

39.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$2,022 €1,799

-4.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$1,779 €1,583

-63.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.19

242.95%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cento: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Cento

$444 27.1% 33.5% $224

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Cento

$325 19.8% 5.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Cento

$276 16.9% 24.2% $54

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Cento

$290 17.7% 67.8% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Cento

$169 10.3% 1.9% $3.3

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Cento

$61 3.7% 35.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Cento

$74 4.5% 29.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $536 in Cento. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cento pays about 2.8 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $90 in Cento for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $325 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇹 Cento

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

03:03 3:03 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

35,582

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Cento 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cento

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 Cento: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cento wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cento the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 64% 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 $536 in Cento. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cento runs roughly 45% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $425 in Cento. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Cento gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.