Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cerise

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,860 in Cerise, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Cerise, France
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Cerise
🇫🇷 France
$1,860
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cerise

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,860 in Cerise.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Cerise $1,860

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,798 in Cerise.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Cerise $2,798

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $3,735 in Cerise.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Cerise $3,735

Living in Medellin costs roughly 12% less than in Cerise, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Cerise 37% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Cerise
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.4K
$17.00 €15.27
-52.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.0K
$67.7 €60.8
-30.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 29.9K
$13.66 €12.27
-30.45%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,485
$3.86 €3.47
-22.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,660
$2.74 €2.46
-34.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,443
$2.07 €1.86
-31.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 9,990
$7.12 €6.40
-55.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.1K
$5.52 €4.96
4.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Cerise
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,751
$1.47 €1.32
2.72%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,480
$2.18 €1.95
9.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,573
$2.58 €2.32
-31.40%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,093
$3.61 €3.24
-19.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.1K
$18.10 €16.26
-43.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.1K
$12.93 €11.62
-23.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.0K
$20.46 €18.38
-31.62%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.5K
$2.99 €2.69
32.78%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,883
$2.19 €1.97
-29.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,867
$3.24 €2.91
-32.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,870
$3.03 €2.72
-28.05%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,174
$1.69 €1.52
15.98%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,000
$2.46 €2.21
-35.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,604
$1.22 €1.09
-5.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,911
$0.69 €0.62
79.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$14.38 €12.92
-72.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.0K
$7.05 €6.34
94.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,221
$2.46 €2.21
-32.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,103
$3.20 €2.87
-29.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Cerise
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,674
$1.80 €1.62
-35.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 243.4K
$50.7 €45.51
52.72%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 3,989
$4.78 €4.29
-73.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,442
$1.94 €1.74
5.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 26.9K
$35.04 €31.48
-75.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,237
$2.04 €1.83
-33.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.2M
$38.8K €34.8K
-12.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.1M
$41.3K €37.1K
-15.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Cerise
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 533.7K
$227 €204
-25.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.6K
$15.67 €14.08
-13.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.3K
$31.69 €28.47
-11.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Cerise
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 137.5K
$32.86 €29.52
32.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.1K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.7K
$12.56 €11.29
-44.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Cerise
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$811 €729
-1.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.7M
$10.0K €8,993
-8.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Cerise
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 266.5K
$84.6 €76.0
0.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 182.3K
$36.92 €33.17
56.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 424.6K
$88.3 €79.3
52.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 307.9K
$142 €128
-31.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Cerise
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$764 €687
58.05%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$654 €587
-1.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$1,601 €1,439
26.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$1,079 €969
-6.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.1M
$3,950 €3,548
5.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$3,149 €2,829
-39.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Cerise
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
3.79
188.65%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cerise: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Cerise
$654 1.9% $12
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Cerise
$354 19.1% $57
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Cerise
$275 30.1% $64
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Cerise
$289 70.5% $120
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Cerise
$158 6.2% $11
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Cerise
$72 22.7% $21
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Cerise
$58 0.8% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $764 in Cerise. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $68 in Cerise for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $354 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇫🇷 Cerise
🕒 Local time
17:10 5:10 PM
23:10 11:10 PM
6 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
300
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Cerise 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Cerise

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 Cerise: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Medellin and in Cerise?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,860 in Cerise, so Medellin is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Medellin compared to Cerise?
You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $2,791 in Cerise 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Medellin and in Cerise?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $764 in Cerise. 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 19% higher in Cerise. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $68 in Cerise. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How far does $2,500 go in Medellin compared to Cerise?
Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Medellin and Cerise?
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.

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