Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cerro de Pasco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco: $547 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Cerro de Pasco
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Cerro de Pasco Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Cerro de Pasco

🇵🇪 Peru

$547

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cerro de Pasco

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 Cerro de Pasco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $547 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Cerro de Pasco $547

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $883 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Cerro de Pasco $883

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,218 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Cerro de Pasco $1,218

Medellin costs about 199% more than Cerro de Pasco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Cerro de Pasco is 60% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$2.84 PEN 9.80

184.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$29.57 PEN 102

59.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.04 PEN 24.27

34.94%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$1.99 PEN 6.86

51.26%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.71 PEN 2.44

153.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.45 PEN 1.57

213.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.68 PEN 9.24

18.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$4.38 PEN 15.09

31.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.47 PEN 5.08

2.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.34 PEN 8.07

1.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.26 PEN 4.34

40.48%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.38 PEN 8.20

21.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$9.22 PEN 31.77

10.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$5.81 PEN 20.02

69.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$8.02 PEN 27.64

74.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.96 PEN 6.76

102.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$0.75 PEN 2.59

106.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$0.45 PEN 1.57

384.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.15 PEN 3.95

89.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.76 PEN 2.61

157.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.51 PEN 1.74

211.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.90 PEN 3.11

27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.88 PEN 3.04

40.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$5.83 PEN 20.10

-32.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$7.07 PEN 24.37

93.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,222

$1.92 PEN 6.62

-13.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,104

$2.60 PEN 8.95

-13.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$3.42 PEN 11.80

-62.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.99 PEN 6.84

3.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$7.65 PEN 26.37

11.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.71 PEN 5.91

-21.05%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$21.6K PEN 74.5K

57.69%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$28.4K PEN 98.0K

21.96%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$68.2 PEN 235

148.83%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$15.73 PEN 54.2

-13.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$26.89 PEN 92.7

4.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$7.33 PEN 25.28

-5.73%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$306 PEN 1,056

160.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-29.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$52.3 PEN 180

62.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$35.37 PEN 122

63.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$84.4 PEN 291

59.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$77.8 PEN 268

25.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$405 PEN 1,396

400.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$463 PEN 1,597

41.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.78

24.60%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cerro de Pasco: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Cerro de Pasco

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Cerro de Pasco

$202 36.8% 32.1% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Cerro de Pasco

$111 20.2% 47.6% $100

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Cerro de Pasco

$95 17.3% 44.3% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Cerro de Pasco

$112 20.5% 33.5% $57

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Cerro de Pasco

$13 * 2.4% 85.7% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cerro de Pasco

$15 * 2.7% 74.5% $43

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 42% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $30 in Cerro de Pasco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $202 – making Cerro de Pasco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇪 Cerro de Pasco

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

58,899

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.261 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

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).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.261 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Cerro de Pasco 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cerro de Pasco

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 Cerro de Pasco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 199%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $821 in Cerro de Pasco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $30 in Cerro de Pasco. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cerro de Pasco, where all-in costs run around $547, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Cerro de Pasco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $547 in Cerro de Pasco to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Cerro de Pasco. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.