Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Chilliwack

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,320 in Chilliwack, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Chilliwack
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Chilliwack Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Chilliwack

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,320

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Chilliwack

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $2,320 in Chilliwack.

Medellin $1,625
Chilliwack $2,320

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $3,412 in Chilliwack.

Medellin $2,412
Chilliwack $3,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $4,504 in Chilliwack.

Medellin $3,199
Chilliwack $4,504

Living in Medellin costs roughly 30% less than in Chilliwack, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Chilliwack 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$14.02 CA$19.82

-40.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$52.6 CA$74.3

-10.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$8.69 CA$12.29

6.33%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$4.41 CA$6.23

-30.84%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.95 CA$2.75

-7.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$1.49 CA$2.11

-7.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$4.95 CA$7.00

-34.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$5.54 CA$7.83

0.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$2.09 CA$2.96

-28.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$2.98 CA$4.22

-20.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$4.46 CA$6.30

-61.88%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$4.22 CA$5.96

-29.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$20.66 CA$29.21

-50.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$14.06 CA$19.87

-30.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$20.16 CA$28.51

-31.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$5.63 CA$7.97

-26.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.33 CA$1.88

15.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$4.14 CA$5.86

-46.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$5.43 CA$7.67

-58.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$4.78 CA$6.76

-58.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$3.11 CA$4.39

-46.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$3.17 CA$4.49

-62.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$2.47 CA$3.49

-49.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$11.94 CA$16.87

-67.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$14.04 CA$19.85

-1.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$4.54 CA$6.42

-63.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$5.03 CA$7.11

-52.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$2.00 CA$2.83

-38.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$33.16 CA$46.87

135.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$2.95 CA$4.17

-56.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$2.33 CA$3.29

-7.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.25 CA$1.76

8.00%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$27.2K CA$38.4K

27.99%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$19.9K CA$28.1K

74.41%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$166 CA$234

0.56%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$54.4 CA$76.9

-74.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$70.1 CA$99.1

-58.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$41.17 CA$58.2

9.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$17.82 CA$25.19

-3.59%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$12.14 CA$17.16

-42.59%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$11.9K CA$16.8K

-23.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$60.2 CA$85.2

45.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$31.87 CA$45.05

82.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$103 CA$145

35.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$211 CA$298

-53.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$1,136 CA$1,605

-9.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$1,004 CA$1,419

-38.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$2,042 CA$2,886

-7.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$1,646 CA$2,326

-38.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$3,321 CA$4,695

20.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$3,333 CA$4,711

-48.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$3,075 CA$4,348

-78.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.71

132.27%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chilliwack: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Chilliwack

$1K 43.3% 62.1% $384

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Chilliwack

$482 20.8% 61.7% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Chilliwack

$290 12.5% 38.6% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Chilliwack

$183 7.9% 5.7% $9.8

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Chilliwack

$241 10.4% 40.9% $70

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Chilliwack

$56 2.4% 41.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Chilliwack

$65 2.8% 10.9% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $1,136 in Chilliwack. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chilliwack pays 364% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $53.0 in Chilliwack for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $482 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 Chilliwack

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

22:07 10:07 PM

2 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

83,788

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Chilliwack 6,440 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Chilliwack

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 Chilliwack: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Chilliwack. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 364% lower in Chilliwack. 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $1,136 in Chilliwack. 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 $47.00 versus $53.0 in Chilliwack. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 136% less than in Chilliwack. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,625 in Medellin versus $2,320 in Chilliwack, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Chilliwack. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,625 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Chilliwack. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.