Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ciudad del Este

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad del Este: $795 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad del Este
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Ciudad del Este Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Ciudad del Este

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$795

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ciudad del Este

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 Ciudad del Este actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $795 in Ciudad del Este, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Ciudad del Este $795

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,487 in Ciudad del Este, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Ciudad del Este $1,487

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,179 in Ciudad del Este, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Ciudad del Este $2,179

Medellin costs about 106% more than Ciudad del Este, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Ciudad del Este is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.19 ₲36.9K

30.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$22.40 ₲133.6K

110.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$5.79 ₲34.5K

64.08%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.34 ₲13.9K

28.63%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.97 ₲5,774

85.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.60 ₲3,598

135.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.06 ₲6,293

200.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$1.77 ₲10.5K

224.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.12 ₲6,675

34.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.52 ₲9,068

56.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.26 ₲7,524

40.48%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.24 ₲13.4K

29.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.51 ₲56.7K

7.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.72 ₲22.2K

165.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$8.16 ₲48.7K

71.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.07 ₲12.3K

91.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.26 ₲7,493

23.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$0.97 ₲5,778

124.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.26 ₲7,534

73.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.86 ₲5,144

127.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.97 ₲5,761

63.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.49 ₲2,940

134.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.45 ₲2,662

175.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$1.42 ₲8,468

178.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$5.05 ₲30.1K

170.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$0.73 ₲4,384

127.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.76 ₲10.5K

28.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.89 ₲5,321

31.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.53 ₲9,148

-16.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.52 ₲9,068

34.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$10.45 ₲62.4K

-18.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.27 ₲7,561

6.30%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$17.6K ₲105.3M

93.06%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$17.3K ₲103.3M

100.21%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$49.66 ₲296.2K

241.62%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$17.61 ₲105.0K

-23.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$18.77 ₲112.0K

49.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$29.68 ₲177.1K

47.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$14.06 ₲83.9K

22.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.89 ₲35.1K

17.32%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$187 ₲1.1M

327.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$1,945 ₲11.6M

368.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$63.1 ₲376.6K

34.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$33.28 ₲198.5K

74.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$98.2 ₲585.6K

37.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$56.1 ₲334.8K

74.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$343 ₲2.0M

252.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$263 ₲1.6M

144.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$741 ₲4.4M

173.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$969 ₲5.8M

4.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,883 ₲11.2M

121.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,380 ₲8.2M

38.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$605 ₲3.6M

8.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.5

4.19%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ciudad del Este: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Ciudad del Este

$263 33% 59% $379

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Ciudad del Este

$169 21.3% 43% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Ciudad del Este

$86 10.8% 59.3% $125

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Ciudad del Este

$110 13.8% 35.1% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Ciudad del Este

$113 14.2% 33.2% $56

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Ciudad del Este

$13 * 1.6% 86.4% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Ciudad del Este

$41 5.2% 27.9% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $343 in Ciudad del Este. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 9% 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 $22 in Ciudad del Este. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $169 – making Ciudad del Este the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇾 Ciudad del Este

🕒 Local time

00:32 12:32 AM

02:32 2:32 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

320,782

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.68 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, 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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5,965 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.68 USD). 1 EUR = 6,660 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.5 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Ciudad del Este 4,200 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ciudad del Este

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 Ciudad del Este: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 106%, 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 $1,193 in Ciudad del Este. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ciudad del Este, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $343 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $22 in Ciudad del Este. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 75% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ciudad del Este, where all-in costs run around $795, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Ciudad del Este it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ciudad del Este – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Ciudad del Este. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.