Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cochrane

For one person, living is cheaper in Cochrane: $1,074 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Cochrane
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Cochrane Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Cochrane

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cochrane

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,074 in Cochrane.

Medellin $1,614
Cochrane $1,074

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $2,385 in Cochrane.

Medellin $2,402
Cochrane $2,385

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $3,696 in Cochrane.

Medellin $3,190
Cochrane $3,696

Living in Medellin is roughly 50% more expensive than in Cochrane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Cochrane is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$17.47 CA$24.70

-54.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$70.2 CA$99.3

-34.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$9.90 CA$14.00

-4.04%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$3.82 CA$5.40

-18.59%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$2.33 CA$3.29

-21.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.62 CA$2.29

-14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$5.69 CA$8.04

-46.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$5.72 CA$8.08

-3.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.56 CA$2.20

-7.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$2.07 CA$2.93

14.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$2.98 CA$4.21

-43.62%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$3.22 CA$4.55

-11.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$8.58 CA$12.13

18.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$8.42 CA$11.90

13.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$8.57 CA$12.12

63.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$4.29 CA$6.07

-5.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.37 CA$1.94

9.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$4.38 CA$6.19

-50.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.43 CA$2.03

61.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.37 CA$1.94

40.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.77 CA$2.50

-7.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$2.43 CA$3.44

-53.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.75 CA$2.48

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$13.80 CA$19.51

-71.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$8.16 CA$11.54

63.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$3.08 CA$4.36

-44.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.96 CA$4.18

-19.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$3.46 CA$4.89

-65.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$2.92 CA$4.13

-54.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.38 CA$1.95

55.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$21.32 CA$30.15

-60.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.06 CA$1.50

22.64%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$27.6K CA$39.0K

1.35%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$19.5K CA$27.6K

81.16%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$207 CA$292

-16.78%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$42.87 CA$60.6

-68.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$54.4 CA$76.9

-47.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$44.82 CA$63.4

0.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$12.90 CA$18.24

-51.32%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$752 CA$1,063

2.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$9,571 CA$13.5K

-5.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$42.60 CA$60.2

102.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$45.15 CA$63.8

26.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$83.3 CA$118

63.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$94.7 CA$134

3.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$1,182 CA$1,671

-10.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,725 CA$2,438

9.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,344 CA$1,900

-23.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$22.6K CA$31.9K

-82.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$4,061 CA$5,740

-83.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.32

153.24%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cochrane: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Cochrane

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Cochrane

$285 26.5% 3.3% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Cochrane

$304 28.3% 42% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Cochrane

$120 11.1% 29.7% $50

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Cochrane

$271 25.2% 60.9% $103

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Cochrane

$24 * 2.2% 74.6% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Cochrane

$71 6.6% 22.2% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Medellin and $1,182 in Cochrane. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cochrane pays 522% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $70.0 in Cochrane. Groceries flip the comparison at $295 vs $285, with Cochrane cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 Cochrane

🕒 Local time

04:17 4:17 AM

03:17 3:17 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

26,000

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Cochrane 6,140 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cochrane

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 Cochrane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cochrane wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cochrane the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 522% lower in Cochrane. 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: $1,055 in Medellin versus $1,182 in Cochrane. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,614 per month in Medellin versus $1,074 in Cochrane – a 50% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,074 in Cochrane versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cochrane but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Cochrane the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cochrane delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,074 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cochrane hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Cochrane gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.