Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Concepcion

For one person, living is cheaper in Concepcion: $1,038 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Concepcion
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Concepcion Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Concepcion

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Concepcion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,038 in Concepcion.

Medellin $1,639
Concepcion $1,038

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,616 in Concepcion.

Medellin $2,413
Concepcion $1,616

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,195 in Concepcion.

Medellin $3,186
Concepcion $2,195

Living in Medellin is roughly 58% more expensive than in Concepcion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Concepcion is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$7.15 CLP 7,100

13.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$44.95 CLP 44.7K

4.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$7.59 CLP 7,543

25.16%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.65 CLP 2,637

13.58%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.36 CLP 1,346

32.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.99 CLP 979

42.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$3.68 CLP 3,656

-13.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.60 CLP 3,580

59.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.23 CLP 1,217

22.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.43 CLP 1,418

66.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.45 CLP 1,441

22.07%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$3.41 CLP 3,383

-15.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.56 CLP 10.5K

-3.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$6.76 CLP 6,716

46.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$11.35 CLP 11.3K

23.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.42 CLP 1,406

179.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.31 CLP 1,301

18.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.49 CLP 1,483

46.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.39 CLP 1,380

56.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.03 CLP 1,028

90.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.33 CLP 1,326

19.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$1.11 CLP 1,103

3.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$1.11 CLP 1,100

11.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$5.10 CLP 5,066

-22.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$4.79 CLP 4,754

185.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$0.94 CLP 929

76.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.64 CLP 1,627

37.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.55 CLP 546

112.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$31.70 CLP 31.5K

144.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.49 CLP 1,480

-14.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$2.38 CLP 2,363

-13.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$12.34 CLP 12.3K

-30.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.35 CLP 1,341

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$19.7K CLP 19.6M

72.80%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$27.7K CLP 27.5M

25.18%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$115 CLP 114.6K

47.04%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$15.95 CLP 15.8K

-15.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$28.38 CLP 28.2K

-1.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$28.33 CLP 28.1K

54.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$10.27 CLP 10.2K

67.38%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.42 CLP 5,382

27.49%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$321 CLP 319.0K

148.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$4,211 CLP 4.2M

116.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$45.20 CLP 44.9K

87.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$22.16 CLP 22.0K

161.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$64.0 CLP 63.6K

110.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$63.7 CLP 63.3K

53.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$475 CLP 471.4K

154.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$342 CLP 340.2K

87.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$922 CLP 915.7K

119.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$622 CLP 618.2K

62.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$2,076 CLP 2.1M

100.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,801 CLP 1.8M

6.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$552 CLP 548.6K

18.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.3

106.42%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Concepcion: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Concepcion

$342 33% 46.6% $299

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Concepcion

$214 20.7% 27.8% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Concepcion

$160 15.4% 24.4% $52

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Concepcion

$147 14.2% 13.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Concepcion

$88 8.5% 48% $81

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Concepcion

$47 4.6% 49.5% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Concepcion

$39 3.8% 31.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $475 in Concepcion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 19% 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 in Medellin vs $45 in Concepcion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $214 per month, with Concepcion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇱 Concepcion

🕒 Local time

11:48 11:48 AM

13:48 1:48 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

217,537

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.07 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 993 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.01 USD). 1 EUR = 1,109 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.02 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Concepcion 4,800 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
Concepcion

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 Concepcion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,038 in Concepcion, so Concepcion is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 19% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $475 in Concepcion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Concepcion – a meal for two runs $45 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Concepcion gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Expats usually find Concepcion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.