Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Coquitlam

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,586 in Coquitlam, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
124

Cost of Living Index in Coquitlam
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Coquitlam Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Coquitlam

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Coquitlam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,586 in Coquitlam.

Medellin $1,639
Coquitlam $2,586

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,784 in Coquitlam.

Medellin $2,413
Coquitlam $3,784

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $4,983 in Coquitlam.

Medellin $3,186
Coquitlam $4,983

Living in Medellin costs roughly 37% less than in Coquitlam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Coquitlam 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$16.62 CA$23.23

-51.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$72.0 CA$101

-34.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$10.68 CA$14.93

-11.05%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$3.93 CA$5.49

-23.41%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.14 CA$2.99

-15.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$1.68 CA$2.35

-16.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$5.59 CA$7.81

-43.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$6.49 CA$9.07

-11.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.40 CA$1.96

7.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$2.68 CA$3.74

-11.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$2.67 CA$3.73

-33.71%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$3.84 CA$5.37

-24.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.04 CA$14.03

1.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$13.23 CA$18.49

-25.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$20.27 CA$28.33

-30.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$4.00 CA$5.59

-0.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$1.36 CA$1.90

13.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$3.68 CA$5.15

-40.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$3.45 CA$4.83

-36.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.09 CA$1.52

79.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$2.82 CA$3.94

-43.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$2.63 CA$3.67

-56.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.05 CA$1.47

18.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$15.79 CA$22.07

-74.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$12.36 CA$17.27

10.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.59 CA$3.61

-35.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$3.03 CA$4.24

-25.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$2.29 CA$3.20

-48.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$79.0 CA$110

-2.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.74 CA$3.83

-53.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$1.36 CA$1.90

50.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$24.25 CA$33.89

-64.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.37 CA$1.92

-1.46%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$25.9K CA$36.2K

31.35%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$21.5K CA$30.1K

60.95%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$83.3 CA$116

103.69%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$32.46 CA$45.37

-58.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$51.7 CA$72.3

-45.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$14.10 CA$19.71

209.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$10.56 CA$14.76

62.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$10.62 CA$14.84

-34.93%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$388 CA$543

105.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$11.6K CA$16.3K

-21.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$58.5 CA$81.7

44.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$34.10 CA$47.67

69.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$94.8 CA$132

42.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$94.4 CA$132

3.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,814 CA$2,536

-33.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,530 CA$2,138

-58.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$3,333 CA$4,658

-39.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$2,485 CA$3,472

-59.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$6,088 CA$8,509

-31.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$4,998 CA$6,986

-61.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,143 CA$4,393

-79.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.28

155.61%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Coquitlam: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Coquitlam

$1.5K 59.2% 139% $889

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Coquitlam

$360 13.9% 21.1% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Coquitlam

$167 6.5% 20.7% $44

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Coquitlam

$268 10.4% 58.2% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Coquitlam

$127 4.9% 25% $42

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Coquitlam

$98 3.8% 4.5% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Coquitlam

$35 1.4% 38.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,814 in Coquitlam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Coquitlam pays about 4.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $72 in Coquitlam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $360 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 Coquitlam

🕒 Local time

14:09 2:09 PM

12:09 12:09 PM

2 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

148,625

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Coquitlam 6,500 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Coquitlam

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 Coquitlam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is about 37% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 79% lower in Medellin. 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,814 in Coquitlam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $388 in Coquitlam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $72 in Coquitlam. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,586 in Coquitlam, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Coquitlam. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Coquitlam on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.