Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cortona

For one person, living is cheaper in Cortona: $1,433 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Cortona
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Cortona Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Cortona

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,433

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cortona

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,433 in Cortona, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Cortona $1,433

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,197 in Cortona, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Cortona $2,197

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,961 in Cortona, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Cortona $2,961

Medellin costs about 14% more than Cortona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Cortona sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Cortona by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$16.79 €14.98

-51.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$67.6 €60.3

-30.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$11.36 €10.14

-16.37%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$2.12 €1.89

41.98%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.84 €2.54

-36.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$1.48 €1.32

-4.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$5.47 €4.88

-41.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$6.78 €6.05

-15.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.73 €1.54

-12.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$2.20 €1.96

8.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$2.97 €2.65

-40.40%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$4.74 €4.23

-39.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$14.81 €13.21

-31.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$12.15 €10.84

-18.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$19.44 €17.34

-28.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.55 €2.27

55.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$2.29 €2.05

-32.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$2.36 €2.11

-7.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$2.39 €2.14

-8.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.41 €1.26

39.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.61 €1.43

-1.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.38 €1.23

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.55 €0.50

125.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.94 €6.19

-42.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$5.69 €5.08

140.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.59 €1.42

4.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$2.53 €2.26

-10.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$6.61 €5.90

-80.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$1.63 €1.45

25.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$33.47 €29.86

-74.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$2.16 €1.93

-37.50%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$35.4K €31.6K

-3.77%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$36.3K €32.3K

-4.37%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$202 €181

-16.21%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$11.25 €10.03

20.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$32.35 €28.86

-13.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$28.04 €25.02

55.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$11.04 €9.85

55.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$11.25 €10.04

-38.58%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$478 €426

66.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$16.7K €14.9K

-45.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$72.0 €64.2

17.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$36.82 €32.85

57.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$85.7 €76.5

57.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$126 €113

-22.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$864 €771

39.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$400 €357

60.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,493 €1,332

35.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$621 €554

63.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,315 €2,065

80.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,804 €2,502

-31.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,067 €2,737

-78.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.52

210.80%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cortona: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Cortona

$400 27.9% 37.7% $242

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Cortona

$326 22.7% 9.6% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Cortona

$246 17.2% 16.5% $35

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Cortona

$252 17.6% 48.6% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Cortona

$144 10.1% 14.6% $25

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Cortona

$15 * 1% 84.2% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cortona

$51 3.5% 12.1% $7

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 $864 in Cortona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cortona are about 4.7 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $68 in Cortona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $326 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇹 Cortona

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

00:18 12:18 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

22,450

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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 = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Cortona 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cortona

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 Cortona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $1,433 in Cortona – Cortona comes out roughly 13% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,150 in Cortona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cortona, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $864 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,433 in Cortona. That makes Cortona about 13% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $478 in Cortona. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,433 in Cortona, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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