Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cotacachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotacachi: $717 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Cotacachi
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Cotacachi Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Cotacachi

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$717

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cotacachi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $717 in Cotacachi.

Medellin $1,639
Cotacachi $717

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,170 in Cotacachi.

Medellin $2,413
Cotacachi $1,170

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,623 in Cotacachi.

Medellin $3,186
Cotacachi $1,623

Living in Medellin is roughly 129% more expensive than in Cotacachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Cotacachi is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.88 $3.88

108.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$25.87 $25.87

81.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$4.58 $4.58

107.42%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.21 $2.21

36.20%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.36 $1.36

32.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.80 $0.80

76.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.97 $1.97

61.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$4.01 $4.01

43.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.10 $1.10

37.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.53 $1.53

55.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.52 $1.52

16.45%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.11 $2.11

36.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.40 $6.40

59.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$5.27 $5.27

87.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.46 $7.46

87.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.21 $2.21

79.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.14 $1.14

35.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.32 $1.32

65.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.10 $1.10

98.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.24 $1.24

58.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.06 $1.06

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.83 $0.83

38.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.03 $1.03

20.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.46 $4.46

-11.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$7.35 $7.35

86.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.51 $1.51

9.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$3.05 $3.05

-25.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.45 $0.45

160.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$15.03 $15.03

414.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.24 $1.24

2.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.97 $0.97

111.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$9.89 $9.89

-13.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.77 $0.77

75.32%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$22.7K $22.7K

50.20%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$29.9K $29.9K

16.02%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$29.09 $29.09

483.19%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$12.57 $12.57

7.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$26.27 $26.27

6.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$30.56 $30.56

43.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$10.16 $10.16

69.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.52 $6.52

5.98%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$76.0 $76.0

948.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$2,952 $2,952

208.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$41.41 $41.41

104.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$42.47 $42.47

36.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$95.1 $95.1

41.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$59.2 $59.2

65.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$264 $264

357.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$190 $190

237.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$473 $473

329.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$414 $414

144.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$598 $598

597.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$517 $517

269.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$433 $433

51.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.12

8.10%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cotacachi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Cotacachi

$190 26.5% 70.4% $452

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Cotacachi

$187 26.1% 36.9% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Cotacachi

$68 9.5% 67.9% $143

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Cotacachi

$98 13.6% 42.3% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Cotacachi

$107 15% 36.6% $62

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Cotacachi

$23 3.2% 75.5% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cotacachi

$44 6.1% 24.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $264 in Cotacachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 52% 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 $26 in Cotacachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $187 per month, with Cotacachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇨 Cotacachi

🕒 Local time

07:12 7:12 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

8,238

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Cotacachi 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cotacachi

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 Cotacachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $717 in Cotacachi, so Cotacachi is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 52% 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 $264 in Cotacachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cotacachi runs roughly 81% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $76 in Cotacachi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $717 in Cotacachi versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Cotacachi but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Cotacachi 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.

Expats usually find Cotacachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.