Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Courtenay

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,184 in Courtenay, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
104

Cost of Living Index in Courtenay
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Courtenay Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Courtenay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Courtenay

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,184 in Courtenay, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Courtenay $2,184

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,080 in Courtenay, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Courtenay $3,080

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,975 in Courtenay, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Courtenay $3,975

Medellin is about 25% cheaper than Courtenay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Courtenay sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Courtenay by 60%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$14.38 CA$20.09

-43.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$57.2 CA$79.9

-17.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$9.76 CA$13.64

-2.66%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.68 CA$5.14

-18.21%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.04 CA$2.85

-11.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.55 CA$2.17

-9.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$5.79 CA$8.09

-45.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$5.74 CA$8.02

0.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$2.41 CA$3.37

-37.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$2.05 CA$2.87

16.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.08 CA$2.91

-14.90%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.20 CA$4.47

-9.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.17 CA$14.20

0.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$9.20 CA$12.85

7.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$19.79 CA$27.64

-29.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.30 CA$4.61

20.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.31 CA$1.83

18.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.35 CA$3.28

-7.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$3.07 CA$4.29

-28.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$2.65 CA$3.71

-26.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.15 CA$3.00

-26.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$2.07 CA$2.89

-44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.64 CA$2.29

-24.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$14.20 CA$19.84

-72.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$10.89 CA$15.22

25.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.59 CA$3.62

-35.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.44 CA$3.40

-7.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.94 CA$2.71

-39.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$42.49 CA$59.4

82.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.75 CA$3.84

-53.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.40 CA$1.96

46.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$17.82 CA$24.89

-52.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.28 CA$1.78

5.47%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$20.8K CA$29.1K

63.43%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$18.2K CA$25.5K

89.98%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$139 CA$194

22.11%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$36.71 CA$51.3

-63.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$65.3 CA$91.3

-57.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$42.38 CA$59.2

3.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$38.49 CA$53.8

-55.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$10.78 CA$15.06

-35.90%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$648 CA$906

22.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$12.3K CA$17.2K

-25.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$56.9 CA$79.5

48.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$45.43 CA$63.5

27.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$78.5 CA$110

72.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$59.8 CA$83.5

63.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,219 CA$1,703

-0.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,137 CA$1,588

-43.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,043 CA$2,854

-0.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,629 CA$2,277

-37.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$5,318 CA$7,429

-21.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,239 CA$4,525

-79.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.87

124.64%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Courtenay: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Courtenay

$1.1K 52.1% 77.2% $495

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Courtenay

$331 15.1% 11.3% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Courtenay

$241 11% 14% $30

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Courtenay

$243 11.1% 43.4% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Courtenay

$108 5% 35.9% $61

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Courtenay

$60 2.8% 35.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Courtenay

$64 2.9% 11.1% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,219 in Courtenay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Courtenay are about 4.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $57 in Courtenay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $331 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 Courtenay

🕒 Local time

21:37 9:37 PM

19:37 7:37 PM

2 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

25,599

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Courtenay 6,660 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Courtenay

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 Courtenay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Courtenay is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,276 in Courtenay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,208 in Medellin and $1,219 in Courtenay. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Courtenay, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $57 in Courtenay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $2,184 in Courtenay, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,184 in Courtenay. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Courtenay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.