Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cranbrook

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,231 in Cranbrook, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Cranbrook
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Cranbrook Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Cranbrook

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,231

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cranbrook

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,231 in Cranbrook.

Medellin $1,639
Cranbrook $2,231

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,017 in Cranbrook.

Medellin $2,413
Cranbrook $3,017

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $3,804 in Cranbrook.

Medellin $3,186
Cranbrook $3,804

Living in Medellin costs roughly 27% less than in Cranbrook, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Cranbrook 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$14.16 CA$19.87

-42.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$67.2 CA$94.3

-29.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$10.12 CA$14.20

-6.13%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.99 CA$5.60

-24.56%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.83 CA$2.57

-1.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.77 CA$2.48

-20.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$5.12 CA$7.19

-37.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$5.67 CA$7.95

1.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.84 CA$2.58

-17.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.43 CA$3.41

-2.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$4.47 CA$6.27

-60.40%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.54 CA$4.97

-18.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$10.04 CA$14.09

1.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$12.51 CA$17.56

-21.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$13.03 CA$18.29

7.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.44 CA$4.83

15.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.29 CA$1.80

20.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.78 CA$3.90

-21.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$4.56 CA$6.40

-52.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$3.67 CA$5.15

-46.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$3.13 CA$4.40

-49.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$3.18 CA$4.46

-63.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.77 CA$2.48

-29.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$11.89 CA$16.69

-66.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$14.25 CA$20.00

-4.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$3.14 CA$4.41

-47.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$3.82 CA$5.36

-40.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.41 CA$1.98

-17.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$3.55 CA$4.99

-64.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$2.88 CA$4.05

-28.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$42.89 CA$60.2

-80.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.12 CA$1.57

20.54%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$25.0K CA$35.1K

36.31%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$21.0K CA$29.5K

64.74%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$176 CA$248

-3.80%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$18.11 CA$25.42

-25.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$60.3 CA$84.7

-53.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$28.38 CA$39.83

53.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$14.24 CA$19.98

-51.47%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$863 CA$1,211

-7.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$3,601 CA$5,054

153.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$43.66 CA$61.3

94.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$50.8 CA$71.3

14.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$77.2 CA$108

74.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$120 CA$168

-18.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,063 CA$1,492

13.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$1,153 CA$1,618

-44.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,679 CA$2,356

20.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,422 CA$1,996

-28.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,933 CA$4,116

-77.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.85

125.57%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cranbrook: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Cranbrook

$1.2K 51.7% 79.7% $512

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Cranbrook

$368 16.5% 24% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Cranbrook

$255 11.4% 20.6% $44

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Cranbrook

$243 10.9% 43.2% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Cranbrook

$131 5.9% 22.3% $38

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Cranbrook

$24 * 1.1% 74.7% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cranbrook

$57 2.6% 1.2% $0.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,063 in Cranbrook. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cranbrook pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $67 in Cranbrook for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $368 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 Cranbrook

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

15:50 3:50 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

20,047

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Cranbrook 6,090 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cranbrook

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 Cranbrook: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Cranbrook. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 78% 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 $1,063 in Cranbrook. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $863 in Cranbrook. 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 $67 in Cranbrook. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin 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.

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