Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cucuta

For one person, living is cheaper in Cucuta: $1,335 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Cucuta
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Cucuta Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Cucuta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,335

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cucuta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,335 in Cucuta.

Medellin $1,614
Cucuta $1,335

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $2,003 in Cucuta.

Medellin $2,402
Cucuta $2,003

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $2,670 in Cucuta.

Medellin $3,190
Cucuta $2,670

Living in Medellin is roughly 21% more expensive than in Cucuta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Cucuta is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$7.44 COP 23.6K

6.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$48.54 COP 153.9K

-4.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$9.16 COP 29.1K

3.71%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.91 COP 9,235

6.87%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.43 COP 4,544

27.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.08 COP 3,420

27.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$3.09 COP 9,785

-1.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.70 COP 11.7K

48.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.61 COP 5,112

-9.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$2.47 COP 7,844

-4.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.54 COP 4,893

9.09%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.99 COP 9,488

-4.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$9.00 COP 28.5K

13.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$8.58 COP 27.2K

11.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$11.41 COP 36.2K

23.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$3.54 COP 11.2K

14.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.60 COP 5,061

-6.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.07 COP 6,574

4.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.94 COP 6,139

19.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.28 COP 4,071

50.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.31 COP 4,149

25.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.10 COP 3,497

2.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.02 COP 3,221

22.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$4.35 COP 13.8K

-8.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$14.74 COP 46.7K

-9.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.65 COP 5,217

3.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.29 COP 7,271

3.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$1.19 COP 3,783

1.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.52 COP 4,830

-13.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$2.09 COP 6,624

2.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$9.90 COP 31.4K

-14.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.28 COP 4,055

1.56%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$28.7K COP 90.9M

-2.34%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$40.2K COP 127.6M

-12.00%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$126 COP 397.9K

37.12%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$13.88 COP 44.0K

-3.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$29.14 COP 92.4K

-1.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$33.45 COP 106.1K

35.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$6.95 COP 22.0K

-9.64%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$647 COP 2.1M

19.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$6,396 COP 20.3M

40.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$86.4 COP 273.8K

0.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$49.97 COP 158.4K

14.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$154 COP 489.8K

-11.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$102 COP 323.2K

-3.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$643 COP 2.0M

64.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$497 COP 1.6M

23.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,017 COP 3.2M

86.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$792 COP 2.5M

29.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,980 COP 6.3M

105.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,498 COP 4.7M

12.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$565 COP 1.8M

15.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.58

-5.53%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cucuta: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Cucuta

$497 37.2% 19.3% $119

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Cucuta

$274 20.5% 7.1% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Cucuta

$169 12.6% 21.3% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Cucuta

$177 13.2% 3.9% $6.6

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Cucuta

$155 11.6% 8% $14

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Cucuta

$17 * 1.3% 82.1% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Cucuta

$47 3.6% 18.1% $10

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 $1,055 in Medellin and $643 in Cucuta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 16% 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: $46.00 in Medellin vs $49.00 in Cucuta. Groceries flip the comparison at $295 vs $274, with Cucuta cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇴 Cucuta

🕒 Local time

21:31 9:31 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

777,106

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Medellin Cucuta 390 km

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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 Cucuta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cucuta is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 21% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 16% 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: $1,055 in Medellin versus $643 in Cucuta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $770 in Medellin versus $647 in Cucuta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cucuta – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,335 in Cucuta versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cucuta but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Cucuta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cucuta is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Cucuta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.