Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cuenca, Spain

Name: Cuenca
Address: Cuenca, ES

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Cuenca: $1,639 and $1,670 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Cuenca
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Cuenca Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Cuenca

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,670

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cuenca

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,670 in Cuenca, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Cuenca $1,670

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,437 in Cuenca, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Cuenca $2,437

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,205 in Cuenca, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Cuenca $3,205

Medellin and Cuenca have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Medellin and Cuenca sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Cuenca by 23%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$17.14 €15.36

-52.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$45.51 €40.78

3.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$8.98 €8.05

5.79%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.03 €1.82

48.28%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.36 €2.12

-23.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.49 €1.34

-5.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.21 €1.98

43.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.30 €2.96

74.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$0.98 €0.88

54.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$2.00 €1.79

19.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.55 €1.39

14.19%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.50 €2.24

15.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$16.27 €14.58

-37.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$9.38 €8.40

5.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$20.78 €18.62

-32.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.71 €2.43

46.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$2.42 €2.17

-35.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.58 €2.31

-15.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$3.00 €2.69

-27.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$2.00 €1.79

-2.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.19 €1.96

-27.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.78 €1.60

-35.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.65 €0.58

90.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.30 €5.64

-37.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$4.41 €3.95

210.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.00 €0.90

66.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.19 €1.97

3.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.65 €1.48

-29.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$31.98 €28.66

141.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.29 €2.05

-44.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.07 €0.96

91.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$29.56 €26.49

-71.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.81 €1.62

-25.41%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$35.6K €31.9K

-4.28%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$32.0K €28.7K

8.20%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$164 €147

3.27%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$11.56 €10.36

17.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$21.65 €19.40

29.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$39.51 €35.40

10.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$15.95 €14.30

7.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$8.85 €7.93

-21.92%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$338 €303

135.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$8,035 €7,200

13.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$91.9 €82.3

-7.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$39.11 €35.05

48.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$98.4 €88.1

37.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$114 €102

-14.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$879 €788

37.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$692 €620

-7.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,354 €1,213

49.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,020 €914

-0.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$3,298 €2,955

26.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,188 €1,960

-12.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,405 €1,259

-53.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.46

216.18%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cuenca: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Cuenca

$692 41.4% 7.9% $50

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Cuenca

$301 18% 1.3% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Cuenca

$198 11.8% 6.5% $14

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Cuenca

$222 13.3% 30.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Cuenca

$155 9.3% 8.6% $14

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Cuenca

$46 2.8% 50.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cuenca

$57 3.4% 0.6% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $879 in Cuenca. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cuenca are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $46 in Cuenca. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $301 in Cuenca – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇸 Cuenca

🕒 Local time

00:15 12:15 AM

06:15 6:15 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

53,512

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

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

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

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Cuenca 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cuenca

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 Cuenca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,505 in Cuenca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cuenca, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $879 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Cuenca. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $338 in Cuenca. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,670 in Cuenca, 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 $1,670 in Cuenca. 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, Cuenca makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.