Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cumbaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Cumbaya: $840 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Cumbaya
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Cumbaya Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Cumbaya

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$840

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cumbaya

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $840 in Cumbaya, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Cumbaya $840

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,403 in Cumbaya, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Cumbaya $1,403

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,965 in Cumbaya, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Cumbaya $1,965

Medellin costs about 92% more than Cumbaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Cumbaya is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.3K

$5.99 $5.99

32.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 147.3K

$54.0 $54.0

-14.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.3K

$7.62 $7.62

24.67%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,933

$3.41 $3.41

-8.80%

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

$1.83 COP 5,839

$1.44 $1.44

27.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,389

$1.10 $1.10

25.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,737

$3.60 $3.60

-15.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$5.86 $5.86

-6.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,631

$1.15 $1.15

26.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,547

$1.60 $1.60

47.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,365

$1.50 $1.50

12.00%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,139

$2.18 $2.18

31.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.5K

$6.37 $6.37

59.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.4K

$5.58 $5.58

70.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.8K

$7.66 $7.66

83.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 13.0K

$2.23 $2.23

82.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,774

$1.19 $1.19

26.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,938

$1.28 $1.28

69.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,359

$1.13 $1.13

104.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,155

$1.25 $1.25

54.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,231

$1.07 $1.07

53.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,595

$0.87 $0.87

29.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,981

$1.03 $1.03

21.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$5.87 $5.87

-32.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.6K

$10.13 $10.13

31.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,420

$1.56 $1.56

8.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,576

$3.03 $3.03

-21.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,853

$0.34 $0.34

255.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 244.2K

$20.68 $20.68

269.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,208

$1.51 $1.51

-12.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,820

$1.46 $1.46

46.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 27.0K

$10.09 $10.09

-16.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,142

$0.88 $0.88

47.73%

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

$28.0K COP 89.3M

$21.1K $21.1K

32.44%

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

$35.4K COP 113.0M

$28.2K $28.2K

25.48%

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

$172 COP 549.3K

$28.10 $28.10

512.42%

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

$13.37 COP 42.7K

$17.60 $17.60

-24.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.7K

$28.90 $28.90

-0.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 144.4K

$26.87 $26.87

68.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.4K

$17.73 $17.73

-3.89%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.1K

$6.49 $6.49

-3.24%

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

$770 COP 2.5M

$227 $227

239.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.8M

$8,876 $8,876

1.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 275.8K

$71.5 $71.5

20.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 182.4K

$49.06 $49.06

16.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 435.8K

$117 $117

16.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 312.5K

$109 $109

-10.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$278 $278

280.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$190 $190

223.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$736 $736

157.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$357 $357

186.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 13.0M

$1,240 $1,240

227.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.4M

$867 $867

93.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

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 12, 2026

Last update for Cumbaya: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Cumbaya

$190 22.6% 69.1% $426

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Cumbaya

$197 23.5% 33.1% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Cumbaya

$75 8.9% 65.2% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Cumbaya

$156 18.6% 8.4% $14

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Cumbaya

$152 18.1% 10% $17

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Cumbaya

$31 3.7% 67% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Cumbaya

$40 4.7% 31.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $278 in Cumbaya. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $54.0 in Cumbaya. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Medellin vs $197 in Cumbaya – so Cumbaya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇨 Cumbaya

🕒 Local time

10:37 10:37 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.13 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,192 COP (10,000 COP = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 3,575 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Cumbaya 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Cumbaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 92% more than Cumbaya, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,260 in Cumbaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cumbaya, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 270% less in Cumbaya. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $770 per month in Medellin and $227 in Cumbaya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cumbaya, where all-in costs run around $840, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Cumbaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cumbaya costs $840 versus $1,614 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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