Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Curepe

For one person, living is cheaper in Curepe: $1,361 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Medellin, Colombia
Curepe, Trinidad And Tobago
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Curepe
🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago
$1,361
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Curepe

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,361 in Curepe, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Curepe $1,361

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,374 in Curepe, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Curepe $2,374

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,387 in Curepe, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Curepe $3,387

Medellin costs about 20% more than Curepe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Curepe
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.6K
$10.53 TTD 71.1
-23.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.9K
$89.9 TTD 607
-47.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$8.69 TTD 58.7
9.32%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,540
$3.78 TTD 25.55
-20.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,693
$1.03 TTD 6.97
74.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,469
$0.75 TTD 5.07
88.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.0K
$2.23 TTD 15.07
42.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.2K
$3.73 TTD 25.19
54.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Curepe
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,778
$2.45 TTD 16.55
-38.37%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,524
$2.47 TTD 16.69
-3.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,606
$2.87 TTD 19.38
-38.33%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,146
$4.45 TTD 30.06
-35.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.2K
$6.60 TTD 44.56
54.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.2K
$10.04 TTD 67.8
-1.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.3K
$11.74 TTD 79.2
19.17%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.6K
$5.38 TTD 36.32
-26.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,911
$3.09 TTD 20.86
-49.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,907
$3.73 TTD 25.21
-41.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,910
$4.35 TTD 29.38
-49.89%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,210
$2.12 TTD 14.31
-7.55%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,029
$1.87 TTD 12.65
-14.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,625
$1.83 TTD 12.37
-37.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,934
$1.35 TTD 9.11
-8.15%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$6.04 TTD 40.78
-34.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.3K
$19.30 TTD 130
-29.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,252
$2.28 TTD 15.42
-27.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,145
$2.94 TTD 19.84
-23.13%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Curepe
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,696
$0.58 TTD 3.90
101.72%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 244.8K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,013
$1.01 TTD 6.83
25.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,480
$1.23 TTD 8.30
66.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.1K
$14.46 TTD 97.6
-40.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,262
$1.17 TTD 7.92
15.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.8M
$37.1K TTD 250.5K
-8.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.7M
$41.8K TTD 281.9K
-16.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Curepe
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 536.8K
$90.1 TTD 608
88.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.9K
$52.5 TTD 355
-74.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.8K
$56.9 TTD 384
-50.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Curepe
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 138.3K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.4K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.9K
$8.91 TTD 60.2
-22.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Curepe
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$395 TTD 2,665
101.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.8M
$10.9K TTD 73.3K
-16.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Curepe
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 268.1K
$55.4 TTD 374
52.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 183.4K
$51.4 TTD 347
12.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 427.1K
$145 TTD 980
-7.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 309.7K
$102 TTD 691
-4.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Curepe
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$747 TTD 5,039
61.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$438 TTD 2,954
46.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$1,457 TTD 9,838
39.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$1,096 TTD 7,395
-7.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.2M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Curepe
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$520 TTD 3,508
26.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
5.75
90.26%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Curepe: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Curepe
$438 31.8% $204
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Curepe
$355 19.7% $58
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Curepe
$200 5.6% $12
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Curepe
$181 7% $12
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Curepe
$159 5.7% $9.6
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Curepe
$9.5 * 89.9% $84
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Curepe
$18 * 69% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $747 in Curepe. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 26% higher in Medellin. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $90 in Curepe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $355 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇹🇹 Curepe
🕒 Local time
00:26 12:26 AM
01:26 1:26 AM
1 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
17,758
Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.75 TTD (1 TTD = 0.148 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 TTD (1 TTD = 0.133 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Curepe 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Curepe

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 Curepe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Medellin and in Curepe compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $1,361 in Curepe – Curepe comes out roughly 17% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Medellin compared to Curepe?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,041 in Curepe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Medellin and Curepe?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Curepe, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $747 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $90 in Curepe. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
How far does $2,000 go in Medellin compared to Curepe?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,361 in Curepe, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Medellin or Curepe?
Families tend to lean toward Curepe – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How do I decide between Medellin and Curepe?
If budget matters most, go with Curepe. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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