Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cusco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $692 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
Learn more

Cusco Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cusco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $692 in Cusco.

Medellin $1,614
Cusco $692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $1,102 in Cusco.

Medellin $2,402
Cusco $1,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $1,512 in Cusco.

Medellin $3,190
Cusco $1,512

Living in Medellin is roughly 133% more expensive than in Cusco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Cusco is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$2.07 PEN 7.11

283.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$20.09 PEN 69.0

129.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$6.49 PEN 22.28

46.38%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.18 PEN 7.48

42.66%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.78 PEN 2.67

134.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.33 PEN 1.12

318.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.70 PEN 5.83

79.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$4.23 PEN 14.51

30.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.26 PEN 4.33

15.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$2.31 PEN 7.92

2.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.30 PEN 4.46

29.23%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$3.52 PEN 12.07

-18.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$4.68 PEN 16.07

117.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$4.39 PEN 15.08

117.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$7.12 PEN 24.44

97.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.66 PEN 9.15

53.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$0.82 PEN 2.81

82.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.42 PEN 4.89

52.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$0.90 PEN 3.09

156.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.03 PEN 3.55

87.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.12 PEN 3.85

46.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.53 PEN 1.84

113.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.75 PEN 2.57

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$5.86 PEN 20.13

127.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.93 PEN 6.63

-11.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$4.13 PEN 14.18

-42.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.28 PEN 0.96

332.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.73 PEN 5.94

-23.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.92 PEN 6.58

11.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$2.94 PEN 10.10

188.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.57 PEN 5.39

-17.20%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$29.2K PEN 100.3K

21.21%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$28.88 PEN 99.2

495.88%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$14.39 PEN 49.41

-7.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$44.08 PEN 151

-34.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$29.16 PEN 100

55.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$4.47 PEN 15.35

40.49%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$37.01 PEN 127

133.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$33.94 PEN 117

68.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$54.6 PEN 187

150.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$73.3 PEN 252

33.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$214 PEN 736

392.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$194 PEN 666

217.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$539 PEN 1,850

251.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$421 PEN 1,446

142.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$3,183 PEN 10.9K

27.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,825 PEN 6,269

-8.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$420 PEN 1,442

55.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cusco: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Cusco

$194 28% 68.5% $422

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Cusco

$187 27% 36.6% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Cusco

$87 12.6% 59.2% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Cusco

$89 12.9% 47.4% $81

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Cusco

$84 12.1% 50.4% $85

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Cusco

$12 * 1.8% 86.7% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Cusco

$38 5.5% 34.1% $20

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 $214 in Cusco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 55% 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 $20.00 in Cusco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $187 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇪 Cusco

🕒 Local time

12:35 12:35 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

428,450

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Cusco 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cusco

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 Cusco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cusco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 133% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 55% 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 $214 in Cusco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cusco – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $692 in Cusco versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cusco but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Cusco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cusco 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 Cusco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 133% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.