Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Diego Martin

For one person, living is cheaper in Diego Martin: $1,343 a month against $1,614 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.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Diego Martin
Learn more

Diego Martin Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Diego Martin

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,343

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Diego Martin

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,343 in Diego Martin, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Diego Martin $1,343

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $2,296 in Diego Martin, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Diego Martin $2,296

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $3,249 in Diego Martin, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Diego Martin $3,249

Medellin costs about 20% more than Diego Martin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Medellin and Diego Martin sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Diego Martin by 0%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$11.69 TTD 78.6

-32.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$87.3 TTD 587

-47.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$8.67 TTD 58.3

9.57%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$3.80 TTD 25.54

-18.16%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.22 TTD 8.22

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.87 TTD 5.84

58.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.23 TTD 14.97

36.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.74 TTD 25.14

47.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$2.46 TTD 16.53

-41.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$2.35 TTD 15.78

0.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$2.78 TTD 18.73

-39.57%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$4.43 TTD 29.78

-35.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$6.79 TTD 45.69

50.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$9.89 TTD 66.5

-3.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$8.92 TTD 60.0

57.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$5.57 TTD 37.47

-26.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$2.45 TTD 16.50

-38.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$3.60 TTD 24.24

-39.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$4.30 TTD 28.93

-46.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.70 TTD 4.72

175.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.76 TTD 5.12

115.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.49 TTD 10.05

-24.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.17 TTD 7.85

6.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$5.44 TTD 36.62

-26.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$17.52 TTD 118

-23.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.48 TTD 9.99

14.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.98 TTD 20.06

-20.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.87 TTD 5.83

39.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$73.4 TTD 493

4.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.00 TTD 6.73

32.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.91 TTD 6.15

135.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$14.85 TTD 99.9

-42.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.17 TTD 7.84

11.11%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$14.4K TTD 97.0K

94.04%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$41.3K TTD 278.0K

-14.32%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$44.68 TTD 301

285.16%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$41.43 TTD 279

-67.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$44.69 TTD 301

-35.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$43.24 TTD 291

4.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$8.84 TTD 59.5

-28.96%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$398 TTD 2,677

93.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$10.7K TTD 71.9K

-15.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$53.9 TTD 362

60.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$36.76 TTD 247

55.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$86.7 TTD 584

57.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$88.5 TTD 595

10.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$666 TTD 4,481

58.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$434 TTD 2,917

42.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,443 TTD 9,704

31.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$954 TTD 6,414

7.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$1,735 TTD 11.7K

-62.40%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Diego Martin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Diego Martin

$434 32.3% 29.6% $182

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Diego Martin

$324 24.1% 10% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Diego Martin

$131 9.7% 38.9% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Diego Martin

$120 8.9% 29.7% $50

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Diego Martin

$192 14.3% 14% $24

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Diego Martin

$82 6.1% 11.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Diego Martin

$61 4.5% 5.4% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $666 in Diego Martin. 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 166% higher in Diego Martin, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $87.0 in Diego Martin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $324 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇹 Diego Martin

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

04:00 4:00 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

25,370

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Diego Martin 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Diego Martin

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 Diego Martin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 20% more than Diego Martin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $2,015 in Diego Martin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $87.0 in Diego Martin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Diego Martin, where all-in costs run around $1,343, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Diego Martin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Diego Martin costs $1,343 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 Diego Martin. 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.