Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Duitama

For one person, living is cheaper in Duitama: $1,384 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Duitama
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Duitama Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Duitama

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,384

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Duitama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,384 in Duitama.

Medellin $1,692
Duitama $1,384

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $2,076 in Duitama.

Medellin $2,471
Duitama $2,076

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,767 in Duitama.

Medellin $3,249
Duitama $2,767

Living in Medellin is roughly 22% more expensive than in Duitama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 25% above, Duitama 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$7.99 COP 25.8K

4.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$43.12 COP 139.2K

7.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$10.07 COP 32.5K

-5.96%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.53 COP 8,181

23.72%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$1.27 COP 4,111

39.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.89 COP 2,886

59.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.00 COP 6,462

57.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$4.17 COP 13.5K

36.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$1.68 COP 5,408

-8.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$2.48 COP 8,019

-7.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.78 COP 5,759

8.99%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$3.53 COP 11.4K

-13.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$8.11 COP 26.2K

23.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$7.20 COP 23.3K

45.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$9.66 COP 31.2K

44.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.68 COP 11.9K

10.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$1.77 COP 5,707

-13.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$1.94 COP 6,266

8.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$1.83 COP 5,904

25.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$1.42 COP 4,592

48.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$1.39 COP 4,476

23.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$1.35 COP 4,357

-13.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$1.20 COP 3,877

31.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$4.38 COP 14.1K

-10.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$12.74 COP 41.1K

10.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$1.50 COP 4,851

17.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-13.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$1.07 COP 3,450

10.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

$65.1 COP 210.1K

17.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$2.38 COP 7,687

-23.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$2.03 COP 6,544

4.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$9.48 COP 30.6K

-14.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.29 COP 4,165

-0.78%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$34.8K COP 112.4M

-1.08%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$34.3K COP 110.8M

-0.55%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$126 COP 407.5K

40.81%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$16.35 COP 52.8K

-15.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$30.51 COP 98.5K

0.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$38.36 COP 123.8K

9.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$7.94 COP 25.6K

-5.92%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$565 COP 1.8M

39.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$7,451 COP 24.1M

65.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$86.0 COP 277.7K

0.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$48.16 COP 155.5K

23.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$142 COP 457.9K

-2.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$105 COP 340.4K

-6.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$719 COP 2.3M

86.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$488 COP 1.6M

36.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,444 COP 4.7M

36.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$801 COP 2.6M

28.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$2,189 COP 7.1M

87.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,756 COP 5.7M

10.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

12.81

-14.60%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Duitama: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Duitama

$488 35.2% 26.9% $180

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Duitama

$264 19.1% 14% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Duitama

$173 12.5% 22.2% $49

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Duitama

$152 11% 12.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Duitama

$172 12.4% 0.3% $0.6

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Duitama

$82 5.9% 12.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Duitama

$54 3.9% 4.7% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $719 in Duitama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $43 in Duitama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $264 per month, with Duitama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇴 Duitama

🕒 Local time

13:42 1:42 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

126,670

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Duitama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Duitama wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Duitama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $2,076 in Duitama to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $719 in Duitama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,692 per month in Medellin versus $1,384 in Duitama – Duitama is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Duitama runs roughly 15% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Duitama is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Duitama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.