Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Duncans

For one person, living is cheaper in Duncans: $1,011 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Duncans
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Duncans Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Duncans

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,011

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Duncans

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,011 in Duncans, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Duncans $1,011

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,673 in Duncans, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Duncans $1,673

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,336 in Duncans, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Duncans $2,336

Medellin costs about 62% more than Duncans, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Duncans is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$13.60 JMD 2,144

-40.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$75.7 JMD 11.9K

-37.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$8.14 JMD 1,284

16.71%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$5.44 JMD 858

-44.67%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.14 JMD 180

57.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.71 JMD 111

98.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.25 JMD 355

41.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.21 JMD 507

79.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$4.15 JMD 655

-63.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$3.73 JMD 588

-36.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.58 JMD 249

12.03%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.58 JMD 565

-19.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.50 JMD 1,813

-11.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.21 JMD 979

58.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.34 JMD 1,631

35.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$6.01 JMD 947

-33.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$3.97 JMD 625

-60.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$7.54 JMD 1,190

-71.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$3.02 JMD 476

-27.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$3.32 JMD 523

-40.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.61 JMD 411

-39.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$3.01 JMD 475

-61.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.43 JMD 226

-13.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$9.48 JMD 1,494

-58.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$11.25 JMD 1,775

21.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.78 JMD 439

-40.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$3.96 JMD 625

-42.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.27 JMD 200

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$3.20 JMD 505

-35.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$6.23 JMD 983

37.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.45 JMD 228

-6.90%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$44.1K JMD 7.0M

-22.72%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

7.82%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$171 JMD 27.0K

-0.96%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$29.64 JMD 4,674

-54.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$51.8 JMD 8,166

-45.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$13.41 JMD 2,115

-48.47%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$355 JMD 56.0K

124.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$8,307 JMD 1.3M

9.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$23.91 JMD 3,771

254.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$31.38 JMD 4,949

84.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

71.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$103 JMD 16.3K

-5.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.45

15.77%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Duncans: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Duncans

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Duncans

$384 38% 29.2% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Duncans

$253 25% 19.6% $41

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Duncans

$224 22.1% 31.8% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Duncans

$107 10.6% 36.8% $62

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Duncans

$17 * 1.7% 81.5% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Duncans

$27 * 2.7% 53.4% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $76 in Duncans. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $384 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇲 Duncans

🕒 Local time

12:44 12:44 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

5,153

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Duncans 1,370 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Medellin
Duncans

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 Duncans: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,517 in Duncans. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,011 in Duncans. That’s a gap of about 62%.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $355 in Duncans. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Duncans, where all-in costs run around $1,011, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Duncans it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,011 in Duncans to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.