Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Edmonton

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,188 in Edmonton, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Edmonton
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Edmonton Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Edmonton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,188

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Edmonton

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,188 in Edmonton, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Edmonton $2,188

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,196 in Edmonton, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Edmonton $3,196

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,203 in Edmonton, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Edmonton $4,203

Medellin is about 25% cheaper than Edmonton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Edmonton sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Edmonton by 61%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$19.92 CA$27.99

-59.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$78.2 CA$110

-39.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$10.14 CA$14.25

-6.31%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.96 CA$5.57

-23.99%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.34 CA$3.28

-23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$2.03 CA$2.85

-30.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$5.76 CA$8.09

-44.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$6.34 CA$8.91

-9.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.62 CA$2.27

-6.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.15 CA$3.02

10.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$3.03 CA$4.26

-41.58%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.58 CA$5.04

-19.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$10.77 CA$15.13

-5.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$11.31 CA$15.89

-12.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$18.80 CA$26.42

-25.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$4.13 CA$5.80

-3.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.40 CA$1.96

10.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$4.24 CA$5.95

-48.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$3.95 CA$5.55

-44.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.13 CA$2.99

-7.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.79 CA$2.52

-11.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.48 CA$3.49

-53.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.79 CA$2.51

-30.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$14.32 CA$20.12

-72.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$11.58 CA$16.27

18.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,222

$3.45 CA$4.85

-51.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,104

$2.98 CA$4.19

-24.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$2.64 CA$3.71

-55.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$72.9 CA$102

6.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.87 CA$4.03

-55.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.42 CA$2.00

44.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$20.99 CA$29.48

-59.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.18 CA$1.66

14.41%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$27.5K CA$38.6K

24.01%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$20.7K CA$29.1K

67.25%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$231 CA$324

-26.47%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$43.33 CA$60.9

-68.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$54.8 CA$77.0

-48.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$43.95 CA$61.8

-0.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$18.43 CA$25.89

-6.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$12.60 CA$17.71

-45.16%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$626 CA$880

27.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$9,741 CA$13.7K

-6.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$44.27 CA$62.2

91.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$47.59 CA$66.9

21.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$87.9 CA$124

53.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$97.1 CA$136

0.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,088 CA$1,529

10.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$913 CA$1,283

-29.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,720 CA$2,416

17.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,382 CA$1,941

-26.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,243 CA$3,151

85.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,946 CA$2,735

-1.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,428 CA$4,816

-80.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.32

153.24%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Edmonton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Edmonton

$913 41.7% 42.3% $271

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Edmonton

$363 16.6% 22.2% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Edmonton

$329 15% 55.7% $118

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Edmonton

$296 13.5% 74.7% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Edmonton

$125 5.7% 26.3% $44

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Edmonton

$93 4.3% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Edmonton

$69 3.2% 20.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,088 in Edmonton. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Edmonton are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $78 in Edmonton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $363 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 Edmonton

🕒 Local time

12:59 12:59 PM

11:59 11:59 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,010,899

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 CAD = 0.712 USD

1 CAD = 0.639 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.712 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.639 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Edmonton 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Edmonton

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 Edmonton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $2,188 in Edmonton – roughly 33% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,282 in Edmonton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Edmonton, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,088 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,188 in Edmonton. That’s a gap of about 33%.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Edmonton. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $2,188 in Edmonton, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,188 in Edmonton. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Edmonton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.