Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and El Calafate

For one person, living is cheaper in El Calafate: $961 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
47

Cost of Living Index in El Calafate
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El Calafate Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

El Calafate

🇦🇷 Argentina

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in El Calafate

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $961 in El Calafate.

Medellin $1,614
El Calafate $961

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $1,574 in El Calafate.

Medellin $2,402
El Calafate $1,574

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $2,187 in El Calafate.

Medellin $3,190
El Calafate $2,187

Living in Medellin is roughly 68% more expensive than in El Calafate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, El Calafate is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$10.66 ARS 16.2K

-25.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$33.87 ARS 51.4K

36.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$8.85 ARS 13.4K

7.34%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.77 ARS 4,198

12.27%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.64 ARS 2,484

11.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.49 ARS 2,268

-7.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.08 ARS 3,157

46.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.93 ARS 4,452

87.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.24 ARS 1,887

16.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.61 ARS 2,446

46.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.93 ARS 2,930

-12.95%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.20 ARS 3,346

30.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$10.29 ARS 15.6K

-0.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$6.07 ARS 9,209

57.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$9.50 ARS 14.4K

47.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.95 ARS 2,963

108.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$2.11 ARS 3,205

-28.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.33 ARS 2,015

63.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$2.62 ARS 3,973

-11.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.19 ARS 1,808

62.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.20 ARS 1,821

36.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.30 ARS 1,973

-13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.48 ARS 2,245

-15.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$3.16 ARS 4,800

26.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$4.97 ARS 7,536

168.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$2.06 ARS 3,133

-17.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$3.16 ARS 4,799

-25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.76 ARS 1,159

59.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.51 ARS 2,293

-12.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.87 ARS 1,322

145.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$5.89 ARS 8,934

43.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.05 ARS 1,600

23.81%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$27.4K ARS 41.6M

2.02%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$30.2K ARS 45.9M

17.16%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$66.5 ARS 100.9K

158.82%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$16.85 ARS 25.6K

-20.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$22.42 ARS 34.0K

28.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$26.64 ARS 40.4K

69.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$13.53 ARS 20.5K

25.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$6.34 ARS 9,617

-0.95%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$224 ARS 340.0K

243.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$2,679 ARS 4.1M

236.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$72.7 ARS 110.3K

18.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$70.7 ARS 107.3K

-19.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$114 ARS 173.7K

19.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$114 ARS 172.2K

-13.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$342 ARS 518.6K

208.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$235 ARS 357.2K

161.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$695 ARS 1.1M

172.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$533 ARS 809.3K

91.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

118.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,600 ARS 2.4M

4.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

58.5

-81.30%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for El Calafate: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

El Calafate

$235 24.5% 61.8% $380

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

El Calafate

$231 24% 21.6% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

El Calafate

$106 11% 50.6% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

El Calafate

$167 17.4% 1.7% $3

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

El Calafate

$174 18.1% 3.2% $5.4

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

El Calafate

$8.9 * 0.9% 90.4% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

El Calafate

$39 4.1% 32% $18

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 $342 in El Calafate. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $34.00 in El Calafate for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $231 per month, with El Calafate cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇷 El Calafate

🕒 Local time

09:05 9:05 AM

11:05 11:05 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

22,844

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin El Calafate 6,300 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
El Calafate

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 El Calafate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and El Calafate differ by about 68% in total monthly costs ($1,614 vs $961 including rent). El Calafate is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,421 in Medellin and $1,442 in El Calafate 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: $1,055 in Medellin versus $342 in El Calafate. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $770 in Medellin versus $224 in El Calafate. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in El Calafate – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $961 in El Calafate versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in El Calafate but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes El Calafate the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 El Calafate gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.