Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and El Ejido

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in El Ejido: $1,625 and $1,634 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in El Ejido
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El Ejido Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

El Ejido

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $1,634 in El Ejido.

Medellin $1,625
El Ejido $1,634

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $2,449 in El Ejido.

Medellin $2,412
El Ejido $2,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $3,264 in El Ejido.

Medellin $3,199
El Ejido $3,264

Living in Medellin costs roughly 1% less than in El Ejido, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, El Ejido 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$16.73 €14.88

-50.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$67.6 €60.2

-30.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$11.10 €9.87

-16.76%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.17 €1.93

40.55%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$2.31 €2.06

-22.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$1.34 €1.19

2.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$3.29 €2.92

-1.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$3.27 €2.91

70.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.13 €1.01

32.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.57 €1.39

50.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.63 €1.45

4.29%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$3.40 €3.02

-12.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$16.79 €14.93

-39.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$9.56 €8.51

1.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$17.46 €15.53

-20.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.58 €2.30

60.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.95 €1.73

-21.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.95 €1.74

13.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$2.69 €2.39

-15.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.93 €1.71

3.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.92 €1.71

-13.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.24 €1.11

-4.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.71 €0.63

74.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$6.66 €5.92

-41.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$5.77 €5.13

138.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.21 €1.08

37.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.12 €1.88

13.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$1.71 €1.52

-27.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$36.17 €32.17

116.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$3.06 €2.73

-58.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.31 €1.17

64.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$16.86 €15.00

-50.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.86 €1.65

-27.42%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$31.3K €27.9K

11.01%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$31.3K €27.8K

10.79%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$142 €126

17.33%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$18.78 €16.71

-27.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$29.88 €26.58

-2.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$41.99 €37.35

7.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$16.57 €14.74

3.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$9.00 €8.01

-22.56%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$689 €613

14.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$9,454 €8,410

-4.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$85.4 €76.0

2.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$35.45 €31.53

64.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$93.2 €82.9

49.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$106 €94.0

-6.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$902 €802

14.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$668 €594

-7.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,326 €1,179

41.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$994 €884

1.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$3,015 €2,682

32.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$2,239 €1,992

-24.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.99

265.89%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for El Ejido: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

El Ejido

$668 40.9% 7.8% $48

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

El Ejido

$288 17.7% 3.2% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

El Ejido

$191 11.7% 8.9% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

El Ejido

$144 8.8% 16.7% $29

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

El Ejido

$231 14.1% 35% $60

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

El Ejido

$53 3.2% 44.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

El Ejido

$60 3.7% 1.6% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $902 in El Ejido. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $68.0 in El Ejido. Groceries flip the comparison at $298 vs $288, with El Ejido cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇸 El Ejido

🕒 Local time

07:53 7:53 AM

14:53 2:53 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

89,975

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin El Ejido 8,060 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
El Ejido

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 Ejido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and utilities. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,437 in Medellin and $2,451 in El Ejido 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $902 in El Ejido. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $68.0 in El Ejido. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,625 per month in Medellin versus $1,634 in El Ejido – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,625 in Medellin versus $1,634 in El Ejido, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in El Ejido. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medellin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in El Ejido, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Medellin and El Ejido are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in El Ejido. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.