Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Elche

For one person, living is cheaper in Elche: $1,483 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
72

Cost of Living Index in Elche
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Elche Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Elche

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Elche

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,483 in Elche.

Medellin $1,639
Elche $1,483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,201 in Elche.

Medellin $2,413
Elche $2,201

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,918 in Elche.

Medellin $3,186
Elche $2,918

Living in Medellin is roughly 11% more expensive than in Elche, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Elche 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$16.65 €14.92

-51.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$56.2 €50.3

-16.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$11.17 €10.01

-14.95%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$2.49 €2.23

20.88%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$2.41 €2.16

-25.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$1.86 €1.66

-24.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$3.25 €2.91

-2.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$3.30 €2.95

74.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.11 €0.99

36.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$1.62 €1.45

46.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.55 €1.39

14.19%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$3.03 €2.72

-4.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$14.30 €12.81

-28.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$7.91 €7.09

24.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$13.54 €12.13

3.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.55 €2.28

55.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.93 €1.73

-19.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.90 €1.70

14.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$2.42 €2.17

-9.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$1.74 €1.56

12.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$1.91 €1.71

-16.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$1.03 €0.93

11.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.70 €0.63

77.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$6.47 €5.80

-38.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$5.72 €5.12

139.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$1.06 €0.95

56.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$1.03 €0.92

119.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$1.42 €1.27

-17.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$22.72 €20.36

240.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$3.09 €2.77

-58.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.87 €0.78

135.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$16.91 €15.15

-49.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.76 €1.58

-23.30%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$31.4K €28.1K

8.51%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$31.8K €28.5K

8.93%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$138 €123

23.22%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$17.13 €15.35

-20.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$26.35 €23.61

6.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$45.31 €40.60

-3.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$11.11 €9.96

54.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$7.33 €6.56

-5.73%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$692 €620

15.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$9,979 €8,942

-8.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$83.4 €74.7

1.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$35.43 €31.75

63.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$85.8 €76.9

57.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$86.9 €77.9

12.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$665 €596

81.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$585 €524

9.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$967 €867

109.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$860 €771

17.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$2,033 €1,821

105.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,481 €1,327

28.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,599 €1,433

-58.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.3

231.52%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Elche: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Elche

$585 39.4% 8.8% $56

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Elche

$253 17.1% 14.8% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Elche

$181 12.2% 14.3% $30

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Elche

$237 16% 39.5% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Elche

$131 8.9% 22.4% $38

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Elche

$36 2.4% 61.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Elche

$60 4% 4.2% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $665 in Elche. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elche pays about 2.4 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $56 in Elche. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $253, with Elche cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇸 Elche

🕒 Local time

19:37 7:37 PM

01:37 1:37 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

238,293

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Elche 8,260 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Elche

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 Elche: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Elche wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Elche the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $665 in Elche. 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 versus $56 in Elche. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,483 in Elche – Elche is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Elche 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.