Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Elche Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Elche

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Medellin versus $1,558 in Elche.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,447 in Medellin versus $2,310 in Elche.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,253 in Medellin versus $3,062 in Elche.

Living in Medellin is roughly 5% more expensive than in Elche, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 19% above, Elche 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.04 COP 24.8K

$17.54 €15.12

-54.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.29 COP 148.7K

$59.2 €51.1

-18.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.42 COP 29.0K

$11.71 €10.10

-19.56%

Cappuccino

$2.94 COP 9,045

$2.47 €2.13

19.03%

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

$1.86 COP 5,738

$2.54 €2.19

-26.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 COP 4,481

$1.92 €1.66

-23.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 COP 9,887

$3.53 €3.04

-9.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 COP 17.6K

$3.57 €3.08

59.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 COP 4,431

$1.20 €1.04

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 COP 7,393

$1.75 €1.51

37.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,230

$1.77 €1.53

-3.95%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 8,901

$3.20 €2.76

-9.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.06 COP 31.0K

$14.78 €12.74

-31.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.97 COP 30.7K

$8.28 €7.14

20.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 COP 43.7K

$14.18 €12.23

0.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 COP 12.3K

$2.71 €2.33

46.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 COP 4,880

$2.08 €1.79

-24.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 COP 6,627

$1.96 €1.69

9.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 COP 7,082

$2.49 €2.15

-7.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 COP 6,172

$1.89 €1.63

5.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 COP 4,648

$2.18 €1.88

-30.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 COP 3,703

$1.07 €0.92

12.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 COP 3,948

$0.74 €0.64

72.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 COP 11.8K

$6.66 €5.74

-42.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.01 COP 43.1K

$5.89 €5.08

137.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 COP 5,259

$1.05 €0.91

62.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 COP 8,444

$1.00 €0.86

174.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 COP 3,836

$1.49 €1.29

-16.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.9 COP 239.9K

$23.02 €19.85

238.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 COP 4,018

$3.12 €2.69

-58.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 COP 6,684

$0.90 €0.78

141.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.29 COP 25.5K

$17.18 €14.81

-51.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 COP 4,174

$1.70 €1.47

-20.00%

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

$27.5K COP 84.6M

$36.9K €31.8K

-25.58%

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

$36.5K COP 112.5M

$30.1K €25.9K

21.53%

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

$169 COP 519.5K

$146 €126

15.68%

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

$13.57 COP 41.8K

$18.23 €15.72

-25.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.32 COP 87.2K

$28.44 €24.53

-0.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.71 COP 140.8K

$47.85 €41.26

-4.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.22 COP 53.0K

$11.46 €9.89

50.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 COP 20.5K

$7.39 €6.37

-10.01%

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

$803 COP 2.5M

$724 €625

10.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,190 COP 28.3M

$10.4K €8,970

-11.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.4 COP 269.0K

$89.0 €76.7

-1.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.4 COP 182.8K

$37.55 €32.38

58.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 427.7K

$89.8 €77.4

54.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 COP 314.2K

$88.6 €76.4

15.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,071 COP 3.3M

$697 €601

53.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$653 COP 2.0M

$598 €516

9.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,925 COP 5.9M

$1,020 €880

88.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 COP 3.2M

$880 €759

19.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,123 COP 12.7M

$2,116 €1,825

94.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,697 COP 5.2M

$1,558 €1,344

8.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$655 COP 2.0M

$1,695 €1,462

-61.37%

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: September 7, 2026

Last update for Elche: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,071 in Medellin and $697 in Elche. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elche pays 159% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48.00 in Medellin vs $59.0 in Elche. Groceries flip the comparison at $300 vs $266, with Elche cheaper for home cooking.

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 5% 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 159% lower in Elche. 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: $1,071 in Medellin versus $697 in Elche. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Elche – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $48.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,641 per month in Medellin versus $1,558 in Elche – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,558 in Elche versus $1,641 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Elche but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Elche the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Elche delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,558 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Elche hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Elche 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 Elche gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.