Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Esmeraldas

For one person, living is cheaper in Esmeraldas: $857 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Esmeraldas
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Esmeraldas Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Esmeraldas

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$857

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Esmeraldas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $857 in Esmeraldas.

Medellin $1,692
Esmeraldas $857

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,421 in Esmeraldas.

Medellin $2,471
Esmeraldas $1,421

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $1,985 in Esmeraldas.

Medellin $3,249
Esmeraldas $1,985

Living in Medellin is roughly 97% more expensive than in Esmeraldas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Esmeraldas is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$2.92 $2.92

185.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$54.8 $54.8

-15.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$3.89 $3.89

143.44%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.44 $3.44

-9.01%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$0.49 $0.49

261.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.51 $0.51

178.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.60 $3.60

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$6.16 $6.16

-7.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$0.98 $0.98

56.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.58 $1.58

44.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.51 $1.51

28.48%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$2.16 $2.16

42.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$6.57 $6.57

52.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$5.49 $5.49

90.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$7.86 $7.86

77.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.29 $2.29

76.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$1.22 $1.22

25.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$1.32 $1.32

59.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$1.14 $1.14

100.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$1.26 $1.26

67.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$1.07 $1.07

59.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$0.49 $0.49

138.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$1.03 $1.03

53.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$5.97 $5.97

-34.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$8.29 $8.29

69.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$1.51 $1.51

16.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$3.09 $3.09

-12.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$0.34 $0.34

247.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$1.48 $1.48

22.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$1.23 $1.23

73.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$10.12 $10.12

-19.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$0.85 $0.85

50.59%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$23.3K $23.3K

47.84%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$29.5K $29.5K

15.73%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$28.90 $28.90

514.98%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$18.12 $18.12

-23.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$28.69 $28.69

7.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$30.26 $30.26

38.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$16.45 $16.45

2.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$6.47 $6.47

15.46%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$757 $757

4.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$8,921 $8,921

37.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$69.9 $69.9

23.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$50.6 $50.6

17.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$115 $115

20.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$106 $106

-7.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$420 $420

219.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$274 $274

143.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$811 $811

143.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$505 $505

104.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$442 $442

46.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.12

8.10%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Esmeraldas: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Esmeraldas

$274 31.9% 59% $393

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Esmeraldas

$191 22.3% 37.8% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Esmeraldas

$76 8.8% 65.9% $147

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Esmeraldas

$111 12.9% 35.9% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Esmeraldas

$154 18% 10.6% $18

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Esmeraldas

$9 * 1.1% 90.4% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Esmeraldas

$43 5% 24% $14

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 $1,341 in Medellin and $420 in Esmeraldas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 46% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $55 in Esmeraldas. Groceries flip the comparison at $307 vs $191, with Esmeraldas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇨 Esmeraldas

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

95,216

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Esmeraldas 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Esmeraldas

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 Esmeraldas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Esmeraldas is about 49% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 46% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $420 in Esmeraldas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,692 per month in Medellin versus $857 in Esmeraldas – Esmeraldas is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $857 in Esmeraldas versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Esmeraldas but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Esmeraldas 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.

It comes down to priorities – Esmeraldas wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.