Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Fajardo

For one person, living is cheaper in Fajardo: $1,241 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Fajardo
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Fajardo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Fajardo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Fajardo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,241 in Fajardo.

Medellin $1,639
Fajardo $1,241

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,954 in Fajardo.

Medellin $2,413
Fajardo $1,954

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,667 in Fajardo.

Medellin $3,186
Fajardo $2,667

Living in Medellin is roughly 32% more expensive than in Fajardo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Fajardo is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$9.80 $9.80

-17.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$82.1 $82.1

-42.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$9.44 $9.44

0.64%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$3.66 $3.66

-17.76%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$1.93 $1.93

-6.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$1.51 $1.51

-6.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$2.97 $2.97

7.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$5.11 $5.11

12.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$2.11 $2.11

-28.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$3.69 $3.69

-35.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$2.45 $2.45

-27.76%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$7.46 $7.46

-61.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$12.35 $12.35

-17.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$9.45 $9.45

4.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$13.26 $13.26

5.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$5.09 $5.09

-22.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$2.58 $2.58

-39.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$4.75 $4.75

-54.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$4.70 $4.70

-53.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$3.71 $3.71

-47.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$3.91 $3.91

-59.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$3.40 $3.40

-66.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$1.61 $1.61

-22.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$11.33 $11.33

-65.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$15.50 $15.50

-11.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$3.09 $3.09

-46.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$4.04 $4.04

-44.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$2.47 $2.47

-48.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$1.52 $1.52

34.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$41.58 $41.58

-79.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.24 $1.24

8.87%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$34.6K $34.6K

-1.52%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$28.3K $28.3K

22.54%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$316 $316

-46.34%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$70.6 $70.6

-80.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$70.0 $70.0

-59.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$10.47 $10.47

-34.00%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$835 $835

-4.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$12.6K $12.6K

-27.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$55.5 $55.5

52.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$61.8 $61.8

-6.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$107 $107

26.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$115 $115

-14.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,007 $1,007

19.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.55

67.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Fajardo: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Fajardo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Fajardo

$412 33.2% 38.6% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Fajardo

$457 36.8% 116% $245

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Fajardo

$189 15.3% 11.7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Fajardo

$152 12.3% 9.8% $17

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Fajardo

$10 * 0.8% 89.3% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Fajardo

$21 * 1.7% 63.6% $37

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 $1,208 in Medellin and $1,007 in Fajardo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $82 in Fajardo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $412 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇷 Fajardo

🕒 Local time

08:57 8:57 AM

09:57 9:57 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

11,647

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR 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 = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

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

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Fajardo 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Fajardo

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 Fajardo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fajardo wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Fajardo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,862 in Fajardo 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,007 in Fajardo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 28% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,241 in Fajardo – Fajardo is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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