Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and the Galapagos Islands

For one person, living is cheaper in the Galapagos Islands: $892 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
43

Cost of Living Index in the Galapagos Islands
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Galapagos Islands Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Galapagos Islands

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$892

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in the Galapagos Islands

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 the Galapagos Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $892 in the Galapagos Islands, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Galapagos Islands $892

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,343 in the Galapagos Islands, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Galapagos Islands $1,343

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,794 in the Galapagos Islands, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Galapagos Islands $1,794

Medellin costs about 90% more than the Galapagos Islands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Galapagos Islands is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$3.47 $3.47

140.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$27.75 $27.75

67.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$7.29 $7.29

29.90%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.51 $2.51

24.70%

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

$1.77 COP 5,700

$0.85 $0.85

108.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,597

$0.62 $0.62

129.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.95 $1.95

61.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.47 $3.47

64.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,946

$1.08 $1.08

41.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,394

$1.68 $1.68

36.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,276

$1.51 $1.51

28.48%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,895

$2.16 $2.16

42.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$5.55 $5.55

80.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$5.47 $5.47

91.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$6.07 $6.07

129.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.09 $2.09

93.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,932

$1.22 $1.22

25.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,791

$1.09 $1.09

92.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,402

$1.08 $1.08

112.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,807

$1.39 $1.39

51.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,515

$1.07 $1.07

59.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,776

$0.51 $0.51

129.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,099

$0.97 $0.97

62.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$5.92 $5.92

-33.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$10.19 $10.19

37.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,685

$1.53 $1.53

15.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,752

$2.44 $2.44

11.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,807

$0.34 $0.34

247.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.2K

$23.93 $23.93

218.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,831

$1.46 $1.46

23.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,871

$1.02 $1.02

108.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$9.94 $9.94

-18.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,115

$0.67 $0.67

91.04%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$25.4K $25.4K

35.36%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$28.2K $28.2K

21.03%

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

$178 COP 573.5K

$39.91 $39.91

345.33%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$13.56 $13.56

2.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$30.42 $30.42

1.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$29.57 $29.57

41.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$14.90 $14.90

12.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$7.24 $7.24

3.18%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$257 $257

207.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$5,580 $5,580

120.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.6K

$57.1 $57.1

51.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.2K

$43.70 $43.70

35.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.4K

$101 $101

37.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.9K

$73.8 $73.8

33.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$344 $344

289.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$321 $321

107.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$629 $629

213.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$502 $502

105.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,218 $1,218

236.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,023 $1,023

89.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.40%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for the Galapagos Islands: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Galapagos Islands

$321 36% 51.9% $346

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Galapagos Islands

$185 20.7% 39.8% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Galapagos Islands

$84 9.4% 62.3% $138

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Galapagos Islands

$102 11.5% 40.8% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Galapagos Islands

$124 13.9% 28% $48

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Galapagos Islands

$32 3.6% 65.9% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Galapagos Islands

$44 4.9% 22.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $344 in the Galapagos Islands. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $28 in the Galapagos Islands. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $185 – making Galapagos Islands the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇨 Galapagos Islands

🕒 Local time

08:22 8:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

32,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Galapagos Islands 1,880 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Galapagos Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Medellin, $892 in the Galapagos Islands – Galapagos Islands comes out roughly 47% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,338 in the Galapagos Islands. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in the Galapagos Islands, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $344 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 66% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $28 in the Galapagos Islands. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in the Galapagos Islands, where all-in costs run around $892, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Galapagos Islands it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward the Galapagos Islands – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Galapagos Islands is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 47% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.