Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Gela Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Gela

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,716 in Medellin versus $1,273 in Gela.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,527 in Medellin versus $2,063 in Gela.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,338 in Medellin versus $2,854 in Gela.

Living in Medellin is roughly 35% more expensive than in Gela, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Gela is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.03 COP 25.1K

$11.55 €9.94

-30.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.26 COP 150.8K

$57.9 €49.85

-16.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.77 COP 30.5K

$9.61 €8.27

1.66%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,095

$1.76 €1.52

65.34%

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

$1.94 COP 6,074

$2.37 €2.04

-18.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 COP 4,754

$1.30 €1.11

16.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 COP 9,663

$4.10 €3.53

-24.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 COP 17.9K

$3.97 €3.42

44.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 COP 4,262

$1.29 €1.11

5.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 COP 7,460

$1.84 €1.58

29.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,314

$2.36 €2.03

-27.97%

Eggs

$2.87 COP 8,967

$3.11 €2.68

-7.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 COP 31.1K

$15.24 €13.11

-34.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.78 COP 33.7K

$12.48 €10.74

-13.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.73 COP 46.0K

$17.99 €15.48

-18.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.09 COP 12.8K

$3.11 €2.67

31.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 COP 4,911

$2.19 €1.88

-28.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 COP 6,642

$2.23 €1.92

-4.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 COP 6,917

$2.39 €2.05

-7.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 COP 6,396

$1.69 €1.45

21.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,700

$2.92 €2.51

-48.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 COP 3,718

$1.39 €1.20

-14.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 COP 3,619

$0.41 €0.35

182.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 COP 12.2K

$6.94 €5.97

-43.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.44 COP 45.1K

$7.91 €6.81

82.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 4,948

$2.11 €1.81

-25.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 COP 8,836

$2.21 €1.90

28.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,650

$1.55 €1.33

-24.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.7 COP 242.9K

$42.81 €36.83

81.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,014

$11.83 €10.18

-89.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 COP 6,537

$2.25 €1.94

-7.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.62 COP 26.9K

$34.68 €29.84

-75.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,056

$2.00 €1.72

-35.00%

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

$27.7K COP 86.4M

$36.9K €31.8K

-25.11%

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

$35.5K COP 110.9M

$36.2K €31.2K

-1.94%

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

$176 COP 550.1K

$175 €151

0.57%

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

$13.37 COP 41.8K

$10.34 €8.90

29.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.89 COP 93.4K

$27.57 €23.72

8.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.76 COP 139.8K

$51.9 €44.66

-13.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 COP 53.3K

$25.86 €22.26

-34.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.20 COP 19.4K

$9.47 €8.15

-34.53%

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

$793 COP 2.5M

$441 €380

79.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,019 COP 28.2M

$10.5K €9,021

-13.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.6 COP 267.5K

$73.1 €62.9

17.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.5 COP 182.7K

$32.09 €27.62

82.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 COP 425.9K

$88.2 €75.9

54.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 COP 322.2K

$131 €113

-21.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 COP 3.3M

$315 €271

236.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$680 COP 2.1M

$280 €241

142.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,012 COP 6.3M

$514 €442

291.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 COP 3.7M

$568 €489

105.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,111 COP 12.8M

$2,229 €1,918

84.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,701 COP 5.3M

$1,062 €914

60.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$665 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.8

187.89%

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

Last update for Medellin: August 30, 2026

Last update for Gela: August 29, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,060 in Medellin and $315 in Gela. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48.00 in Medellin vs $58.0 in Gela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $317 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

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 Gela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gela is cheaper overall, especially in Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 35% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,574 in Medellin and $1,909 in Gela 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: $1,060 in Medellin versus $315 in Gela. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $793 in Medellin versus $441 in Gela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,273 in Gela versus $1,716 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gela but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Gela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Gela is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Gela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.