Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Guarda

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarda: $1,271 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Guarda
Learn more

Guarda Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Guarda

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,271

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Guarda

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,271 in Guarda, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Guarda $1,271

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,978 in Guarda, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Guarda $1,978

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,684 in Guarda, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Guarda $2,684

Medellin costs about 29% more than Guarda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Guarda is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$13.05 €11.70

-38.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$44.16 €39.57

6.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$11.33 €10.15

-16.15%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.65 €1.48

82.42%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.92 €1.72

-6.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.70 €1.52

-17.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.30 €2.06

38.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.87 €3.47

48.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.02 €0.92

48.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.61 €1.44

47.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.53 €1.37

15.69%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.66 €3.28

-21.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$11.06 €9.91

-7.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$11.73 €10.51

-15.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$23.89 €21.41

-41.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.36 €2.11

68.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.69 €1.51

-8.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.13 €1.91

2.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$2.36 €2.11

-7.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$2.31 €2.07

-15.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.30 €2.06

-30.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.98 €0.88

17.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.11 €0.99

11.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.91 €6.19

-42.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$5.09 €4.56

168.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.66 €1.48

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.45 €2.19

-7.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.70 €1.53

-31.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$5.01 €4.49

-74.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$16.78 €15.04

-49.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$2.20 €1.97

-38.64%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$32.7K €29.3K

4.08%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$38.1K €34.2K

-9.07%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$188 €169

-9.99%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$16.66 €14.93

-18.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$51.2 €45.91

-45.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$56.8 €50.9

-23.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.90 €6.18

0.14%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$428 €384

85.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$13.5K €12.1K

-32.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$34.06 €30.52

148.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$21.99 €19.70

163.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$132 €118

2.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$165 €148

-40.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$395 €354

205.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$276 €248

132.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$723 €648

180.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$552 €495

83.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,366 €1,224

205.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.27

234.56%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Guarda: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Guarda

$276 21.8% 56.9% $365

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Guarda

$305 24% 2.7% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Guarda

$256 20.2% 21.3% $45

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Guarda

$192 15.1% 13.2% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Guarda

$159 12.5% 6.1% $10

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Guarda

$12 * 0.9% 87.4% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Guarda

$71 5.6% 22.7% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $395 in Guarda. 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 $44 in Guarda. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $305 in Guarda – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇹 Guarda

🕒 Local time

22:03 10:03 PM

03:03 3:03 AM

5 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

40,126

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Guarda 7,730 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Guarda

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 Guarda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 29% more than Guarda, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,906 in Guarda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guarda, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $395 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,271 in Guarda. That makes Guarda about 22% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $428 in Guarda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,271 in Guarda. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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