Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,342 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,342

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Guatemala City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,342 in Guatemala City.

Medellin $1,639
Guatemala City $1,342

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,012 in Guatemala City.

Medellin $2,413
Guatemala City $2,012

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,682 in Guatemala City.

Medellin $3,186
Guatemala City $2,682

Living in Medellin is roughly 22% more expensive than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.70 Q 51.2

20.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$50.3 Q 384

-6.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$7.73 Q 59.1

22.90%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.36 Q 25.64

-10.42%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.10 Q 8.40

63.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.94 Q 7.16

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.35 Q 25.63

-5.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$4.70 Q 35.89

22.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$2.09 Q 15.94

-27.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$3.02 Q 23.06

-21.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.02 Q 15.41

-12.38%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.46 Q 18.79

17.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.23 Q 47.58

63.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$9.22 Q 70.5

7.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$13.25 Q 101

5.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.96 Q 30.30

0.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.72 Q 13.15

-9.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.91 Q 22.26

-25.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.61 Q 12.29

35.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.53 Q 11.72

28.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.16 Q 16.52

-26.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.74 Q 5.62

55.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.15 Q 8.82

7.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.95 Q 30.21

0.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$8.32 Q 63.6

64.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.74 Q 13.32

-4.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.64 Q 20.21

-14.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.00 Q 7.61

17.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$11.02 Q 84.2

602.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$5.35 Q 40.89

-76.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$10.40 Q 79.5

-17.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.34 Q 10.25

0.75%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$26.9K Q 205.9K

26.45%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$25.1K Q 192.0K

37.97%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$73.9 Q 565

129.60%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$28.90 Q 221

-53.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$45.99 Q 351

-38.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$37.09 Q 283

17.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$13.17 Q 101

30.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.30 Q 48.15

9.68%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$347 Q 2,651

129.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$6,617 Q 50.6K

37.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$48.69 Q 372

74.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$48.32 Q 369

19.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$118 Q 903

14.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$111 Q 849

-11.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$816 Q 6,237

47.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$545 Q 4,166

17.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,552 Q 11.9K

30.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$822 Q 6,279

23.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,038 Q 15.6K

104.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,100 Q 8,403

73.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$866 Q 6,615

-24.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.62

-5.85%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Guatemala City: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Guatemala City

$545 40.6% 15% $96

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Guatemala City

$280 20.8% 5.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Guatemala City

$149 11.1% 29.6% $62

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Guatemala City

$151 11.3% 10.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Guatemala City

$147 10.9% 13.1% $22

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5% 78.2% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Guatemala City

$50 3.7% 13.6% $7.8

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 $816 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guatemala City pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $50 in Guatemala City. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $280, with Guatemala City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

23:16 11:16 PM

22:16 10:16 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,450,212 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR 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).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.53 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Guatemala City 1,880 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Guatemala City

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 Guatemala City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guatemala City wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Guatemala City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $816 in Guatemala City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $50 in Guatemala City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,342 in Guatemala City – Guatemala City is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Guatemala City is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Guatemala City delivers better value at $1,342 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Guatemala City hard to pass up.