Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Guaynabo

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $1,856 in Guaynabo, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,614
/mo nomad
Guaynabo
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
$1,856
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Guaynabo

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,856 in Guaynabo, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,614
  • Guaynabo $1,856

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $2,952 in Guaynabo, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,402
  • Guaynabo $2,952

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $4,047 in Guaynabo, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,190
  • Guaynabo $4,047

Medellin is about 13% cheaper than Guaynabo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Guaynabo sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Guaynabo by 37%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Guaynabo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.93 COP 25.2K
$19.42 $19.42
-59.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.13 COP 146.3K
$79.9 $79.9
-42.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$9.29 $9.29
2.26%
Cappuccino
$3.11 COP 9,866
$1.88 $1.88
65.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 COP 5,800
$1.31 $1.31
39.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 COP 4,360
$1.23 $1.23
12.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 COP 9,672
$2.04 $2.04
49.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.50 COP 17.4K
$3.91 $3.91
40.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Guaynabo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 COP 4,600
$2.11 $2.11
-31.28%
White Bread (500g)
$2.36 COP 7,496
$3.29 $3.29
-28.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.68 COP 5,328
$2.32 $2.32
-27.59%
Eggs
$2.86 COP 9,077
$6.18 $6.18
-53.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.3K
$12.29 $12.29
-17.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.53 COP 30.2K
$9.54 $9.54
-0.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.04 COP 44.5K
$13.21 $13.21
6.28%
Apples (1kg)
$4.07 COP 12.9K
$4.94 $4.94
-17.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 COP 4,742
$2.62 $2.62
-42.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.17 COP 6,891
$4.82 $4.82
-54.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 COP 7,310
$4.93 $4.93
-53.14%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 COP 6,113
$2.65 $2.65
-27.17%
Onion (1kg)
$1.64 COP 5,196
$1.96 $1.96
-16.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 COP 3,571
$1.47 $1.47
-23.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 COP 3,954
$1.63 $1.63
-23.31%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.99 COP 12.6K
$11.23 $11.23
-64.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.35 COP 42.3K
$15.49 $15.49
-13.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 COP 5,384
$2.95 $2.95
-42.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 COP 7,525
$3.02 $3.02
-21.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Guaynabo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.21 COP 3,827
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.5 COP 242.5K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.32 COP 4,179
$2.56 $2.56
-48.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.14 COP 6,774
$1.47 $1.47
45.58%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.47 COP 26.8K
$41.59 $41.59
-79.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 COP 4,114
$0.95 $0.95
36.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K COP 88.7M
$39.4K $39.4K
-28.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.4K COP 112.3M
$27.8K $27.8K
27.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Guaynabo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$172 COP 545.6K
$322 $322
-46.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.37 COP 42.4K
$50.7 $50.7
-73.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.73 COP 91.1K
$70.3 $70.3
-59.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Guaynabo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.24 COP 143.5K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.04 COP 54.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.28 COP 19.9K
$10.41 $10.41
-39.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Guaynabo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$770 COP 2.4M
$828 $828
-6.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,011 COP 28.6M
$12.8K $12.8K
-29.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Guaynabo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.4 COP 274.0K
$57.3 $57.3
50.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.1 COP 181.1K
$50.9 $50.9
12.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$137 COP 432.9K
$101 $101
34.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 310.4K
$112 $112
-12.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Guaynabo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,055 COP 3.3M
$891 $891
18.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$616 COP 2.0M
$618 $618
-0.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,892 COP 6.0M
$2,495 $2,495
-24.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,023 COP 3.2M
$1,392 $1,392
-26.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,059 COP 12.9M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,678 COP 5.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Guaynabo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$652 COP 2.1M
$3,433 $3,433
-81.00%
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 12, 2026

Last update for Guaynabo: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$616
Guaynabo
$618 0.3% $1.8
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$295
Guaynabo
$386 30.9% $91
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$214
Guaynabo
$443 107% $229
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$170
Guaynabo
$145 14.9% $25
Eating Out
Medellin
$168
Guaynabo
$234 39% $66
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Guaynabo
$9.9 * 89.4% $83
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Guaynabo
$21 * 64% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $891 in Guaynabo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 426% higher in Guaynabo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $80.0 in Guaynabo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $386 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇵🇷 Guaynabo
🕒 Local time
13:46 1:46 PM
14:46 2:46 PM
1 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
68,491
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Guaynabo 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Guaynabo

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 Guaynabo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Medellin and in Guaynabo compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,614 in Medellin, $1,856 in Guaynabo – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Medellin compared to Guaynabo?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $2,784 in Guaynabo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Medellin and Guaynabo?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $80.0 in Guaynabo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 31% more in Guaynabo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $2,500 per month?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Guaynabo at $1,856. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guaynabo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Medellin and Guaynabo?
It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,614 in Medellin to $1,856 in Guaynabo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Medellin and Guaynabo?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Guaynabo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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