Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Hearst

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,168 in Hearst, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Hearst
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Hearst Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Hearst

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,168

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Hearst

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,168 in Hearst.

Medellin $1,639
Hearst $2,168

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,065 in Hearst.

Medellin $2,413
Hearst $3,065

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $3,962 in Hearst.

Medellin $3,186
Hearst $3,962

Living in Medellin costs roughly 24% less than in Hearst, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Hearst 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$15.72 CA$22.07

-48.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$71.1 CA$99.8

-33.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$11.08 CA$15.55

-14.26%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.25 CA$4.55

-7.38%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.05 CA$2.87

-12.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.89 CA$2.65

-25.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$5.52 CA$7.74

-42.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$5.31 CA$7.45

8.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$2.05 CA$2.88

-26.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.56 CA$3.59

-7.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$3.20 CA$4.49

-44.69%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.41 CA$4.79

-15.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$10.15 CA$14.24

0.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$11.37 CA$15.96

-13.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$14.51 CA$20.36

-3.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.87 CA$5.43

2.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.40 CA$1.96

10.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$3.94 CA$5.53

-44.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$3.72 CA$5.22

-41.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.34 CA$3.29

-16.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.38 CA$3.34

-33.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.50 CA$3.51

-54.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.66 CA$2.34

-25.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$14.08 CA$19.77

-71.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$11.63 CA$16.32

17.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.80 CA$3.93

-40.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$3.17 CA$4.45

-28.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$2.37 CA$3.33

-50.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$55.5 CA$77.9

39.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$3.32 CA$4.66

-61.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.43 CA$2.01

43.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$26.10 CA$36.63

-67.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.36 CA$1.90

-0.74%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$28.0K CA$39.3K

21.81%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$21.4K CA$30.1K

61.67%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$138 CA$194

22.85%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$41.68 CA$58.5

-67.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$54.9 CA$77.1

-48.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$37.53 CA$52.7

16.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$18.52 CA$26.00

-7.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$10.63 CA$14.92

-35.00%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$611 CA$857

30.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$14.7K CA$20.6K

-38.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$56.2 CA$78.8

50.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$39.55 CA$55.5

46.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$85.5 CA$120

57.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$104 CA$146

-5.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,334 CA$1,872

-9.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$1,068 CA$1,499

-39.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,968 CA$2,762

3.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,445 CA$2,028

-29.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$3,927 CA$5,511

6.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$3,050 CA$4,281

-37.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,273 CA$4,593

-79.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.68

133.76%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hearst: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Hearst

$1.1K 49.3% 66.5% $427

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Hearst

$351 16.2% 18.1% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Hearst

$235 10.8% 11.1% $23

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Hearst

$252 11.6% 48.5% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Hearst

$128 5.9% 24% $41

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Hearst

$75 3.5% 19.4% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Hearst

$59 2.7% 2.2% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $1,334 in Hearst. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hearst pays about 5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $71 in Hearst for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $351 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 Hearst

🕒 Local time

17:55 5:55 PM

18:55 6:55 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

5,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Hearst 4,890 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Hearst

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 Hearst: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,168 in Hearst, so Medellin is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 80% 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 $1,334 in Hearst. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $611 in Hearst. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Hearst. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Hearst on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.