Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Horta

For one person, living is cheaper in Horta: $1,211 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Horta
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Horta Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Horta

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,211

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Horta

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,211 in Horta, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Horta $1,211

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,810 in Horta, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Horta $1,810

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,409 in Horta, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Horta $2,409

Medellin costs about 35% more than Horta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Horta is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$8.00 €7.19

1.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$31.33 €28.15

50.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$8.58 €7.71

10.72%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.25 €2.02

33.78%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.99 €1.78

-9.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.46 €1.31

-3.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.76 €2.48

15.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.28 €2.95

75.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.04 €0.94

45.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.47 €1.32

61.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.59 €1.43

11.32%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$4.13 €3.71

-30.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$10.78 €9.69

-5.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$7.37 €6.62

33.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$14.39 €12.93

-2.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.47 €2.22

60.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.35 €1.21

14.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.84 €1.65

18.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$2.26 €2.03

-3.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.81 €1.62

8.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.97 €1.77

-19.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.55 €1.39

-25.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.80 €0.72

55.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$5.43 €4.88

-27.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$5.52 €4.96

147.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.24 €1.11

33.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.13 €1.91

6.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$2.02 €1.82

-42.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$42.23 €37.93

83.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$3.39 €3.05

-62.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.19 €1.06

72.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$14.62 €13.13

-41.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$2.10 €1.88

-35.71%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$36.9K €33.2K

-7.80%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$43.3K €38.9K

-19.97%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$120 €108

41.69%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$20.28 €18.21

-33.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$49.57 €44.53

-43.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$48.22 €43.32

-9.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$15.07 €13.54

14.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$5.04 €4.53

37.10%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$476 €428

67.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$9,662 €8,680

-5.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$76.9 €69.1

10.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$23.57 €21.17

145.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$52.8 €47.42

155.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$102 €91.5

-3.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$497 €447

142.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$392 €352

63.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$738 €663

174.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$651 €585

55.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$3,101 €2,786

34.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,314 €2,078

-17.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$968 €870

-32.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.67

198.09%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Horta: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Horta

$392 32.3% 39% $250

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Horta

$246 20.3% 17.1% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Horta

$190 15.7% 10.3% $22

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Horta

$151 12.5% 11% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Horta

$115 9.5% 32.1% $54

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Horta

$60 4.9% 36.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Horta

$58 4.8% 1.4% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $497 in Horta. 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 47% higher in Horta, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $31 in Horta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $246 – making Horta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇹 Horta

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

17:47 5:47 PM

4 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

14,334

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Horta 5,910 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Horta

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 Horta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $1,211 in Horta – roughly 35% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,816 in Horta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Horta, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $497 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 45% less in Horta. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $476 in Horta. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,211 in Horta, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Horta is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 35% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.