Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Huancayo

For one person, living is cheaper in Huancayo: $488 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Huancayo
Learn more

Huancayo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Huancayo

🇵🇪 Peru

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Huancayo

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $488 in Huancayo, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Huancayo $488

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $825 in Huancayo, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Huancayo $825

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,162 in Huancayo, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Huancayo $1,162

Medellin costs about 233% more than Huancayo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Huancayo is 64% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$2.27 PEN 7.80

265.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$34.56 PEN 119

35.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$6.86 PEN 23.54

34.69%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.29 PEN 11.31

-7.29%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.12 PEN 3.83

60.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.64 PEN 2.20

115.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.59 PEN 8.91

25.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$4.29 PEN 14.73

29.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.15 PEN 3.93

30.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.05 PEN 3.60

125.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.29 PEN 4.43

31.78%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.41 PEN 8.26

22.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$5.14 PEN 17.64

98.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$5.97 PEN 20.49

63.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$5.20 PEN 17.87

167.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.41 PEN 4.86

192.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.03 PEN 3.53

48.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$0.55 PEN 1.90

303.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.19 PEN 4.10

90.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.85 PEN 2.93

134.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.89 PEN 3.05

87.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.57 PEN 1.96

107.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.89 PEN 3.07

39.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$5.70 PEN 19.57

-32.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$5.09 PEN 17.47

170.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.87 PEN 6.41

-11.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$3.18 PEN 10.91

-24.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.59 PEN 2.03

110.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$17.38 PEN 59.7

350.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.84 PEN 6.32

-30.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$2.00 PEN 6.88

7.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$7.22 PEN 24.79

15.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.43 PEN 4.91

-5.59%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$21.7K PEN 74.6K

59.93%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

34.92%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$34.52 PEN 119

382.76%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$11.76 PEN 40.39

15.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$11.82 PEN 40.59

146.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$7.30 PEN 25.07

-4.52%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$182 PEN 624

334.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

-29.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$53.8 PEN 185

63.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$35.51 PEN 122

63.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$85.3 PEN 293

62.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$80.1 PEN 275

23.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$324 PEN 1,112

217.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.94

22.37%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Huancayo: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Huancayo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Huancayo

$162 33.2% 45.6% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Huancayo

$58 11.9% 72.3% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Huancayo

$115 23.5% 33.6% $58

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Huancayo

$107 21.9% 37.5% $64

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Huancayo

$32 6.5% 66.8% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Huancayo

$15 * 3% 75.3% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $324 in Huancayo. 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $35.00 in Huancayo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $162 – making Huancayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇪 Huancayo

🕒 Local time

03:47 3:47 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

27,552

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Huancayo 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Huancayo

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 Huancayo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 233% more than Huancayo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $732 in Huancayo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Huancayo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $488 in Huancayo. That's a gap of about 233%.

Public transport costs about 350% less in Huancayo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Huancayo, where all-in costs run around $488, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Huancayo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Huancayo costs $488 versus $1,625 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Huancayo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.