Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Humboldt

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $2,211 in Humboldt, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Humboldt
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Humboldt Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Humboldt

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,211

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Humboldt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Medellin versus $2,211 in Humboldt.

Medellin $1,589
Humboldt $2,211

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,364 in Medellin versus $3,061 in Humboldt.

Medellin $2,364
Humboldt $3,061

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,139 in Medellin versus $3,911 in Humboldt.

Medellin $3,139
Humboldt $3,911

Living in Medellin costs roughly 28% less than in Humboldt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 19% above, Humboldt 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$10.65 CA$15.18

-24.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$31.25 CA$44.54

48.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$10.39 CA$14.82

-9.24%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$3.50 CA$4.99

-16.86%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$2.17 CA$3.09

-19.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$0.88 CA$1.25

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$4.11 CA$5.86

-23.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$4.13 CA$5.89

34.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$1.55 CA$2.20

-9.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$1.75 CA$2.49

39.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$3.06 CA$4.36

-46.73%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$1.77 CA$2.53

59.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$13.78 CA$19.64

-29.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$11.33 CA$16.15

-17.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$16.54 CA$23.58

-18.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$4.21 CA$5.99

-4.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$1.45 CA$2.07

2.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$3.75 CA$5.34

-43.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$3.60 CA$5.13

-37.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$2.21 CA$3.15

-13.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$2.30 CA$3.27

-29.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$2.60 CA$3.70

-55.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$1.91 CA$2.73

-34.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$14.81 CA$21.11

-74.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$12.99 CA$18.52

0.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

$3.45 CA$4.92

-53.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

$3.44 CA$4.90

-34.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$2.26 CA$3.23

-48.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

$61.3 CA$87.4

22.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$3.65 CA$5.20

-65.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

$0.77 CA$1.10

166.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$21.40 CA$30.51

-61.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$1.05 CA$1.50

20.95%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$27.8K CA$39.7K

-3.78%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$20.1K CA$28.6K

71.43%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$119 CA$169

36.69%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$51.8 CA$73.8

-74.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$55.7 CA$79.4

-49.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$40.86 CA$58.2

8.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

$17.78 CA$25.35

-8.16%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$9.72 CA$13.86

-37.35%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$469 CA$668

63.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$10.7K CA$15.3K

-16.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$50.1 CA$71.4

69.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$37.29 CA$53.2

54.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$94.3 CA$134

39.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$108 CA$154

-11.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$1,255 CA$1,789

-18.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$1,107 CA$1,577

-45.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$1,963 CA$2,798

-8.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$1,730 CA$2,466

-42.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

$4,275 CA$6,094

-8.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

$3,587 CA$5,113

-54.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.58

138.86%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Humboldt: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Humboldt

$1.1K 51.3% 83.1% $502

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Humboldt

$357 16.6% 23.9% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Humboldt

$226 10.5% 11.2% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Humboldt

$130 6% 21.8% $36

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Humboldt

$199 9.2% 19.9% $33

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Humboldt

$78 3.6% 14.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Humboldt

$60 2.8% 6.7% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $1,255 in Humboldt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $31.00 in Humboldt. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $357, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 Humboldt

🕒 Local time

02:36 2:36 AM

01:36 1:36 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

5,700

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Humboldt 5,780 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Humboldt

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 Humboldt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,384 in Medellin and $3,317 in Humboldt to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,028 in Medellin versus $1,255 in Humboldt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 22% less than in Humboldt. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $764 in Medellin versus $469 in Humboldt. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,589 in Medellin versus $2,211 in Humboldt, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Humboldt. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medellin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Humboldt, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Humboldt are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Humboldt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.