Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Hvar

For one person, living is cheaper in Hvar: $1,522 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Hvar, Croatia
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Hvar
🇭🇷 Croatia
$1,522
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Hvar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,522 in Hvar.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Hvar $1,522

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,310 in Hvar.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Hvar $2,310

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $3,097 in Hvar.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Hvar $3,097

Living in Medellin is roughly 8% more expensive than in Hvar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Hvar 12% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Hvar
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.4K
$13.08 €11.75
-38.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.0K
$72.8 €65.4
-35.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 29.9K
$9.13 €8.20
4.05%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,485
$2.53 €2.27
18.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,660
$3.12 €2.80
-42.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,443
$2.28 €2.05
-38.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 9,990
$3.54 €3.18
-10.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.1K
$4.09 €3.68
40.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Hvar
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,751
$1.19 €1.07
26.89%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,480
$1.54 €1.39
54.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,573
$2.99 €2.69
-40.80%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,093
$3.88 €3.49
-25.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.1K
$10.69 €9.60
-4.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.1K
$9.48 €8.52
4.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.0K
$11.72 €10.53
19.37%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.5K
$1.72 €1.55
130.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,883
$1.67 €1.50
-7.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,867
$1.99 €1.79
9.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,870
$2.57 €2.31
-15.18%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,174
$1.29 €1.16
51.94%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,000
$1.28 €1.15
24.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,604
$1.27 €1.14
-9.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,911
$1.20 €1.08
3.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$5.73 €5.14
-30.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.0K
$6.89 €6.19
98.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,221
$1.50 €1.35
10.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,103
$1.99 €1.79
13.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Hvar
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,674
$1.76 €1.58
-33.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 243.4K
$43.21 €38.82
79.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 3,989
$3.08 €2.77
-58.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,442
$1.11 €1.00
84.68%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 26.9K
$8.80 €7.91
-2.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,237
$1.78 €1.60
-24.16%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.2M
$38.2K €34.3K
-10.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.1M
$26.6K €23.9K
30.53%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Hvar
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 533.7K
$190 €170
-10.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.6K
$22.50 €20.21
-39.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.3K
$31.64 €28.42
-11.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Hvar
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 137.5K
$50.5 €45.37
-13.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.1K
$14.55 €13.07
18.14%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.7K
$8.86 €7.96
-22.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Hvar
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$243 €218
227.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.7M
$8,090 €7,267
12.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Hvar
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 266.5K
$94.0 €84.4
-9.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 182.3K
$39.00 €35.03
48.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 424.6K
$105 €94.2
28.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 307.9K
$106 €94.8
-7.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Hvar
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$681 €612
77.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$526 €473
21.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$1,116 €1,002
81.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$828 €744
22.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.1M
$4,155 €3,733
0.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$3,241 €2,911
-41.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Hvar
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
4.35
151.49%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hvar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Hvar
$526 17.9% $115
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Hvar
$260 12.4% $37
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Hvar
$244 15.4% $33
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Hvar
$210 23.7% $40
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Hvar
$155 8.6% $14
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Hvar
$59 37% $35
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Hvar
$68 18.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $681 in Hvar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $73 in Hvar. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $260, with Hvar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇭🇷 Hvar
🕒 Local time
11:08 11:08 AM
17:08 5:08 PM
6 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
3,979
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Hvar 9,700 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Hvar

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 Hvar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hvar cheaper than Medellin?
Hvar is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $2,283 in Hvar 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.
What is the rent difference between Medellin and Hvar?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $681 in Hvar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Hvar?
Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $73 in Hvar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Hvar?
All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,522 in Hvar – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 enough to cover costs in Medellin or in Hvar?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Hvar is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Hvar?
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.

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