Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Isabela

For one person, living is cheaper in Isabela: $1,258 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Isabela
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Isabela Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Isabela

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,258

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Isabela

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,258 in Isabela.

Medellin $1,692
Isabela $1,258

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,974 in Isabela.

Medellin $2,471
Isabela $1,974

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,690 in Isabela.

Medellin $3,249
Isabela $2,690

Living in Medellin is roughly 35% more expensive than in Isabela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Isabela is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$19.01 $19.01

-56.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$81.5 $81.5

-42.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$8.95 $8.95

5.81%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.62 $3.62

-13.54%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$1.91 $1.91

-7.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$1.51 $1.51

-5.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.02 $3.02

4.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$5.09 $5.09

11.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$1.97 $1.97

-22.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$2.81 $2.81

-18.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$1.21 $1.21

60.33%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$2.95 $2.95

4.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$10.82 $10.82

-7.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$6.46 $6.46

61.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$13.50 $13.50

3.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$4.37 $4.37

-7.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$2.62 $2.62

-41.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$4.89 $4.89

-57.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$4.71 $4.71

-51.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$3.85 $3.85

-45.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$4.07 $4.07

-57.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$3.52 $3.52

-66.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$1.64 $1.64

-3.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$11.76 $11.76

-66.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$15.43 $15.43

-9.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$2.99 $2.99

-41.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$3.96 $3.96

-31.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$2.46 $2.46

-26.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$1.54 $1.54

38.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$41.55 $41.55

-80.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$0.88 $0.88

45.45%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$34.8K $34.8K

-0.97%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$28.1K $28.1K

21.52%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$315 $315

-43.55%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$68.8 $68.8

-79.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$70.2 $70.2

-56.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$10.38 $10.38

-28.03%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$837 $837

-5.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$12.7K $12.7K

-3.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$56.7 $56.7

52.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$61.7 $61.7

-3.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$110 $110

26.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$115 $115

-13.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.55

67.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Isabela: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Isabela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Isabela

$358 28.4% 16.3% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Isabela

$454 36.1% 104% $232

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Isabela

$261 20.8% 51.4% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Isabela

$154 12.3% 10.5% $18

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Isabela

$10 * 0.8% 89.1% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Isabela

$21 * 1.7% 63.5% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $81 in Isabela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $358 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇷 Isabela

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

20:42 8:42 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

45,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Isabela 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Isabela

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 Isabela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isabela wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Isabela the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $1,887 in Isabela 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.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $837 in Isabela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $81 in Isabela. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Isabela is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.