Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kanata

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,514 in Kanata, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Kanata
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Kanata Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Kanata

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,514

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kanata

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $2,514 in Kanata, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Kanata $2,514

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $3,581 in Kanata, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Kanata $3,581

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $4,648 in Kanata, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Kanata $4,648

Medellin is about 33% cheaper than Kanata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Kanata sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, Kanata by 86%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.8K

$18.08 CA$25.24

-53.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 149.7K

$77.2 CA$108

-39.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$10.87 CA$15.17

-12.88%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.46 CA$4.83

-9.54%

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

$1.77 COP 5,681

$2.00 CA$2.79

-11.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,582

$1.66 CA$2.32

-14.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.1K

$2.65 CA$3.69

18.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.3K

$2.74 CA$3.83

108.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,930

$1.98 CA$2.76

-22.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,370

$2.74 CA$3.82

-16.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,257

$1.83 CA$2.56

6.01%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,864

$4.36 CA$6.09

-29.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.1K

$13.52 CA$18.87

-26.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.6K

$11.22 CA$15.66

-6.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 44.9K

$8.95 CA$12.50

55.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.0K

$3.42 CA$4.78

18.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,916

$0.98 CA$1.37

56.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,769

$2.86 CA$4.00

-26.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,378

$3.91 CA$5.46

-41.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,785

$1.13 CA$1.57

86.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,498

$2.14 CA$2.98

-20.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,764

$2.56 CA$3.57

-54.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,083

$1.41 CA$1.97

12.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$13.08 CA$18.26

-70.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.2K

$21.76 CA$30.37

-35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,667

$2.71 CA$3.78

-35.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,724

$3.23 CA$4.51

-16.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,795

$2.64 CA$3.69

-55.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 245.4K

$89.4 CA$125

-14.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,812

$2.89 CA$4.03

-37.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,849

$1.25 CA$1.75

70.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$33.64 CA$46.96

-75.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,102

$1.17 CA$1.63

9.40%

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

$34.4K COP 110.8M

$26.8K CA$37.4K

28.48%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$18.4K CA$25.7K

85.66%

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

$178 COP 571.7K

$112 CA$157

58.49%

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

$13.89 COP 44.7K

$44.44 CA$62.0

-68.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 98.9K

$41.78 CA$58.3

-26.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 134.9K

$45.73 CA$63.8

-8.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.0K

$9.40 CA$13.12

-20.53%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$861 CA$1,202

-8.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.6M

$10.6K CA$14.8K

15.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 277.7K

$57.0 CA$79.5

51.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 190.6K

$31.75 CA$44.32

86.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 445.0K

$86.9 CA$121

59.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 317.8K

$63.3 CA$88.3

56.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$1,559 CA$2,177

-14.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.1M

$1,435 CA$2,003

-53.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$2,248 CA$3,138

-12.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$2,133 CA$2,978

-51.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$3,266 CA$4,559

25.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$2,992 CA$4,177

-78.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.97

120.12%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kanata: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Kanata

$1.4K 57.1% 115% $768

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Kanata

$348 13.8% 13.2% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Kanata

$198 7.9% 10.8% $24

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Kanata

$252 10% 46.1% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Kanata

$108 4.3% 37.6% $65

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Kanata

$109 4.3% 16.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Kanata

$65 2.6% 13.4% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $1,559 in Kanata. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kanata are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $77 in Kanata. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $348 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 Kanata

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

90,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Kanata 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Kanata

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 Kanata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kanata is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $3,772 in Kanata. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,341 there versus $1,559 in Kanata.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $861 in Kanata. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in Kanata at $2,514. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kanata it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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