Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and La Merced

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $558 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 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
27

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
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La Merced Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$558

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in La Merced

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $558 in La Merced, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
La Merced $558

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $910 in La Merced, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
La Merced $910

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,263 in La Merced, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
La Merced $1,263

Medellin costs about 203% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while La Merced is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$4.38 PEN 15.09

90.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$34.86 PEN 120

33.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$7.01 PEN 24.17

35.09%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.18 PEN 10.96

-1.57%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$1.08 PEN 3.72

63.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.65 PEN 2.24

118.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.57 PEN 8.85

22.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$4.29 PEN 14.80

32.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$1.58 PEN 5.44

-3.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$2.07 PEN 7.14

10.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$1.28 PEN 4.42

51.56%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$2.35 PEN 8.11

30.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$7.33 PEN 25.27

36.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$5.78 PEN 19.92

80.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$8.68 PEN 29.92

60.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$0.92 PEN 3.17

340.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$0.45 PEN 1.56

240.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$0.30 PEN 1.03

600.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$0.71 PEN 2.46

222.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$0.28 PEN 0.96

653.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$0.45 PEN 1.55

280.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$0.60 PEN 2.07

95.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$0.87 PEN 3.01

81.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$5.63 PEN 19.40

-30.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$7.33 PEN 25.28

91.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$1.90 PEN 6.56

-7.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$3.08 PEN 10.60

-12.01%

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

$3.43 PEN 11.83

-47.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$2.07 PEN 7.13

2.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$7.64 PEN 26.35

6.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$1.64 PEN 5.65

-21.95%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$21.7K PEN 75.0K

58.34%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$28.9K PEN 99.7K

17.95%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$66.7 PEN 230

166.66%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$15.80 PEN 54.5

-12.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$27.06 PEN 93.3

13.60%

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

$7.14 PEN 24.61

4.62%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$318 PEN 1,095

148.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$12.7K PEN 43.6K

-2.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$53.3 PEN 184

62.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$35.12 PEN 121

68.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$83.7 PEN 288

65.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$79.1 PEN 273

24.93%

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

8.78

24.60%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for La Merced: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

La Merced

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

La Merced

$185 33.1% 39.8% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

La Merced

$110 19.6% 50.7% $113

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

La Merced

$123 22% 29% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

La Merced

$113 20.3% 34.4% $59

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

La Merced

$14 * 2.5% 85.3% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

La Merced

$14 * 2.6% 74.9% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $35 in La Merced. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $185 – making La Merced the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇪 La Merced

🕒 Local time

19:56 7:56 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

8,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 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 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).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.88 PEN (1 PEN = 0.258 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin La Merced 1,790 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
La Merced

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 La Merced: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 203% more than La Merced, 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 $2,538 per month in Medellin and $837 in La Merced. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $558 in La Merced. That makes La Merced about 67% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $318 in La Merced. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in La Merced, where all-in costs run around $558, than in Medellin at $1,692. In La Merced it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $558 in La Merced to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.