Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and La Rioja Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and La Rioja

🙂 Solo nomad: Medellin is 5% cheaper than La Rioja without rent, and 3.8% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Medellin is 20% cheaper than La Rioja without rent, and 1.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
La Rioja
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.14 COP 22.1K
$10.43 ARS 14.2K
-41.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.05 COP 119.0K
$34.31 ARS 46.7K
-3.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.32 COP 26.4K
$8.97 ARS 12.2K
-18.39%
Cappuccino
$1.66 COP 5,971
$2.71 ARS 3,685
-38.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 COP 3,977
$1.72 ARS 2,344
-36.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 COP 2,815
$1.55 ARS 2,103
-49.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.71 COP 6,172
$2.16 ARS 2,940
-20.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.17 COP 11.4K
$2.98 ARS 4,054
6.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
La Rioja
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.11 COP 4,002
$1.25 ARS 1,696
-11.20%
White Bread (500g)
$1.31 COP 4,707
$1.59 ARS 2,162
-17.61%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.38 COP 4,967
$1.97 ARS 2,681
-29.95%
Eggs
$2.22 COP 7,989
$2.27 ARS 3,092
-2.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.34 COP 15.6K
$10.21 ARS 13.9K
-57.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.80 COP 20.9K
$6.07 ARS 8,259
-4.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.98 COP 32.3K
$9.11 ARS 12.4K
-1.43%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 COP 8,143
$1.95 ARS 2,649
15.90%
Banana (1kg)
$1.11 COP 4,013
$2.09 ARS 2,837
-46.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.46 COP 5,271
$1.27 ARS 1,721
14.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.37 COP 4,916
$2.64 ARS 3,591
-48.11%
Potato (1kg)
$1.11 COP 3,999
$1.17 ARS 1,595
-5.13%
Onion (1kg)
$1.16 COP 4,188
$1.20 ARS 1,630
-3.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.89 COP 3,202
$1.32 ARS 1,801
-32.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.87 COP 3,116
$1.42 ARS 1,936
-38.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.35 COP 8,473
$3.17 ARS 4,313
-25.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.86 COP 39.1K
$4.58 ARS 6,232
137.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 COP 4,319
$1.98 ARS 2,699
-39.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 COP 8,923
$3.04 ARS 4,129
-18.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
La Rioja
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.79 COP 2,835
$0.77 ARS 1,043
2.60%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.77 COP 146.8K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 COP 5,124
$1.52 ARS 2,070
-6.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.91 COP 6,882
$0.85 ARS 1,150
124.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.65 COP 27.5K
$5.95 ARS 8,096
28.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.97 COP 3,481
$1.10 ARS 1,499
-11.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.1K COP 65.2M
$27.9K ARS 38.0M
-35.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K COP 94.7M
$30.5K ARS 41.5M
-13.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
La Rioja
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$81.3 COP 292.8K
$66.4 ARS 90.3K
22.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.63 COP 34.7K
$17.13 ARS 23.3K
-43.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.36 COP 87.7K
$22.76 ARS 31.0K
7.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
La Rioja
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.02 COP 93.7K
$25.92 ARS 35.2K
0.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.92 COP 68.1K
$13.79 ARS 18.8K
37.20%
Cinema Ticket
$3.89 COP 14.0K
$6.26 ARS 8,509
-37.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
La Rioja
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$304 COP 1.1M
$216 ARS 294.2K
40.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,902 COP 21.3M
$2,728 ARS 3.7M
116.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
La Rioja
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.7 COP 211.3K
$74.6 ARS 101.5K
-21.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.48 COP 116.9K
$68.7 ARS 93.5K
-52.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 COP 366.3K
$113 ARS 153.7K
-10.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 COP 389.4K
$114 ARS 154.6K
-4.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
La Rioja
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$474 COP 1.7M
$342 ARS 464.7K
38.78%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 COP 1.3M
$239 ARS 324.6K
55.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$848 COP 3.1M
$669 ARS 909.5K
26.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$716 COP 2.6M
$544 ARS 739.9K
31.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,871 COP 10.3M
$1,840 ARS 2.5M
56.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,375 COP 5.0M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
La Rioja
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$542 COP 1.9M
$591 ARS 803.3K
-8.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.43
58.5
-77.04%

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

Last update for Medellin: April 13, 2026

Last update for La Rioja: April 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
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