Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Latacunga

For one person, living is cheaper in Latacunga: $782 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Latacunga
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Latacunga Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Latacunga

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Latacunga

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $782 in Latacunga, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Latacunga $782

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,269 in Latacunga, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Latacunga $1,269

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,756 in Latacunga, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Latacunga $1,756

Medellin costs about 106% more than Latacunga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Latacunga is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.3K

$2.55 $2.55

210.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 147.3K

$28.41 $28.41

62.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.3K

$9.03 $9.03

5.20%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,933

$2.79 $2.79

11.47%

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

$1.83 COP 5,839

$0.87 $0.87

110.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,389

$0.48 $0.48

187.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,737

$3.05 $3.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$4.28 $4.28

28.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,631

$1.18 $1.18

22.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,547

$2.01 $2.01

17.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,365

$0.98 $0.98

71.43%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,139

$1.75 $1.75

63.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.5K

$4.87 $4.87

109.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.4K

$5.09 $5.09

87.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.8K

$9.37 $9.37

49.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 13.0K

$1.49 $1.49

173.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,774

$1.18 $1.18

27.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,938

$1.03 $1.03

110.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,359

$0.96 $0.96

140.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,155

$1.03 $1.03

87.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,231

$0.91 $0.91

80.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,595

$0.52 $0.52

117.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,981

$1.02 $1.02

22.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$5.90 $5.90

-32.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.6K

$10.09 $10.09

32.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,420

$1.46 $1.46

16.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,576

$2.22 $2.22

6.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,853

$0.37 $0.37

227.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 244.2K

$16.94 $16.94

351.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,208

$1.32 $1.32

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,820

$1.78 $1.78

20.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 27.0K

$12.05 $12.05

-29.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,142

$0.66 $0.66

96.97%

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

$28.0K COP 89.3M

$20.7K $20.7K

35.17%

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

$35.4K COP 113.0M

$31.3K $31.3K

13.31%

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

$172 COP 549.3K

$39.72 $39.72

333.26%

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

$13.37 COP 42.7K

$14.95 $14.95

-10.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.7K

$26.59 $26.59

8.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 144.4K

$27.47 $27.47

64.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.4K

$17.83 $17.83

-4.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.1K

$7.57 $7.57

-17.04%

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

$770 COP 2.5M

$378 $378

103.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.8M

$5,776 $5,776

56.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 275.8K

$64.5 $64.5

34.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 182.4K

$40.29 $40.29

41.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 435.8K

$126 $126

8.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 312.5K

$91.6 $91.6

6.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$295 $295

257.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$188 $188

227.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$723 $723

161.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$407 $407

151.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 13.0M

$1,068 $1,068

279.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.4M

$739 $739

127.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.40%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Latacunga: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Latacunga

$188 24.1% 69.4% $427

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Latacunga

$186 23.7% 37% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Latacunga

$81 10.4% 62.1% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Latacunga

$145 18.6% 14.6% $25

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Latacunga

$110 14.1% 34.5% $58

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Latacunga

$29 3.7% 69.4% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Latacunga

$43 5.5% 26.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $295 in Latacunga. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $28.00 in Latacunga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $186 – making Latacunga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇨 Latacunga

🕒 Local time

10:36 10:36 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

57,127

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.13 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,192 COP (10,000 COP = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 3,575 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Latacunga 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Latacunga

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 Latacunga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,614 in Medellin, $782 in Latacunga – roughly 106% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,173 in Latacunga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Latacunga, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $770 per month in Medellin and $378 in Latacunga. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 59% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Latacunga, where all-in costs run around $782, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Latacunga 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 $782 in Latacunga to $1,614 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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