Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Les Escaldes

For one person, living is cheaper in Les Escaldes: $355 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Les Escaldes

🇦🇩 Andorra

$355

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Les Escaldes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $355 in Les Escaldes.

Medellin $1,639
Les Escaldes $355

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,801 in Les Escaldes.

Medellin $2,413
Les Escaldes $1,801

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $3,247 in Les Escaldes.

Medellin $3,186
Les Escaldes $3,247

Living in Medellin is roughly 362% more expensive than in Les Escaldes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Les Escaldes is 74% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$14.44 €12.94

-43.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$38.57 €34.55

21.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$13.60 €12.18

-30.15%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.55 €2.28

18.04%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$2.44 €2.19

-26.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.65 €1.48

-14.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$3.09 €2.77

2.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.10 €2.77

85.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$2.11 €1.89

-28.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$4.14 €3.70

-30.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$17.06 €15.28

-18.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.80 €3.40

4.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$5.65 €5.06

-29.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$6.73 €6.03

103.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$2.23 €2.00

-47.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.89 €1.69

-28.57%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

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

$170 COP 547.0K

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

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

$797 COP 2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,796 €2,505

-27.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$2,273 €2,036

-55.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$11.4K €10.2K

-83.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,626 €2,352

-74.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Les Escaldes: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Les Escaldes

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Les Escaldes

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Les Escaldes

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Les Escaldes

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Les Escaldes

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Les Escaldes

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Les Escaldes

–

Cost Breakdown

Les Escaldes pays about 4 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $39 in Les Escaldes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $121 per month, with Les Escaldes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇩 Les Escaldes

🕒 Local time

03:10 3:10 AM

09:10 9:10 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

15,853

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,598 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Les Escaldes 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
Les Escaldes

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 Les Escaldes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $355 in Les Escaldes, so Les Escaldes is about 78% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 75% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Dining out is cheaper in Les Escaldes – a meal for two runs $39 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $355 in Les Escaldes – Les Escaldes is about 78% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $355 in Les Escaldes versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Les Escaldes but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Les Escaldes the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.