Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Maia

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,182 in Maia, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Maia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Maia
Learn more

Maia Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Maia

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Maia

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $2,182 in Maia, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Maia $2,182

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $2,718 in Maia, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Maia $2,718

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $3,254 in Maia, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Maia $3,254

Medellin is about 26% cheaper than Maia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Maia sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Maia by 61%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$11.42 €10.16

-27.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$50.0 €44.49

-6.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$8.88 €7.90

4.05%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.00 €1.78

52.50%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.93 €1.71

-6.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$1.45 €1.29

-4.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.23 €1.98

45.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$4.01 €3.57

38.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.10 €0.98

36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.69 €1.50

40.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.53 €1.37

11.11%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.89 €2.57

2.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$13.29 €11.82

-23.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$7.93 €7.05

22.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$14.73 €13.10

-5.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.23 €1.98

85.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.74 €1.55

-12.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$2.07 €1.84

7.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$2.33 €2.07

-2.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$2.22 €1.97

-10.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$2.19 €1.95

-23.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.93 €0.82

26.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$1.10 €0.98

12.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$6.62 €5.89

-41.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$4.61 €4.10

198.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.31 €1.17

26.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.46 €2.19

-2.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$2.47 €2.20

-49.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$44.74 €39.80

74.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$4.55 €4.04

-71.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.44 €1.28

49.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$16.93 €15.06

-50.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$2.10 €1.87

-35.71%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$32.3K €28.7K

7.76%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$38.5K €34.2K

-9.85%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$106 €94.3

57.14%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$20.07 €17.85

-32.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$38.05 €33.84

-23.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$44.89 €39.93

0.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$34.01 €30.25

-49.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$8.65 €7.70

-19.42%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$439 €390

79.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$6,437 €5,726

40.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$111 €98.9

-21.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$22.04 €19.60

163.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$75.9 €67.5

83.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$106 €94.0

-6.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$1,072 €953

-4.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$1,313 €1,168

-52.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,706 €1,518

10.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$1,242 €1,105

-18.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$3,036 €2,701

31.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,673 €1,488

1.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$1,420 €1,263

-53.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.7

195.68%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Maia: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Maia

$1.3K 60.2% 112% $694

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Maia

$259 11.9% 12.9% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Maia

$164 7.5% 21.6% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Maia

$142 6.5% 18% $31

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Maia

$175 8% 2.3% $3.9

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Maia

$66 3% 30.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Maia

$62 2.9% 5.4% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $1,072 in Maia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 114% higher in Maia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $50.0 in Maia. Groceries tell a different story – $298 in Medellin vs $259 in Maia – so Maia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇹 Maia

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

21:30 9:30 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

134,988

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Maia 7,630 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Maia

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 Maia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maia costs about 34% more than Medellin, 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 $2,437 per month in Medellin and $3,273 in Maia. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $50.0 in Maia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $2,182 in Maia. That's a gap of about 34%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Maia at $2,182. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,625 versus $2,182 in Maia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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