Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Mandeville

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandeville: $810 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Mandeville
Learn more

Mandeville Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Mandeville

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$810

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Mandeville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $810 in Mandeville.

Medellin $1,639
Mandeville $810

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,395 in Mandeville.

Medellin $2,413
Mandeville $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,980 in Mandeville.

Medellin $3,186
Mandeville $1,980

Living in Medellin is roughly 102% more expensive than in Mandeville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Mandeville is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$6.47 JMD 1,021

25.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$73.4 JMD 11.6K

-35.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$8.04 JMD 1,268

18.16%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.24 JMD 353

34.37%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.12 JMD 176

60.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.68 JMD 108

107.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.18 JMD 344

45.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.85 JMD 450

101.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$4.25 JMD 670

-64.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.77 JMD 279

34.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.56 JMD 246

13.46%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.63 JMD 572

-20.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.61 JMD 1,830

-12.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.23 JMD 983

58.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.22 JMD 1,612

36.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$5.99 JMD 944

-33.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$3.84 JMD 605

-59.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$7.15 JMD 1,127

-69.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$3.07 JMD 484

-28.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$3.27 JMD 515

-40.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.62 JMD 413

-39.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$3.15 JMD 497

-63.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.49 JMD 235

-16.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$9.64 JMD 1,520

-58.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$11.36 JMD 1,791

20.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.94 JMD 463

-43.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$4.10 JMD 647

-44.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.24 JMD 196

2.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$3.19 JMD 504

-35.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$6.43 JMD 1,013

32.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.47 JMD 232

-8.16%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

-21.97%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$33.1K JMD 5.2M

4.61%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$95.0 JMD 15.0K

78.50%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$22.22 JMD 3,505

-39.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$50.9 JMD 8,033

-44.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$13.28 JMD 2,095

-47.97%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$365 JMD 57.6K

118.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$8,207 JMD 1.3M

11.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$23.80 JMD 3,753

255.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$31.27 JMD 4,932

85.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

74.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$103 JMD 16.3K

-5.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$467 JMD 73.6K

158.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.45

15.77%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mandeville: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Mandeville

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Mandeville

$366 45.1% 23.1% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Mandeville

$168 20.8% 20.4% $43

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Mandeville

$127 15.6% 25.4% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Mandeville

$106 13.1% 37.2% $63

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Mandeville

$17 * 2.1% 81.6% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Mandeville

$27 * 3.3% 53.8% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $467 in Mandeville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $73 in Mandeville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $366 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇲 Mandeville

🕒 Local time

17:06 5:06 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

47,115

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Mandeville 1,330 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Mandeville

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 Mandeville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mandeville is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,215 in Mandeville to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $467 in Mandeville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $365 in Mandeville. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $73 in Mandeville. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $810 in Mandeville versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mandeville but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Mandeville 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.