Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Manta

For one person, living is cheaper in Manta: $670 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Manta
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Manta Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Manta

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$670

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Manta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $670 in Manta.

Medellin $1,639
Manta $670

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,152 in Manta.

Medellin $2,413
Manta $1,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,634 in Manta.

Medellin $3,186
Manta $1,634

Living in Medellin is roughly 145% more expensive than in Manta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Manta is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.04 $3.04

166.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$51.9 $51.9

-9.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$5.18 $5.18

83.40%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.81 $2.81

7.12%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.48 $0.48

275.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.42 $0.42

235.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$2.92 $2.92

8.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.86 $3.86

48.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$0.98 $0.98

54.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$2.00 $2.00

19.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$0.98 $0.98

80.61%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$2.11 $2.11

36.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$3.08 $3.08

230.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$3.07 $3.07

221.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$6.88 $6.88

103.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$0.97 $0.97

309.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$0.72 $0.72

115.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$0.73 $0.73

198.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$0.77 $0.77

183.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.49 $0.49

300.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.49 $0.49

224.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.65 $0.65

76.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$1.02 $1.02

21.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.02 $4.02

-1.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$6.81 $6.81

100.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.01 $1.01

64.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.22 $2.22

1.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.50 $0.50

134.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.79 $1.79

-29.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.77 $1.77

15.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$9.28 $9.28

-7.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$0.74 $0.74

82.43%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$22.7K $22.7K

50.04%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$30.5K $30.5K

13.71%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$93.6 $93.6

81.35%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$11.20 $11.20

20.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$26.03 $26.03

7.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$19.90 $19.90

119.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$35.50 $35.50

-51.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.10 $5.10

35.49%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$370 $370

115.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,708 $5,708

59.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$55.4 $55.4

52.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$39.90 $39.90

45.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$99.3 $99.3

35.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$62.1 $62.1

57.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$306 $306

295.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$137 $137

366.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$916 $916

121.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$337 $337

199.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$478 $478

37.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.05

8.86%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Manta: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Manta

$137 20.5% 78.6% $504

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Manta

$144 21.5% 51.6% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Manta

$131 19.5% 38.1% $80

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Manta

$100 14.9% 41.3% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Manta

$116 17.3% 31.6% $53

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Manta

$13 * 1.9% 86.5% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Manta

$30 4.5% 47.7% $27

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 $306 in Manta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 37% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $52 in Manta. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $144, with Manta cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇨 Manta

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

217,553

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR 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).

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

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Manta 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Manta

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 Manta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manta is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 37% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $306 in Manta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $370 in Manta. 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 $52 in Manta. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $670 in Manta versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Manta but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Manta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Manta is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Manta wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.