Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Maracaibo

For one person, living is cheaper in Maracaibo: $784 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 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 Maracaibo
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Maracaibo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Maracaibo

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Maracaibo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $784 in Maracaibo.

Medellin $1,639
Maracaibo $784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,297 in Maracaibo.

Medellin $2,413
Maracaibo $1,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,811 in Maracaibo.

Medellin $3,186
Maracaibo $1,811

Living in Medellin is roughly 109% more expensive than in Maracaibo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Maracaibo is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$10.33 VES 9,159

-21.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$39.75 VES 35.2K

18.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$8.77 VES 7,774

8.32%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$2.75 VES 2,441

9.45%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$1.15 VES 1,020

56.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$1.31 VES 1,159

7.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$2.21 VES 1,963

43.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$3.08 VES 2,728

86.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.97 VES 1,744

-23.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$2.11 VES 1,874

12.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.07 VES 953

65.42%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$3.78 VES 3,350

-23.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$6.55 VES 5,808

55.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$6.38 VES 5,660

54.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$7.37 VES 6,532

89.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$4.82 VES 4,277

-17.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.36 VES 1,202

13.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.56 VES 1,385

39.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.36 VES 1,205

60.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$1.23 VES 1,095

59.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$1.74 VES 1,543

-8.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$1.02 VES 903

12.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$1.98 VES 1,757

-37.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.93 VES 2,597

35.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$9.08 VES 8,054

50.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$1.09 VES 967

52.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$2.62 VES 2,325

-13.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.47 VES 416

148.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$42.53 VES 37.7K

81.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$4.08 VES 3,621

-68.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$1.95 VES 1,729

5.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$17.66 VES 15.7K

-51.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$0.74 VES 657

82.43%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$15.2K VES 13.4M

124.81%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$27.6K VES 24.5M

25.66%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$62.5 VES 55.4K

171.61%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$7.45 VES 6,604

81.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$25.27 VES 22.4K

11.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$33.17 VES 29.4K

31.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$28.71 VES 25.5K

-40.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$4.89 VES 4,332

41.31%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$148 VES 131.0K

439.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$7,133 VES 6.3M

27.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$27.31 VES 24.2K

210.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$32.34 VES 28.7K

79.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$61.9 VES 54.9K

117.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$56.7 VES 50.2K

72.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$159 VES 141.2K

658.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$95.2 VES 84.4K

574.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$301 VES 266.8K

573.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$196 VES 174.0K

415.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$765 VES 678.3K

445.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$508 VES 450.0K

276.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$215 VES 190.8K

205.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-45.30%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Maracaibo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Maracaibo

$95 12.1% 85.2% $546

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Maracaibo

$243 31% 18.2% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Maracaibo

$95 12.1% 55% $116

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Maracaibo

$169 21.6% 0.3% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Maracaibo

$80 10.2% 52.5% $89

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Maracaibo

$58 7.4% 37.7% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Maracaibo

$43 5.5% 25.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $159 in Maracaibo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $40 in Maracaibo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $243 per month, with Maracaibo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇻🇪 Maracaibo

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

06:23 6:23 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,000,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.13 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 887 VES (1,000 VES = 1.13 USD). 1 EUR = 989 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Maracaibo 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Maracaibo

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 Maracaibo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maracaibo is about 52% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Medellin is about 3.1 times higher, 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 $159 in Maracaibo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $148 in Maracaibo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $784 in Maracaibo versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Maracaibo but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Maracaibo 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.

Expats usually find Maracaibo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.