Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Markham

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,416 in Markham, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
118

Cost of Living Index in Markham
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Markham Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Markham

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Markham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $2,416 in Markham.

Medellin $1,614
Markham $2,416

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $3,465 in Markham.

Medellin $2,402
Markham $3,465

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $4,514 in Markham.

Medellin $3,190
Markham $4,514

Living in Medellin costs roughly 33% less than in Markham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Markham 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.3K

$17.37 CA$24.68

-54.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 147.3K

$53.4 CA$75.9

-13.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.3K

$10.47 CA$14.88

-9.26%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,933

$3.81 CA$5.42

-18.37%

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

$1.83 COP 5,839

$1.70 CA$2.42

7.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,389

$1.17 CA$1.67

17.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,737

$3.59 CA$5.10

-15.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$5.62 CA$7.98

-2.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,631

$1.94 CA$2.76

-25.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,547

$2.22 CA$3.16

6.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,365

$1.90 CA$2.69

-11.58%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,139

$2.99 CA$4.24

-4.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.5K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.4K

$11.70 CA$16.62

-18.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.8K

$6.81 CA$9.67

106.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 13.0K

$3.69 CA$5.25

10.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,774

$1.26 CA$1.80

19.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,938

$2.33 CA$3.31

-6.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,359

$3.26 CA$4.63

-29.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,155

$2.05 CA$2.92

-5.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,231

$1.96 CA$2.79

-16.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,595

$2.87 CA$4.08

-60.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,981

$1.48 CA$2.10

-15.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$13.44 CA$19.10

-70.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.6K

$14.53 CA$20.64

-8.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,420

$2.40 CA$3.41

-29.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,576

$3.19 CA$4.54

-25.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,853

$3.04 CA$4.32

-60.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 244.2K

$89.3 CA$127

-14.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,208

$3.31 CA$4.70

-60.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,820

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 27.0K

$18.60 CA$26.42

-54.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,142

$1.13 CA$1.61

15.04%

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

$28.0K COP 89.3M

$28.1K CA$39.9K

-0.44%

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

$35.4K COP 113.0M

$18.1K CA$25.7K

95.38%

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

$172 COP 549.3K

$125 CA$178

37.23%

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

$13.37 COP 42.7K

$26.20 CA$37.23

-48.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.7K

$45.69 CA$64.9

-37.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 144.4K

$42.62 CA$60.6

6.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.4K

$21.28 CA$30.24

-19.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.1K

$10.19 CA$14.47

-38.37%

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

$770 COP 2.5M

$870 CA$1,236

-11.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.8M

$27.5K CA$39.0K

-67.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 275.8K

$43.21 CA$61.4

99.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 182.4K

$37.22 CA$52.9

53.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 435.8K

$91.1 CA$129

49.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 312.5K

$105 CA$149

-6.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$1,554 CA$2,208

-32.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$1,391 CA$1,976

-55.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$2,699 CA$3,835

-29.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$2,236 CA$3,176

-54.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 13.0M

$5,896 CA$8,376

-31.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.4M

$5,309 CA$7,543

-68.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$3,132 CA$4,450

-79.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.56

139.91%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Markham: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Markham

$1.4K 57.6% 126% $775

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Markham

$279 * 11.5% 5.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Markham

$197 8.2% 7.9% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Markham

$124 5.2% 26.9% $46

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Markham

$257 10.6% 52.5% $88

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Markham

$105 * 4.3% 12.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Markham

$63 2.6% 9% $5.2

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 $1,055 in Medellin and $1,554 in Markham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Markham pays 380% 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: $46.00 in Medellin vs $53.0 in Markham. Groceries flip the comparison at $295 vs $279, with Markham cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 Markham

🕒 Local time

17:50 5:50 PM

18:50 6:50 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

338,503

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.13 USD

10,000 COP = 2.79 EUR

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,192 COP (10,000 COP = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 3,579 COP (10,000 COP = 2.79 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Markham 4,200 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Markham

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 Markham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Markham. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 380% lower in Markham. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,055 in Medellin versus $1,554 in Markham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $770 in Medellin versus $870 in Markham. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Markham pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $2,416 in Markham, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Markham. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,614 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Markham are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Markham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.