Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Marsascala

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,740 in Marsascala, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Marsascala outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Marsascala
Learn more

Marsascala Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Marsascala

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Marsascala

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,740 in Marsascala, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Marsascala $1,740

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,641 in Marsascala, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Marsascala $2,641

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,542 in Marsascala, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Marsascala $3,542

Medellin is about 6% cheaper than Marsascala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Marsascala sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Marsascala by 28%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$19.93 €17.85

-59.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$85.0 €76.1

-44.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$13.58 €12.17

-30.04%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.20 €1.97

36.82%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$2.45 €2.19

-26.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.38 €1.23

2.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$3.94 €3.53

-19.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.43 €3.07

67.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.22 €1.09

23.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$0.86 €0.77

176.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$3.38 €3.03

-47.63%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$4.18 €3.75

-30.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$5.71 €5.11

78.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$6.22 €5.57

58.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$13.87 €12.42

0.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.44 €3.08

15.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$2.49 €2.23

-37.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.22 €1.98

-1.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$2.86 €2.57

-23.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$2.26 €2.02

-13.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.85 €1.66

-14.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$2.29 €2.05

-49.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.85 €0.76

45.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.60 €5.91

-40.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$6.88 €6.16

98.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.68 €1.51

-1.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.39 €2.14

-5.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$2.20 €1.97

-46.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$5.10 €4.57

-75.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$2.20 €1.97

-6.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$13.22 €11.84

-35.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.51 €1.35

-10.60%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$31.3K €28.0K

8.97%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$36.0K €32.2K

-3.65%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$101 €90.5

67.92%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$20.54 €18.39

-34.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$27.61 €24.73

1.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$54.8 €49.07

-20.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$21.95 €19.66

-21.69%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$10.24 €9.17

-32.52%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$225 €202

254.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$4,512 €4,041

101.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$88.1 €78.9

-3.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$29.49 €26.41

96.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$88.1 €78.9

53.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$79.9 €71.6

22.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,022 €916

18.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$841 €753

-23.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,566 €1,402

29.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,294 €1,159

-21.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$2,942 €2,635

41.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,315 €2,074

-17.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,101 €1,881

-68.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.9

277.24%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Marsascala: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Marsascala

$841 48.3% 31.1% $200

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Marsascala

$253 14.5% 14.8% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Marsascala

$149 8.6% 29.4% $62

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Marsascala

$268 15.4% 58.3% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Marsascala

$128 7.4% 24% $41

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Marsascala

$25 * 1.4% 73.4% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Marsascala

$75 4.3% 30.8% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,022 in Marsascala. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Marsascala are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $85 in Marsascala. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $253 in Marsascala – so Marsascala wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇹 Marsascala

🕒 Local time

09:05 9:05 AM

15:05 3:05 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

12,134

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Marsascala 9,610 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Marsascala

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 Marsascala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Marsascala is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,611 in Marsascala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Marsascala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,022 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $85 in Marsascala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% cheaper in Marsascala – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,740 in Marsascala, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $1,740 in Marsascala. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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