Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Masaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Masaya: $823 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Masaya
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Masaya Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Masaya

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Masaya

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $823 in Masaya, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Masaya $823

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,283 in Masaya, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Masaya $1,283

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,744 in Masaya, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Masaya $1,744

Medellin costs about 99% more than Masaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Masaya is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$9.92 NIO 363

-18.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$34.43 NIO 1,261

36.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.73 NIO 283

22.90%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.54 NIO 93.0

18.50%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.91 NIO 33.22

97.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.73 NIO 26.84

93.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.53 NIO 56.0

107.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.28 NIO 83.6

152.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.22 NIO 44.66

23.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.40 NIO 87.8

-0.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.80 NIO 65.8

-1.67%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.38 NIO 87.3

21.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.43 NIO 419

-10.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.35 NIO 233

55.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$7.68 NIO 281

82.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.95 NIO 145

0.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$0.57 NIO 21.03

171.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.84 NIO 67.3

18.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$2.51 NIO 92.0

-13.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$3.91 NIO 143

-49.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.24 NIO 82.0

-29.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.09 NIO 39.98

5.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.06 NIO 38.67

16.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.80 NIO 103

41.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$14.85 NIO 544

-7.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.46 NIO 53.5

13.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.18 NIO 79.8

3.67%

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

$1.60 NIO 58.7

-20.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.59 NIO 58.2

28.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$6.85 NIO 251

24.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.38 NIO 50.5

-2.17%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$22.7K NIO 832.1K

49.95%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$26.4K NIO 966.7K

31.36%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$154 NIO 5,654

9.91%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$19.83 NIO 726

-31.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$31.97 NIO 1,171

-12.20%

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

$9.06 NIO 332

-23.73%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$240 NIO 8,800

231.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$5,987 NIO 219.3K

52.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$59.7 NIO 2,184

42.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$64.7 NIO 2,369

-10.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$123 NIO 4,504

9.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$147 NIO 5,379

-33.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

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

11.92

-8.22%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Masaya: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Masaya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Masaya

$260 31.6% 12.6% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Masaya

$206 25.1% 2.4% $5.1

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Masaya

$152 18.5% 10.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Masaya

$177 21.6% 5% $8.4

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Masaya

$9.5 * 1.2% 89.8% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Masaya

$18 * 2.2% 68.5% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $34 in Masaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $260 – making Masaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇳🇮 Masaya

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

17:47 5:47 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

178,835

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, 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).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 40.77 NIO (100 NIO = 2.45 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Masaya 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Masaya

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 Masaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 99%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,234 in Masaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $34 in Masaya. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Masaya, where all-in costs run around $823, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Masaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $823 in Masaya to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.