Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Matera

For one person, living is cheaper in Matera: $1,484 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Matera
Learn more

Matera Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Matera

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,484

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Matera

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,484 in Matera, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Matera $1,484

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,356 in Matera, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Matera $2,356

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,227 in Matera, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Matera $3,227

Medellin costs about 10% more than Matera, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Matera sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Matera by 9%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$15.29 €13.70

-47.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$60.7 €54.3

-22.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$11.34 €10.16

-16.23%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$1.88 €1.68

60.11%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$2.27 €2.03

-20.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.09 €0.97

29.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$5.74 €5.14

-44.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.31 €2.97

73.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.58 €1.41

-4.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.72 €1.54

38.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$3.28 €2.94

-46.04%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$3.52 €3.15

-17.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$15.39 €13.79

-33.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$12.28 €11.00

-19.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$20.84 €18.67

-32.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.63 €2.36

50.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$2.16 €1.94

-28.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.13 €1.01

92.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$3.80 €3.41

-42.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.78 €1.60

10.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.64 €1.47

-3.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$1.46 €1.31

-21.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.47 €0.42

163.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.75 €6.05

-41.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$6.34 €5.68

115.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.84 €1.65

-9.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$3.11 €2.79

-27.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$1.72 €1.54

-31.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$20.20 €18.09

283.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$4.43 €3.96

-71.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.19 €1.07

72.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$23.74 €21.26

-63.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$2.02 €1.81

-33.17%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$35.1K €31.5K

-3.00%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$37.3K €33.4K

-7.17%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$197 €177

-14.09%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$9.37 €8.39

44.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$30.74 €27.53

-8.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$55.3 €49.56

-21.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$23.43 €20.98

-26.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$9.94 €8.90

-30.48%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$448 €401

77.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$7,918 €7,092

15.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$67.2 €60.2

26.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$42.87 €38.39

35.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$105 €94.3

28.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$135 €121

-27.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$705 €632

71.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$421 €377

52.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,025 €918

97.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$841 €753

20.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$2,772 €2,483

50.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$3,179 €2,847

-39.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,750 €1,568

-62.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.08

255.19%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Matera: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Matera

$421 28.3% 34.4% $221

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Matera

$328 22.1% 10.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Matera

$238 16% 12.5% $26

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Matera

$228 15.3% 34.2% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Matera

$158 10.6% 6.7% $11

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Matera

$37 2.5% 60% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Matera

$75 5.1% 30.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $705 in Matera. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Matera are about 2.7 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $61 in Matera. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $328 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇹 Matera

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

04:59 4:59 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

59,607

💱 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 2, 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Matera 9,740 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Matera

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 Matera: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 10% more than Matera, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,227 in Matera. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Matera, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $705 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 74% less in Matera. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $448 in Matera. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,484 in Matera. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Matera – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.