Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Mendoza

For one person, living is cheaper in Mendoza: $1,387 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Mendoza
Learn more

Mendoza Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Mendoza

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Mendoza

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,387 in Mendoza, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Mendoza $1,387

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $2,185 in Mendoza, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Mendoza $2,185

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,984 in Mendoza, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Mendoza $2,984

Medellin costs about 16% more than Mendoza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Medellin and Mendoza sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Mendoza by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$10.98 ARS 16.7K

-27.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$49.80 ARS 75.6K

-7.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$14.36 ARS 21.8K

-33.84%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$4.54 ARS 6,896

-31.50%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$2.32 ARS 3,517

-21.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.94 ARS 2,949

-28.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$4.08 ARS 6,191

-25.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$4.46 ARS 6,775

23.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.38 ARS 2,102

5.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$2.21 ARS 3,358

6.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$2.66 ARS 4,034

-36.84%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$3.19 ARS 4,836

-10.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$14.72 ARS 22.3K

-30.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$6.23 ARS 9,447

52.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$11.05 ARS 16.8K

27.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.29 ARS 3,478

77.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$2.23 ARS 3,386

-32.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.34 ARS 2,036

61.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$3.28 ARS 4,974

-29.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$2.02 ARS 3,067

-4.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.49 ARS 2,268

10.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$2.03 ARS 3,074

-44.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$2.47 ARS 3,743

-49.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.82 ARS 4,275

41.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$5.08 ARS 7,712

162.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.72 ARS 2,608

-1.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$3.02 ARS 4,583

-21.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.98 ARS 1,486

23.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$19.73 ARS 29.9K

287.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$2.02 ARS 3,059

-34.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.99 ARS 1,495

116.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$4.82 ARS 7,318

75.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.25 ARS 1,897

4.00%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$27.6K ARS 41.9M

1.48%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$33.0K ARS 50.1M

7.19%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$144 ARS 218.4K

19.57%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$17.72 ARS 26.9K

-24.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$23.92 ARS 36.3K

20.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$32.32 ARS 49.0K

39.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$18.07 ARS 27.4K

-5.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$7.10 ARS 10.8K

-11.55%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$176 ARS 266.3K

338.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$4,178 ARS 6.3M

115.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$127 ARS 192.2K

-31.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$141 ARS 214.2K

-59.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$144 ARS 217.9K

-4.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$157 ARS 238.0K

-37.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$553 ARS 838.5K

90.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$350 ARS 531.6K

75.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$993 ARS 1.5M

90.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$680 ARS 1.0M

50.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,751 ARS 2.7M

131.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,141 ARS 1.7M

47.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$766 ARS 1.2M

-14.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-81.46%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mendoza: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Mendoza

$350 25.3% 43.1% $265

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Mendoza

$286 20.6% 2.9% $8.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Mendoza

$186 13.4% 13.4% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Mendoza

$256 18.4% 50.3% $86

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Mendoza

$232 16.7% 37.7% $63

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Mendoza

$31 2.2% 67.2% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Mendoza

$47 3.4% 19.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $553 in Mendoza. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 17% higher in Mendoza, 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $50.0 in Mendoza. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Medellin vs $286 in Mendoza – so Mendoza wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇷 Mendoza

🕒 Local time

15:26 3:26 PM

17:26 5:26 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

937,154

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Mendoza 4,410 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Mendoza

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 Mendoza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $2,080 in Mendoza. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mendoza, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $50.0 in Mendoza. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $1,387 in Mendoza. That's a gap of about 16%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mendoza, where all-in costs run around $1,387, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Mendoza it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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