Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Merida, Venezuela

Name: Merida
Address: Merida, VE

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $814 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Merida

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Merida

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $814 in Merida, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Merida $814

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,415 in Merida, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Merida $1,415

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,015 in Merida, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Merida $2,015

Medellin costs about 108% more than Merida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Merida is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$12.12 VES 10.8K

-31.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$58.9 VES 52.6K

-21.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$11.14 VES 9,947

-14.99%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.44 VES 2,180

28.28%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$2.14 VES 1,906

-17.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$1.31 VES 1,167

8.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.04 VES 1,819

54.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.96 VES 2,647

92.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$2.05 VES 1,826

-25.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$3.26 VES 2,906

-29.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$1.92 VES 1,716

1.04%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$2.50 VES 2,236

22.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$6.78 VES 6,049

47.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$7.84 VES 7,001

33.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$7.60 VES 6,786

83.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$5.02 VES 4,484

-19.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$1.40 VES 1,249

9.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$2.80 VES 2,502

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$2.27 VES 2,027

0.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$2.06 VES 1,840

2.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$1.31 VES 1,171

30.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$1.50 VES 1,337

-22.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$2.53 VES 2,254

-37.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.71 VES 3,313

5.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$10.91 VES 9,743

28.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$1.40 VES 1,250

25.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$2.20 VES 1,967

23.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$0.31 VES 281

280.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$4.11 VES 3,670

-55.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$1.52 VES 1,361

40.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$5.93 VES 5,290

37.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$0.73 VES 652

75.34%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$44.6K VES 39.8M

-22.78%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$49.2K VES 43.9M

-30.64%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$12.43 VES 11.1K

1329.85%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$10.35 VES 9,235

34.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$30.13 VES 26.9K

2.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$29.77 VES 26.6K

40.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$15.15 VES 13.5K

10.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$4.96 VES 4,429

50.60%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$87.0 VES 77.7K

807.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$2,440 VES 2.2M

403.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$74.6 VES 66.6K

15.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$42.01 VES 37.5K

41.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$98.5 VES 88.0K

40.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$96.3 VES 86.0K

2.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$136 VES 121.1K

888.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$91.5 VES 81.7K

629.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$222 VES 198.1K

790.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$192 VES 171.5K

437.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,192 VES 1.1M

243.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,216 VES 1.1M

59.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$286 VES 255.3K

125.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-56.24%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Merida: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Merida

$91 11.2% 86.3% $576

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Merida

$287 35.3% 6.5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Merida

$53 6.5% 76.2% $169

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Merida

$190 23.3% 9.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Merida

$140 17.2% 18.6% $32

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Merida

$13 * 1.6% 86.1% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Merida

$40 4.9% 30.2% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $136 in Merida. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $59 in Merida. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $287 in Merida – so Merida wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇻🇪 Merida

🕒 Local time

19:58 7:58 PM

20:58 8:58 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

250,303

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

10,000 VES = 11.2 USD

10,000 VES = 9.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,626 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 893 VES (1,000 VES = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 1,002 VES (10,000 VES = 9.98 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Merida 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Merida

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 Merida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 108%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,221 in Merida. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Merida, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $136 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $59 in Merida. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,692 in Medellin and $814 in Merida. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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