Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Montanita

For one person, living is cheaper in Montanita: $893 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Montanita
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Montanita Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Montanita

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$893

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Montanita

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $893 in Montanita, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Montanita $893

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,344 in Montanita, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Montanita $1,344

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,796 in Montanita, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Montanita $1,796

Medellin costs about 84% more than Montanita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Montanita is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$3.44 $3.44

135.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$27.67 $27.67

70.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.30 $7.30

30.14%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.40 $2.40

25.42%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.85 $0.85

111.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.63 $0.63

123.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.96 $1.96

62.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.59 $3.59

60.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.13 $1.13

33.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.71 $1.71

39.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.50 $1.50

18.00%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.10 $2.10

37.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$5.40 $5.40

88.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$5.45 $5.45

81.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$6.40 $6.40

118.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.10 $2.10

89.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.22 $1.22

27.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.09 $1.09

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.09 $1.09

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.43 $1.43

37.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.02 $1.02

55.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.49 $0.49

134.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.02 $1.02

21.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$6.10 $6.10

-35.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$9.82 $9.82

39.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,222

$1.52 $1.52

9.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,104

$2.55 $2.55

-11.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.36 $0.36

225.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$23.56 $23.56

228.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.53 $1.53

-16.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.02 $1.02

100.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$10.03 $10.03

-14.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.62 $0.62

117.74%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$24.9K $24.9K

36.96%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$28.3K $28.3K

22.67%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$40.55 $40.55

318.37%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$13.96 $13.96

-2.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$30.87 $30.87

-9.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$29.86 $29.86

46.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$14.43 $14.43

19.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$7.33 $7.33

-5.73%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$256 $256

211.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$5,690 $5,690

60.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$55.5 $55.5

52.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$42.86 $42.86

35.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$101 $101

33.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$74.8 $74.8

30.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$336 $336

259.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$321 $321

100.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$622 $622

226.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$503 $503

101.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,245 $1,245

235.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,013 $1,013

88.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.40%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Montanita: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Montanita

$321 35.9% 50% $321

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Montanita

$186 20.8% 37.4% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Montanita

$85 9.6% 59.6% $126

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Montanita

$101 11.3% 40.4% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Montanita

$123 13.8% 27.1% $46

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Montanita

$32 3.6% 66.2% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Montanita

$45 5% 22.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $336 in Montanita. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $28 in Montanita. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $186 – making Montanita the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇨 Montanita

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

5,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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 = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Montanita 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Medellin
Montanita

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 Montanita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 84%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,339 in Montanita. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montanita, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $336 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $28 in Montanita. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $893 in Montanita. That’s a gap of about 84%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Montanita, where all-in costs run around $893, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Montanita it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Montanita is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 84% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.