Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Monteria

For one person, living is cheaper in Monteria: $1,227 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Monteria
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Monteria Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monteria

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,227

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Monteria

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,227 in Monteria, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Monteria $1,227

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,997 in Monteria, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Monteria $1,997

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,767 in Monteria, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Monteria $2,767

Medellin costs about 32% more than Monteria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Monteria is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$5.73 COP 18.2K

38.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.7K

$41.91 COP 133.3K

10.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.2K

$10.31 COP 32.8K

-7.86%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,897

$2.57 COP 8,178

21.01%

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

$1.83 COP 5,818

$2.57 COP 8,188

-28.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,373

$2.27 COP 7,209

-39.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,702

$3.29 COP 10.5K

-7.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$5.16 COP 16.4K

6.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,614

$1.90 COP 6,052

-23.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,519

$2.78 COP 8,857

-15.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,345

$1.43 COP 4,537

17.48%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,106

$4.83 COP 15.4K

-40.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.4K

$7.98 COP 25.4K

27.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.3K

$9.46 COP 30.1K

0.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.7K

$13.49 COP 42.9K

4.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$3.16 COP 10.1K

28.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,757

$1.24 COP 3,951

20.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,913

$2.07 COP 6,580

4.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,333

$1.81 COP 5,751

27.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,132

$1.68 COP 5,332

14.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,212

$1.58 COP 5,020

3.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,582

$1.22 COP 3,887

-7.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,966

$1.16 COP 3,698

7.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-1.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.5K

$14.66 COP 46.6K

-8.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,400

$1.46 COP 4,630

16.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,548

$2.34 COP 7,443

1.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,839

$1.19 COP 3,777

1.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,192

$1.57 COP 5,006

-15.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,795

$3.68 COP 11.7K

-41.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.9K

$9.57 COP 30.4K

-11.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,127

$1.30 COP 4,132

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

$28.0K COP 89.0M

$23.5K COP 74.8M

18.97%

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

$35.4K COP 112.6M

$34.4K COP 109.3M

3.02%

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

$172 COP 547.3K

$78.0 COP 248.1K

120.63%

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

$13.37 COP 42.5K

$14.49 COP 46.1K

-7.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.4K

$25.19 COP 80.1K

14.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.9K

$43.38 COP 138.0K

4.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.0K

$8.24 COP 26.2K

-23.79%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$618 COP 2.0M

24.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.7M

$5,835 COP 18.6M

54.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.8K

$75.5 COP 240.1K

14.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.7K

$55.4 COP 176.2K

3.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 434.3K

$132 COP 420.5K

3.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 311.4K

$109 COP 345.9K

-9.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$736 COP 2.3M

43.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$411 COP 1.3M

49.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,022 COP 3.3M

85.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$913 COP 2.9M

12.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$2,174 COP 6.9M

86.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,691 COP 5.4M

-0.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-27.07%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Monteria: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Monteria

$411 33.5% 33.2% $205

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Monteria

$293 23.8% 0.7% $2.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Monteria

$118 9.6% 45.1% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Monteria

$167 13.6% 1.6% $2.8

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Monteria

$154 12.5% 8.7% $15

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Monteria

$25 * 2% 73.5% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Monteria

$60 4.9% 3.6% $2.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $736 in Monteria. 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $42.00 in Monteria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $293 – making Monteria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇴 Monteria

🕒 Local time

02:41 2:41 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

454,032

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Monteria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,840 in Monteria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Monteria, 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 $42.00 in Monteria. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Monteria, where all-in costs run around $1,227, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Monteria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Monteria – 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 Monteria. 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.