Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Necochea

For one person, living is cheaper in Necochea: $1,250 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,614
/mo nomad
Necochea
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,250
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Necochea

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,250 in Necochea, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,614
  • Necochea $1,250

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $2,094 in Necochea, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,402
  • Necochea $2,094

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,938 in Necochea, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,190
  • Necochea $2,938

Medellin costs about 29% more than Necochea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Necochea is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Necochea
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.93 COP 25.2K
$15.99 ARS 24.3K
-50.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.13 COP 146.3K
$49.19 ARS 74.6K
-6.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$11.49 ARS 17.4K
-17.32%
Cappuccino
$3.11 COP 9,866
$3.37 ARS 5,113
-7.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 COP 5,800
$2.41 ARS 3,664
-24.07%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 COP 4,360
$2.05 ARS 3,113
-32.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 COP 9,672
$3.99 ARS 6,050
-23.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.50 COP 17.4K
$3.61 ARS 5,477
52.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Necochea
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 COP 4,600
$1.40 ARS 2,120
3.57%
White Bread (500g)
$2.36 COP 7,496
$2.03 ARS 3,076
16.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.68 COP 5,328
$1.64 ARS 2,487
2.44%
Eggs
$2.86 COP 9,077
$2.74 ARS 4,162
4.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.3K
$10.85 ARS 16.5K
-6.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.53 COP 30.2K
$7.54 ARS 11.4K
26.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.04 COP 44.5K
$12.63 ARS 19.2K
11.16%
Apples (1kg)
$4.07 COP 12.9K
$2.17 ARS 3,297
87.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 COP 4,742
$2.49 ARS 3,774
-39.76%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.17 COP 6,891
$1.75 ARS 2,650
24.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 COP 7,310
$2.86 ARS 4,337
-19.23%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 COP 6,113
$1.14 ARS 1,726
69.30%
Onion (1kg)
$1.64 COP 5,196
$1.15 ARS 1,742
42.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 COP 3,571
-
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 COP 3,954
$1.86 ARS 2,818
-32.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.99 COP 12.6K
$3.20 ARS 4,860
24.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.35 COP 42.3K
$4.89 ARS 7,416
173.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 COP 5,384
$2.23 ARS 3,384
-23.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 COP 7,525
$2.97 ARS 4,511
-20.20%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Necochea
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.21 COP 3,827
$1.07 ARS 1,626
13.08%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.5 COP 242.5K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.32 COP 4,179
$1.75 ARS 2,662
-24.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.14 COP 6,774
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.47 COP 26.8K
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 COP 4,114
$1.36 ARS 2,057
-4.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K COP 88.7M
$28.8K ARS 43.8M
-2.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.4K COP 112.3M
$38.5K ARS 58.5M
-8.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Necochea
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$172 COP 545.6K
$124 ARS 187.7K
39.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.37 COP 42.4K
$18.42 ARS 28.0K
-27.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.73 COP 91.1K
$23.68 ARS 35.9K
21.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Necochea
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.24 COP 143.5K
$35.47 ARS 53.8K
27.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.04 COP 54.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.28 COP 19.9K
$8.52 ARS 12.9K
-26.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Necochea
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$770 COP 2.4M
$271 ARS 411.1K
184.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,011 COP 28.6M
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Necochea
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.4 COP 274.0K
$110 ARS 166.7K
-21.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.1 COP 181.1K
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$137 COP 432.9K
$104 ARS 157.8K
31.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 310.4K
$147 ARS 223.5K
-33.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Necochea
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,055 COP 3.3M
$569 ARS 864.2K
85.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$616 COP 2.0M
$353 ARS 535.8K
74.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,892 COP 6.0M
$893 ARS 1.4M
111.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,023 COP 3.2M
$920 ARS 1.4M
11.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,059 COP 12.9M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,678 COP 5.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Necochea
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$652 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
0
-

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Necochea: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$616
Necochea
$353 42.7% $263
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$295
Necochea
$262 * 11.1% $33
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$214
Necochea
$166 22.6% $48
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$170
Necochea
$163 * 4.5% $7.6
Eating Out
Medellin
$168
Necochea
$248 47.2% $79
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Necochea
$6 * 93.5% $87
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Necochea
$53 9.2% $5.3

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 $569 in Necochea. 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 $49.00 in Necochea. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Medellin vs $262 in Necochea – so Necochea wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇦🇷 Necochea
🕒 Local time
09:05 9:05 AM
11:05 11:05 AM
2 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
84,784
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Necochea 5,280 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Necochea

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 Necochea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Necochea cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,874 in Necochea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Necochea, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Necochea?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $49.00 in Necochea. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Necochea?
Groceries cost about 13% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Necochea?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Necochea, where all-in costs run around $1,250, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Necochea it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Necochea more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Necochea – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Medellin or Necochea?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Necochea. 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.

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