Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Neiva

For one person, living is cheaper in Neiva: $1,241 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Neiva
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Neiva Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Neiva

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Neiva

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,241 in Neiva, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Neiva $1,241

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $2,034 in Neiva, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Neiva $2,034

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,826 in Neiva, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Neiva $2,826

Medellin costs about 30% more than Neiva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Neiva is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$7.72 COP 24.5K

2.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.7K

$41.66 COP 132.5K

10.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.2K

$10.26 COP 32.6K

-7.41%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,897

$2.61 COP 8,307

19.16%

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

$1.83 COP 5,818

$1.34 COP 4,258

36.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,373

$0.91 COP 2,892

51.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,702

$2.06 COP 6,553

48.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$3.96 COP 12.6K

38.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,614

$1.62 COP 5,147

-10.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,519

$2.45 COP 7,778

-3.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,345

$1.62 COP 5,152

3.70%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,106

$3.54 COP 11.3K

-19.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.4K

$8.18 COP 26.0K

24.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.3K

$7.51 COP 23.9K

26.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.7K

$9.91 COP 31.5K

41.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$3.41 COP 10.8K

19.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,757

$1.85 COP 5,895

-18.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,913

$1.94 COP 6,167

11.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,333

$1.77 COP 5,633

30.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,132

$1.42 COP 4,529

35.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,212

$1.42 COP 4,519

15.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,582

$1.33 COP 4,244

-15.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,966

$1.19 COP 3,770

5.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$4.30 COP 13.7K

-7.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.5K

$12.60 COP 40.1K

5.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,400

$1.44 COP 4,589

18.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,548

$2.88 COP 9,155

-17.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,839

$1.05 COP 3,335

15.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,192

$2.39 COP 7,606

-44.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,795

$2.30 COP 7,320

-6.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.9K

$9.66 COP 30.7K

-12.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,127

$1.35 COP 4,288

-3.70%

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

$28.0K COP 89.0M

$23.2K COP 73.9M

20.48%

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

$35.4K COP 112.6M

$34.8K COP 110.6M

1.84%

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

$172 COP 547.3K

$125 COP 398.6K

37.31%

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

$13.37 COP 42.5K

$16.32 COP 51.9K

-18.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.4K

$29.80 COP 94.8K

-3.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.9K

$38.69 COP 123.0K

16.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.0K

$7.72 COP 24.6K

-18.65%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$504 COP 1.6M

52.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.7M

$7,398 COP 23.5M

21.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.8K

$82.5 COP 262.5K

4.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.7K

$48.05 COP 152.8K

18.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 434.3K

$144 COP 457.6K

-5.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 311.4K

$105 COP 335.0K

-7.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$559 COP 1.8M

88.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$413 COP 1.3M

49.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,112 COP 3.5M

70.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$1,002 COP 3.2M

2.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,854 COP 5.9M

118.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,770 COP 5.6M

-5.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-8.83%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Neiva: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Neiva

$413 33.3% 33% $203

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Neiva

$263 21.2% 10.8% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Neiva

$171 13.8% 20% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Neiva

$171 13.8% 0.5% $0.8

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Neiva

$151 12.2% 10.3% $17

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Neiva

$18 * 1.5% 80.6% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Neiva

$54 4.4% 6.3% $3.7

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 $559 in Neiva. 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 Neiva. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $263 – making Neiva the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇴 Neiva

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

357,392

💱 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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Medellin Neiva 370 km

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Medellin
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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 Neiva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 30%, 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 $1,862 in Neiva. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 12% 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 Neiva, where all-in costs run around $1,241, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Neiva it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Neiva – 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 Neiva. 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.