Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Nelson BC

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,255 in Nelson BC, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Nelson BC
Learn more

Nelson BC Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Nelson BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Nelson BC

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,255 in Nelson BC, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Nelson BC $2,255

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,119 in Nelson BC, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Nelson BC $3,119

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,984 in Nelson BC, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Nelson BC $3,984

Medellin is about 27% cheaper than Nelson BC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Nelson BC sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Nelson BC by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$14.29 CA$19.97

-43.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$59.5 CA$83.1

-20.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$9.02 CA$12.60

5.32%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.99 CA$5.57

-24.56%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.07 CA$2.89

-13.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.73 CA$2.42

-18.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$4.68 CA$6.54

-32.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$5.83 CA$8.14

-1.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$2.05 CA$2.87

-26.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$2.88 CA$4.03

-17.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$3.49 CA$4.88

-49.28%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.14 CA$4.39

-7.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.17 CA$12.81

11.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$13.60 CA$18.99

-27.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$21.34 CA$29.82

-34.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.52 CA$4.91

12.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$0.61 CA$0.86

154.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.62 CA$2.26

34.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$4.68 CA$6.54

-53.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$3.23 CA$4.51

-39.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$3.14 CA$4.39

-49.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$2.62 CA$3.66

-56.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.97 CA$2.76

-37.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$14.51 CA$20.27

-72.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$13.74 CA$19.20

-0.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.62 CA$3.65

-36.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$3.16 CA$4.42

-28.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.53 CA$2.14

-23.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$37.16 CA$51.9

108.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.91 CA$4.07

-56.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.76 CA$2.45

16.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$34.81 CA$48.64

-75.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.27 CA$1.78

6.30%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$28.5K CA$39.9K

19.38%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$18.0K CA$25.2K

92.26%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$128 CA$178

33.04%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$44.60 CA$62.3

-69.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$58.1 CA$81.1

-51.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$57.8 CA$80.7

-24.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$11.39 CA$15.91

-39.33%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$1,018 CA$1,422

-21.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$16.6K CA$23.2K

-45.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$48.21 CA$67.4

75.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$41.74 CA$58.3

38.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$84.7 CA$118

59.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$99.1 CA$138

-1.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,357 CA$1,896

-10.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,143 CA$1,597

-43.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,171 CA$3,033

-6.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,504 CA$2,101

-32.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,219 CA$4,498

-79.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.62

136.80%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nelson BC: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Nelson BC

$1.1K 50.7% 78.1% $501

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Nelson BC

$384 17% 29.2% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Nelson BC

$230 10.2% 9% $19

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Nelson BC

$240 10.6% 41.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Nelson BC

$123 5.5% 27.1% $46

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Nelson BC

$55 2.4% 41.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Nelson BC

$81 3.6% 40% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,357 in Nelson BC. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Nelson BC are about 4.9 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 Nelson BC. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $384 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 Nelson BC

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

04:09 4:09 AM

2 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

10,664

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Nelson BC 6,180 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Nelson BC

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 Nelson BC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nelson BC is pricier by about 38%, 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 $3,382 in Nelson BC. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,357 in Nelson BC.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $59 in Nelson BC. 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 $2,255 in Nelson BC. That makes Medellin about 27% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $2,255 in Nelson BC, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – 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 Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nelson BC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.