Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Neuquen

For one person, living is cheaper in Neuquen: $1,261 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Neuquen
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Neuquen Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Neuquen

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,261

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Neuquen

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,261 in Neuquen, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Neuquen $1,261

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $2,110 in Neuquen, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Neuquen $2,110

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,959 in Neuquen, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Neuquen $2,959

Medellin costs about 34% more than Neuquen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Neuquen is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$16.75 ARS 26.0K

-50.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$56.7 ARS 88.0K

-17.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$13.17 ARS 20.4K

-28.09%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$3.74 ARS 5,793

-16.31%

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

$1.77 COP 5,728

$2.18 ARS 3,372

-18.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,620

$1.85 ARS 2,865

-23.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.65 ARS 5,652

-13.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$4.16 ARS 6,448

37.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,971

$1.41 ARS 2,183

8.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$2.28 ARS 3,533

0.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,308

$1.85 ARS 2,873

4.86%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,945

$2.71 ARS 4,207

13.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$11.94 ARS 18.5K

-16.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$7.74 ARS 12.0K

35.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$11.49 ARS 17.8K

21.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.36 ARS 3,666

71.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,957

$2.24 ARS 3,481

-31.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,825

$1.57 ARS 2,441

33.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,439

$2.73 ARS 4,230

-16.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,841

$1.11 ARS 1,713

90.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,543

$0.95 ARS 1,473

80.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,795

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,125

$1.47 ARS 2,277

7.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$3.24 ARS 5,031

20.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.6K

$5.10 ARS 7,906

175.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,714

$2.03 ARS 3,143

-13.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,796

$3.29 ARS 5,100

-17.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

$0.97 ARS 1,506

21.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

$1.54 ARS 2,386

17.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,136

$1.19 ARS 1,853

7.56%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$25.1K ARS 38.9M

37.12%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$32.4K ARS 50.2M

5.47%

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

$178 COP 576.4K

$124 ARS 191.5K

43.88%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$16.73 ARS 25.9K

-16.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$23.69 ARS 36.7K

29.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$31.11 ARS 48.2K

34.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$20.48 ARS 31.8K

-17.97%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$9.03 ARS 14.0K

-17.28%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$233 ARS 361.6K

238.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$4,282 ARS 6.6M

187.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 280.0K

$112 ARS 173.2K

-22.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$81.7 ARS 126.7K

-27.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.7K

$111 ARS 172.3K

24.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.5K

$114 ARS 176.8K

-13.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$522 ARS 808.7K

157.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$334 ARS 517.8K

99.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,050 ARS 1.6M

88.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$816 ARS 1.3M

26.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,255 ARS 1.9M

54.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Neuquen: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Neuquen

$334 26.5% 49.9% $333

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Neuquen

$259 * 20.6% 15.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Neuquen

$164 13% 26.3% $58

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Neuquen

$261 20.7% 51.2% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Neuquen

$188 14.9% 9.4% $16

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Neuquen

$5.4 * 0.4% 94.2% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Neuquen

$49 3.9% 13.6% $7.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $522 in Neuquen. 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 $57 in Neuquen. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $259 in Neuquen – so Neuquen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇷 Neuquen

🕒 Local time

20:13 8:13 PM

22:13 10:13 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

288,896

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.45 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,551 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,734 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.77 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Neuquen 5,090 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Neuquen

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 Neuquen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,892 in Neuquen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Neuquen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $522 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $57 in Neuquen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,261 in Neuquen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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