Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and North Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,162 in North Bay, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
105

Cost of Living Index in North Bay
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North Bay Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

North Bay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,162

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in North Bay

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,162 in North Bay, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
North Bay $2,162

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,060 in North Bay, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
North Bay $3,060

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,957 in North Bay, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
North Bay $3,957

Medellin is about 24% cheaper than North Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and North Bay sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, North Bay by 59%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$17.83 CA$24.91

-54.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$77.4 CA$108

-39.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$10.73 CA$14.99

-11.46%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$3.98 CA$5.57

-24.37%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$2.07 CA$2.90

-13.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.76 CA$2.45

-19.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$5.02 CA$7.02

-36.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$6.81 CA$9.51

-15.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$2.56 CA$3.57

-41.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$2.72 CA$3.81

-12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$2.24 CA$3.12

-20.98%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$3.53 CA$4.93

-18.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.49 CA$13.27

7.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$11.32 CA$15.82

-12.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$12.37 CA$17.29

13.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.67 CA$5.13

8.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.22 CA$1.70

27.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$3.21 CA$4.49

-32.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$4.19 CA$5.86

-47.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.85 CA$2.58

5.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.68 CA$2.34

-5.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$2.24 CA$3.13

-48.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$1.26 CA$1.76

-1.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$14.46 CA$20.20

-72.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$14.26 CA$19.92

-4.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$2.23 CA$3.12

-25.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.46 CA$3.44

-8.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$2.28 CA$3.18

-48.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$67.4 CA$94.1

14.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$3.08 CA$4.31

-58.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.13 CA$1.58

81.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$22.26 CA$31.11

-61.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.25 CA$1.75

8.00%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$26.8K CA$37.5K

27.04%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$21.5K CA$30.0K

61.37%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$124 CA$173

37.14%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$32.74 CA$45.75

-58.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$48.00 CA$67.1

-41.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$24.94 CA$34.85

75.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$13.09 CA$18.29

-47.21%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$753 CA$1,052

5.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$23.8K CA$33.2K

-61.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$44.70 CA$62.5

89.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$18.18 CA$25.41

218.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$101 CA$141

33.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$89.3 CA$125

9.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,457 CA$2,036

-17.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,095 CA$1,530

-41.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,852 CA$2,587

9.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,475 CA$2,061

-31.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,108 CA$4,343

-78.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.45

145.84%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for North Bay: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

North Bay

$1.1K 50.7% 70.7% $454

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

North Bay

$335 15.5% 12.9% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

North Bay

$204 9.5% 3.2% $6.8

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

North Bay

$277 12.8% 63.1% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

North Bay

$114 5.3% 32.5% $55

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

North Bay

$85 3.9% 8.9% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

North Bay

$51 2.4% 11.1% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,457 in North Bay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in North Bay are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $77 in North Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $335 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 North Bay

🕒 Local time

20:07 8:07 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

51,553

💱 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 = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 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

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Medellin North Bay 4,470 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
North Bay

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 North Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – North Bay is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,243 in North Bay. 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 $1,457 in North Bay.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $77 in North Bay. 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 $2,162 in North Bay. That makes Medellin about 24% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $2,162 in North Bay, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,162 in North Bay. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, North Bay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.