Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Old Harbour

For one person, living is cheaper in Old Harbour: $1,005 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Old Harbour
Learn more

Old Harbour Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Old Harbour

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,005

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Old Harbour

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,005 in Old Harbour, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Old Harbour $1,005

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,664 in Old Harbour, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Old Harbour $1,664

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,322 in Old Harbour, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Old Harbour $2,322

Medellin costs about 63% more than Old Harbour, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Old Harbour is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$13.35 JMD 2,109

-39.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$75.0 JMD 11.9K

-37.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$8.40 JMD 1,326

13.10%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$5.23 JMD 826

-42.45%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.14 JMD 180

57.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.73 JMD 115

93.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.19 JMD 345

45.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.22 JMD 509

78.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$4.24 JMD 670

-64.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$3.83 JMD 605

-37.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.56 JMD 246

13.46%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.47 JMD 549

-16.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$11.44 JMD 1,807

-10.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.34 JMD 1,002

55.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$10.13 JMD 1,601

38.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$6.06 JMD 958

-34.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$4.00 JMD 632

-61.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$7.38 JMD 1,165

-70.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$3.01 JMD 475

-27.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$3.23 JMD 510

-39.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.60 JMD 411

-38.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$3.02 JMD 478

-61.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.50 JMD 236

-17.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$9.31 JMD 1,470

-57.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$11.26 JMD 1,779

21.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.85 JMD 450

-41.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$3.93 JMD 621

-42.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.28 JMD 202

-0.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$3.23 JMD 510

-36.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$6.45 JMD 1,020

32.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.46 JMD 231

-7.53%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$43.9K JMD 6.9M

-22.42%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$32.4K JMD 5.1M

7.14%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$165 JMD 26.1K

2.74%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$29.91 JMD 4,725

-54.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$53.8 JMD 8,501

-47.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$13.48 JMD 2,130

-48.74%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$358 JMD 56.6K

122.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$8,285 JMD 1.3M

9.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$23.81 JMD 3,762

255.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$31.92 JMD 5,044

81.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$78.5 JMD 12.4K

71.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$102 JMD 16.1K

-4.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.45

15.77%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Old Harbour: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Old Harbour

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Old Harbour

$386 38.4% 29.9% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Old Harbour

$249 24.8% 17.8% $38

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Old Harbour

$220 21.9% 29.5% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Old Harbour

$106 10.6% 37.1% $63

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Old Harbour

$17 * 1.7% 81.4% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Old Harbour

$27 * 2.7% 53.1% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $75 in Old Harbour. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $386 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇲 Old Harbour

🕒 Local time

09:29 9:29 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

26,024

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, 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).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Old Harbour 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Old Harbour

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 Old Harbour: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,507 in Old Harbour. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $75 in Old Harbour. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 23% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,005 in Old Harbour, 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 $1,005 in Old Harbour to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.