Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Oranjestad

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,346 in Oranjestad, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
112

Cost of Living Index in Oranjestad
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Oranjestad Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Oranjestad

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,346

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Oranjestad

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,346 in Oranjestad, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Oranjestad $2,346

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $4,175 in Oranjestad, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Oranjestad $4,175

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $6,004 in Oranjestad, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Oranjestad $6,004

Medellin is about 30% cheaper than Oranjestad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Oranjestad sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Oranjestad by 72%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$22.02 AWG 39.40

-63.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$79.3 AWG 142

-40.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$10.15 AWG 18.17

-6.40%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$4.33 AWG 7.74

-30.48%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.48 AWG 2.65

21.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.67 AWG 2.99

-15.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.97 AWG 5.32

7.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.91 AWG 6.99

47.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.92 AWG 3.43

-21.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$2.89 AWG 5.17

-17.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.83 AWG 5.06

-37.46%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$5.36 AWG 9.59

-46.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$12.53 AWG 22.42

-18.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$9.17 AWG 16.41

7.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$12.36 AWG 22.12

13.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$4.73 AWG 8.47

-16.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$2.30 AWG 4.12

-32.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$5.11 AWG 9.14

-57.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$3.56 AWG 6.37

-38.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$2.16 AWG 3.87

-9.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.03 AWG 3.63

-21.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$2.59 AWG 4.63

-55.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.59 AWG 2.84

-22.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$10.17 AWG 18.19

-61.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$10.19 AWG 18.24

34.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$3.95 AWG 7.08

-57.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$4.42 AWG 7.90

-48.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$2.14 AWG 3.83

-45.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$30.60 AWG 54.8

152.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$16.76 AWG 30.00

-92.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$3.90 AWG 6.98

-47.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$24.70 AWG 44.20

-65.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$2.05 AWG 3.67

-34.15%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$26.3K AWG 47.1K

29.34%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$34.9K AWG 62.5K

-0.75%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$256 AWG 458

-33.70%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$48.94 AWG 87.6

-72.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$107 AWG 191

-73.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$63.3 AWG 113

-31.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$25.89 AWG 46.32

-33.60%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$11.75 AWG 21.02

-41.19%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$252 AWG 451

216.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$8,767 AWG 15.7K

3.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$58.9 AWG 105

43.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$51.4 AWG 92.0

12.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$107 AWG 191

26.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$105 AWG 188

-6.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$932 AWG 1,668

29.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$967 AWG 1,731

-33.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,676 AWG 4,790

-24.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$3,022 AWG 5,408

-66.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,284 AWG 4,087

82.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,709 AWG 3,059

11.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,690 AWG 3,024

-61.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.25

75.04%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Oranjestad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Oranjestad

$967 41.3% 50.8% $326

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Oranjestad

$366 15.6% 23.2% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Oranjestad

$412 17.5% 94.8% $200

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Oranjestad

$294 12.5% 73.2% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Oranjestad

$145 6.2% 14.3% $24

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Oranjestad

$75 3.2% 19.4% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Oranjestad

$87 3.7% 50.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $932 in Oranjestad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Oranjestad are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $79 in Oranjestad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $366 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇼 Oranjestad

🕒 Local time

03:07 3:07 AM

04:07 4:07 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

35,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.501 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AWG, 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).

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2 AWG (1 AWG = 0.501 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Oranjestad 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Oranjestad

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 Oranjestad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Oranjestad is pricier by about 43%, 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 $3,519 in Oranjestad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Oranjestad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $932 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $79 in Oranjestad. 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 $2,346 in Oranjestad. That makes Medellin about 30% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,346 in Oranjestad. 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, Oranjestad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.