Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Papeete

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $2,321 in Papeete, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Papeete
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Papeete Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Papeete

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

$2,321

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Papeete

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Medellin vs $2,321 in Papeete, rent included.

Medellin $1,589
Papeete $2,321

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Medellin vs $3,432 in Papeete, rent included.

Medellin $2,364
Papeete $3,432

A family of three spends $3,139 per month in Medellin vs $4,544 in Papeete, rent included.

Medellin $3,139
Papeete $4,544

Medellin is about 32% cheaper than Papeete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Papeete sit above the global median – Medellin by 19%, Papeete by 73%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$18.62 CFPF 1,983

-56.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$93.1 CFPF 9,917

-50.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$14.59 CFPF 1,554

-35.37%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$3.32 CFPF 354

-12.35%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$2.71 CFPF 289

-35.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$3.37 CFPF 359

-60.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$3.34 CFPF 356

-6.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$3.87 CFPF 412

43.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$1.43 CFPF 152

-1.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$2.74 CFPF 291

-10.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$1.65 CFPF 176

-1.21%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$6.42 CFPF 684

-56.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$27.71 CFPF 2,951

-65.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$15.09 CFPF 1,607

-38.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$26.13 CFPF 2,783

-48.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$4.82 CFPF 513

-17.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$2.54 CFPF 270

-41.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$6.64 CFPF 707

-68.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$7.90 CFPF 841

-71.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$2.64 CFPF 282

-27.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$2.21 CFPF 236

-26.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$3.76 CFPF 401

-69.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$1.11 CFPF 118

13.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$12.92 CFPF 1,376

-70.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$20.89 CFPF 2,225

-37.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

$2.80 CFPF 298

-42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

$3.19 CFPF 339

-29.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$1.92 CFPF 205

-39.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$9.22 CFPF 982

-86.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$1.47 CFPF 156

-13.61%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$18.6K CFPF 2.0M

43.60%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$28.4K CFPF 3.0M

21.01%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$184 CFPF 19.6K

-11.83%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$19.80 CFPF 2,109

-33.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$69.0 CFPF 7,344

-59.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$84.2 CFPF 8,967

-47.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$14.24 CFPF 1,517

-57.23%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$467 CFPF 49.7K

63.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$9,465 CFPF 1.0M

-5.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$69.4 CFPF 7,388

22.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$72.9 CFPF 7,763

-21.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$77.8 CFPF 8,290

69.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$88.4 CFPF 9,410

8.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$1,342 CFPF 142.9K

-23.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$936 CFPF 99.7K

-35.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$1,834 CFPF 195.4K

-1.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$1,492 CFPF 158.9K

-33.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

$7,135 CFPF 759.9K

-45.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

$7,632 CFPF 812.9K

-78.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$2,195 CFPF 233.8K

-71.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.5

143.11%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Papeete: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Papeete

$936 41.1% 54.9% $332

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Papeete

$519 22.8% 80% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Papeete

$273 12% 34.1% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Papeete

$139 6.1% 16.6% $28

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Papeete

$281 12.4% 69.2% $115

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Papeete

$17 * 0.7% 81.5% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Papeete

$113 5% 99.4% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $1,342 in Papeete. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 251% higher in Papeete, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $93.0 in Papeete. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $519 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇫 Papeete

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

00:32 12:32 AM

5 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

26,050 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.39 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 107 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.39 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.38 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Papeete 8,540 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Papeete

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 Papeete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Papeete is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Medellin and $3,481 in Papeete. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $93.0 in Papeete. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 80% more in Papeete, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Papeete at $2,321. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Papeete it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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