Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Paso de los Libres

For one person, living is cheaper in Paso de los Libres: $1,268 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Paso de los Libres
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Paso de los Libres Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Paso de los Libres

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,268

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Paso de los Libres

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 Paso de los Libres actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,268 in Paso de los Libres, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Paso de los Libres $1,268

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $2,121 in Paso de los Libres, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Paso de los Libres $2,121

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,974 in Paso de los Libres, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Paso de los Libres $2,974

Medellin costs about 28% more than Paso de los Libres, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Paso de los Libres is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$16.10 ARS 24.4K

-48.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$57.5 ARS 87.3K

-18.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$12.84 ARS 19.5K

-28.04%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.71 ARS 5,630

-17.79%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$2.22 ARS 3,370

-18.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$1.94 ARS 2,945

-28.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$3.83 ARS 5,816

-15.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$4.00 ARS 6,075

39.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.39 ARS 2,113

7.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$2.26 ARS 3,434

4.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.90 ARS 2,890

-10.53%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.73 ARS 4,138

8.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

-0.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$7.81 ARS 11.8K

24.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$11.58 ARS 17.6K

20.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.39 ARS 3,624

72.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$2.18 ARS 3,313

-29.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.57 ARS 2,389

41.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$2.66 ARS 4,033

-14.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.10 ARS 1,669

80.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.02 ARS 1,546

63.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$1.72 ARS 2,610

-27.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$3.48 ARS 5,276

11.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$4.94 ARS 7,491

178.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.94 ARS 2,950

-14.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$3.40 ARS 5,152

-29.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$1.03 ARS 1,570

20.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.50 ARS 2,271

-14.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.23 ARS 1,861

9.76%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$28.3K ARS 42.9M

22.89%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$34.4K ARS 52.2M

0.82%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$124 ARS 188.0K

34.53%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$17.51 ARS 26.6K

-22.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$26.29 ARS 39.9K

10.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$31.47 ARS 47.8K

43.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$9.48 ARS 14.4K

-26.48%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$278 ARS 422.5K

183.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$4,884 ARS 7.4M

85.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$108 ARS 163.9K

-18.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$93.7 ARS 142.3K

-37.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$114 ARS 173.3K

21.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$134 ARS 203.9K

-26.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$510 ARS 774.7K

101.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$329 ARS 499.2K

88.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$965 ARS 1.5M

94.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$826 ARS 1.3M

21.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 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: October 19, 2026

Last update for Paso de los Libres: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Paso de los Libres

$329 25.9% 46.9% $291

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Paso de los Libres

$257 * 20.3% 13.8% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Paso de los Libres

$168 13.2% 19.9% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Paso de los Libres

$203 16% 17.3% $30

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Paso de los Libres

$256 20.2% 49.7% $85

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Paso de los Libres

$5.6 * 0.4% 94.1% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Paso de los Libres

$50 4% 14.6% $8.6

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 $510 in Paso de los Libres. 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $58.0 in Paso de los Libres. Groceries tell a different story – $298 in Medellin vs $257 in Paso de los Libres – so Paso de los Libres wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇷 Paso de los Libres

🕒 Local time

07:33 7:33 AM

09:33 9:33 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

43,251

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Paso de los Libres 4,460 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Paso de los Libres

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 Paso de los Libres: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,902 in Paso de los Libres. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Paso de los Libres, 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 $58.0 in Paso de los Libres. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Medellin, 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 Paso de los Libres, where all-in costs run around $1,268, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Paso de los Libres it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Paso de los Libres – 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 Paso de los Libres. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.