Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Pec

For one person, living is cheaper in Pec: $665 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Pec
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Pec Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Pec

🇽🇰 Kosovo

$665

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Pec

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $665 in Pec, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Pec $665

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,078 in Pec, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Pec $1,078

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,490 in Pec, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Pec $1,490

Medellin costs about 143% more than Pec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Pec is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$5.52 €4.91

43.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$22.36 €19.89

106.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$4.33 €3.85

119.40%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$1.32 €1.18

135.61%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.56 €1.39

17.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.05 €0.94

31.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.96 €1.74

55.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.77 €2.46

98.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.28 €1.13

13.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$0.63 €0.56

274.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.32 €1.17

27.27%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.81 €1.61

58.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$7.63 €6.78

33.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$6.50 €5.78

46.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$12.30 €10.94

14.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.43 €1.27

184.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.42 €1.27

5.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.11 €0.98

95.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.69 €1.51

36.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.90 €0.80

114.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.87 €0.77

88.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.79 €0.71

43.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.50 €0.44

150.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.84 €2.53

40.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$5.56 €4.94

140.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$0.88 €0.79

93.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.19 €1.06

99.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$2.19 €1.94

-39.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.55 €0.49

289.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$3.30 €2.94

156.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.42 €1.26

-8.45%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$22.3K €19.8K

25.50%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$26.2K €23.3K

35.23%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$104 €92.3

65.90%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$11.14 €9.91

20.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$23.36 €20.78

22.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$21.87 €19.46

106.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$33.79 €30.06

-49.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$4.56 €4.06

37.72%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$150 €133

414.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$2,954 €2,627

205.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$41.97 €37.33

105.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$28.42 €25.28

101.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$63.6 €56.6

114.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$81.5 €72.5

20.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$167 €149

531.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$111 €98.7

454.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$335 €298

465.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$277 €247

268.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,251 €1,112

224.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,043 €928

60.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$471 €419

38.63%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Pec: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Pec

$111 16.7% 82% $505

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Pec

$184 27.7% 37.6% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Pec

$138 20.8% 35.5% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Pec

$97 14.6% 43% $73

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Pec

$99 14.9% 41.3% $70

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Pec

$4.9 * 0.7% 94.7% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Pec

$31 4.7% 46.4% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $167 in Pec. 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 39% higher in Medellin, 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $22.00 in Pec. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $184 – making Pec the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇽🇰 Pec

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

13:47 1:47 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

48,962

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Pec 10,010 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Pec

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 Pec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 143%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $997 in Pec. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pec, 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 $46.00 in Medellin and $22.00 in Pec. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 60% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Pec, where all-in costs run around $665, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Pec it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pec – 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 Pec. 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.