Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Penafiel

For one person, living is cheaper in Penafiel: $1,518 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Medellin despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Penafiel
Learn more

Penafiel Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Penafiel

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Penafiel

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,518 in Penafiel, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Penafiel $1,518

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $2,219 in Penafiel, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Penafiel $2,219

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,920 in Penafiel, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Penafiel $2,920

Medellin costs about 7% more than Penafiel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Penafiel sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Penafiel by 12%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$10.13 €9.01

-18.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$45.02 €40.05

4.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$9.10 €8.09

1.54%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$1.37 €1.22

122.63%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.53 €1.36

17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.69 €0.61

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.43 €2.17

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.77 €2.46

100.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.05 €0.93

42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.09 €0.97

117.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.40 €1.25

21.43%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.93 €2.61

1.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$10.39 €9.24

-1.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$6.95 €6.18

40.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$14.50 €12.90

-4.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.98 €1.76

108.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.41 €1.25

8.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$2.04 €1.82

8.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$2.10 €1.86

8.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.83 €0.74

139.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.44 €1.28

15.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.14 €1.02

3.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.76 €0.67

63.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$5.95 €5.29

-34.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$4.17 €3.71

230.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.30 €1.16

27.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$3.19 €2.84

-24.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$5.07 €4.51

-75.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$44.02 €39.16

77.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$4.46 €3.97

-71.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.44 €1.28

49.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$20.87 €18.57

-59.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$2.07 €1.84

-34.78%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$33.1K €29.5K

4.95%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$38.4K €34.1K

-9.61%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$106 €94.1

57.48%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$17.55 €15.61

-22.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$28.46 €25.32

2.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$28.02 €24.93

60.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$4.40 €3.91

58.41%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$461 €410

71.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$6,307 €5,610

43.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$115 €103

-23.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$35.64 €31.71

63.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$72.5 €64.5

91.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$106 €94.7

-7.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$853 €759

20.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$728 €648

-14.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,307 €1,163

43.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$1,120 €996

-10.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$2,251 €2,002

77.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$2,159 €1,921

-21.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$1,246 €1,108

-46.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.7

195.68%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Penafiel: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Penafiel

$728 48% 17.5% $109

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Penafiel

$225 14.9% 24.3% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Penafiel

$152 10% 27.5% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Penafiel

$148 9.8% 14.1% $24

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Penafiel

$151 10% 11.4% $19

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Penafiel

$76 5% 20.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Penafiel

$37 2.4% 37.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $853 in Penafiel. 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 88% higher in Penafiel, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $45.00 in Penafiel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $225 – making Penafiel the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇹 Penafiel

🕒 Local time

17:09 5:09 PM

23:09 11:09 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

69,630

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Penafiel 7,660 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Penafiel

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 Penafiel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $2,277 in Penafiel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Penafiel, 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 $45.00 in Penafiel. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $1,518 in Penafiel. That's a gap of about 7%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Penafiel, where all-in costs run around $1,518, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Penafiel it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Penafiel – 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 Penafiel. 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.