Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Penticton

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,101 in Penticton, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
101

Cost of Living Index in Penticton
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Penticton Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Penticton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,101

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Penticton

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,101 in Penticton, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Penticton $2,101

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,137 in Penticton, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Penticton $3,137

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,174 in Penticton, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Penticton $4,174

Medellin is about 22% cheaper than Penticton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Penticton sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Penticton by 54%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$14.33 CA$20.02

-43.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$60.9 CA$85.1

-22.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$9.69 CA$13.55

-1.96%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$3.69 CA$5.16

-18.43%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.81 CA$2.53

-0.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$1.86 CA$2.59

-24.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$4.87 CA$6.81

-34.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$7.62 CA$10.65

-24.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$3.10 CA$4.33

-51.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$2.18 CA$3.05

9.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$6.03 CA$8.43

-70.65%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$4.06 CA$5.68

-28.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.65 CA$12.09

17.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$10.73 CA$15.00

-8.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$16.91 CA$23.64

-17.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$5.23 CA$7.30

-24.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$2.30 CA$3.22

-32.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$5.04 CA$7.04

-56.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$4.56 CA$6.37

-52.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$3.82 CA$5.34

-48.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$3.46 CA$4.84

-54.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$2.66 CA$3.72

-56.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.89 CA$2.64

-34.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$13.12 CA$18.34

-69.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$12.34 CA$17.25

10.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$4.75 CA$6.64

-65.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$5.80 CA$8.11

-61.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$1.66 CA$2.31

-29.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$31.63 CA$44.21

144.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.28 CA$3.19

-44.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$1.76 CA$2.46

16.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$38.39 CA$53.7

-77.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.25 CA$1.75

8.00%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$25.7K CA$36.0K

32.39%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$20.4K CA$28.4K

70.35%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$90.3 CA$126

87.81%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$47.88 CA$66.9

-71.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$61.8 CA$86.4

-54.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$41.29 CA$57.7

5.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$7.08 CA$9.90

142.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$10.89 CA$15.22

-36.55%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$6,578 CA$9,194

38.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$39.83 CA$55.7

112.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$32.79 CA$45.82

76.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$77.4 CA$108

74.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$146 CA$205

-33.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,262 CA$1,763

-4.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$994 CA$1,390

-35.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,999 CA$2,794

1.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,653 CA$2,310

-38.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,709 CA$3,786

53.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$3,098 CA$4,330

-38.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,110 CA$4,347

-78.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.75

130.32%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Penticton: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Penticton

$994 47.3% 55% $353

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Penticton

$418 19.9% 40.8% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Penticton

$200 9.5% 5.3% $11

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Penticton

$242 11.5% 42.8% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Penticton

$133 6.4% 21% $36

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Penticton

$49 2.4% 47.2% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Penticton

$63 3% 9.6% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,262 in Penticton. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Penticton are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $61 in Penticton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $418 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 Penticton

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

10:03 10:03 AM

2 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

43,313

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Penticton 6,320 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Penticton

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 Penticton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,151 in Penticton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,208 in Medellin and $1,262 in Penticton. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Penticton. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Penticton, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $2,101 in Penticton, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,101 in Penticton. 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, Penticton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.