Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Picton

For one person, living is cheaper in Picton: $1,020 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Medellin, Colombia
Picton, Canada
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Picton
🇨🇦 Canada
$1,020
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Picton

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,020 in Picton, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Picton $1,020

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,686 in Picton, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Picton $1,686

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,353 in Picton, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Picton $2,353

Medellin costs about 61% more than Picton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Picton is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Picton
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.4K
$17.64 CA$24.76
-54.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.0K
$71.0 CA$99.6
-33.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 29.9K
$9.88 CA$13.86
-3.85%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,485
$3.49 CA$4.90
-13.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,660
$2.06 CA$2.89
-12.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,443
$1.68 CA$2.36
-16.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 9,990
$5.67 CA$7.96
-43.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.1K
$5.77 CA$8.10
-0.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Picton
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,751
$1.67 CA$2.35
-9.58%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,480
$1.99 CA$2.80
19.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,573
$2.27 CA$3.19
-22.03%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,093
$2.92 CA$4.10
-1.03%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.1K
$9.14 CA$12.82
11.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.1K
$11.72 CA$16.45
-15.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.0K
$14.94 CA$20.96
-6.36%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.5K
$2.73 CA$3.84
45.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,883
$1.19 CA$1.67
30.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,867
$3.47 CA$4.87
-37.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,870
$4.01 CA$5.63
-45.64%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,174
$1.83 CA$2.56
7.10%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,000
$1.67 CA$2.34
-4.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,604
$2.31 CA$3.25
-50.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,911
$1.20 CA$1.69
3.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$13.71 CA$19.24
-71.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.0K
$13.97 CA$19.60
-2.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,221
$2.10 CA$2.94
-20.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,103
$2.44 CA$3.43
-7.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Picton
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,674
$2.19 CA$3.08
-46.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 243.4K
$19.77 CA$27.74
291.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 3,989
$2.96 CA$4.15
-57.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,442
$1.28 CA$1.79
60.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 26.9K
$21.77 CA$30.56
-60.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,237
$1.13 CA$1.58
19.47%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.2M
$26.1K CA$36.6K
30.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.1M
$21.6K CA$30.3K
60.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Picton
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 533.7K
$125 CA$176
35.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.6K
$28.11 CA$39.45
-51.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.3K
$49.12 CA$68.9
-42.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Picton
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 137.5K
$42.10 CA$59.1
3.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.1K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.7K
$8.80 CA$12.34
-21.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Picton
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$283 CA$397
181.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.7M
$23.6K CA$33.1K
-61.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Picton
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 266.5K
$49.98 CA$70.2
69.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 182.3K
$35.89 CA$50.4
61.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 424.6K
$85.1 CA$119
58.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 307.9K
$126 CA$176
-22.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Picton
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$1,025 CA$1,439
17.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$1,642 CA$2,304
23.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.1M
$3,772 CA$5,294
10.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Picton
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$3,151 CA$4,422
-79.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
4.45
145.84%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Picton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Picton
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Picton
$319 7.4% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Picton
$202 4.2% $9
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Picton
$268 57.8% $98
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Picton
$133 21% $35
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Picton
$38 59.5% $56
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Picton
$60 3.8% $2.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,025 in Picton. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Picton are about 4.8 times higher, 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 in Medellin versus $71 in Picton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $319 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇨🇦 Picton
🕒 Local time
18:48 6:48 PM
19:48 7:48 PM
1 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
4,702
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Picton 4,200 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Picton

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 Picton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Picton cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,530 in Picton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Picton, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,025 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Picton?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $71 in Picton. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Picton?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,020 in Picton. That makes Picton about 38% cheaper.
Is $2,000 enough for either Medellin or Picton?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,020 in Picton, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Medellin or Picton more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Picton – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Medellin vs other spots: cost of living compared

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