Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Pisco

For one person, living is cheaper in Pisco: $660 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Pisco
Learn more

Pisco Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Pisco

🇵🇪 Peru

$660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Pisco

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $660 in Pisco, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Pisco $660

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,023 in Pisco, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Pisco $1,023

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,386 in Pisco, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Pisco $1,386

Medellin costs about 146% more than Pisco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$4.25 PEN 14.59

95.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$35.07 PEN 120

33.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$7.09 PEN 24.37

30.32%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.19 PEN 10.95

-4.39%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.07 PEN 3.69

68.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.65 PEN 2.23

112.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.63 PEN 9.02

23.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$4.43 PEN 15.21

25.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.65 PEN 5.66

-9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$2.32 PEN 7.96

2.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.25 PEN 4.30

36.00%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.30 PEN 4.45

127.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$6.55 PEN 22.50

56.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$4.85 PEN 16.66

100.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$6.35 PEN 21.81

118.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.34 PEN 4.61

208.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.00 PEN 3.42

53.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.42 PEN 4.86

56.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$0.56 PEN 1.91

305.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.45 PEN 1.55

342.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.90 PEN 3.10

85.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.90 PEN 3.09

31.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.86 PEN 2.95

44.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$5.74 PEN 19.71

-32.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$8.57 PEN 29.43

60.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.95 PEN 6.70

-14.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.42 PEN 8.31

-0.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.89 PEN 3.06

39.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$35.26 PEN 121

121.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$3.90 PEN 13.40

-67.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$2.05 PEN 7.04

4.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$7.15 PEN 24.56

17.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.67 PEN 5.72

-19.16%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$21.7K PEN 74.7K

59.83%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$26.1K PEN 89.5K

33.08%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$42.69 PEN 147

290.37%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$16.08 PEN 55.2

-15.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$11.50 PEN 39.51

153.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$20.40 PEN 70.1

121.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$8.49 PEN 29.15

102.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$7.29 PEN 25.05

-4.39%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$178 PEN 611

344.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$12.9K PEN 44.2K

-29.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$52.8 PEN 181

66.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$13.11 PEN 45.03

343.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$46.22 PEN 159

200.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$34.60 PEN 119

185.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$161 PEN 553

538.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$130 PEN 448

375.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$147 PEN 504

587.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,788 PEN 6,141

123.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,352 PEN 4,642

25.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$557 PEN 1,911

19.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.94

22.37%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Pisco: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Pisco

$130 19.8% 79% $489

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Pisco

$183 27.7% 38.7% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Pisco

$70 10.7% 66.4% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Pisco

$66 10% 61.8% $107

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Pisco

$122 18.6% 28.3% $48

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Pisco

$53 8% 44.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Pisco

$35 5.3% 40.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $161 in Pisco. 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 19% 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $35.00 in Pisco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $183 – making Pisco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇪 Pisco

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

14,917

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Pisco 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Pisco

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 Pisco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 146%, 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 $990 in Pisco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pisco, 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 $35.00 in Pisco. 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 $660 in Pisco. That's a gap of about 146%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pisco, where all-in costs run around $660, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Pisco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pisco – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Pisco. 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.