Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Piura

For one person, living is cheaper in Piura: $698 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Piura
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Piura Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Piura

🇵🇪 Peru

$698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Piura

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $698 in Piura, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Piura $698

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,196 in Piura, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Piura $1,196

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,694 in Piura, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Piura $1,694

Medellin costs about 142% more than Piura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Piura is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.8K

$3.67 PEN 12.63

127.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 149.7K

$24.02 PEN 82.7

93.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$7.11 PEN 24.47

33.19%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.36 PEN 11.57

-6.85%

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

$1.77 COP 5,681

$1.07 PEN 3.69

65.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,582

$0.71 PEN 2.44

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.1K

$2.33 PEN 8.01

35.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.3K

$2.91 PEN 10.03

95.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,930

$1.42 PEN 4.89

7.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,370

$2.62 PEN 9.02

-12.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,257

$1.62 PEN 5.58

19.75%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,864

$2.77 PEN 9.55

10.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.1K

$10.42 PEN 35.85

-4.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.6K

$8.23 PEN 28.32

26.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 44.9K

$10.34 PEN 35.59

35.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.0K

$1.35 PEN 4.65

200.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,916

$1.32 PEN 4.53

15.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,769

$1.40 PEN 4.83

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,378

$1.32 PEN 4.55

73.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,785

$1.27 PEN 4.36

66.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,498

$0.75 PEN 2.58

128.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,764

$0.88 PEN 3.04

32.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,083

$1.32 PEN 4.54

19.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$7.99 PEN 27.49

-51.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.2K

$11.12 PEN 38.27

26.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,667

$1.84 PEN 6.34

-4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,724

$2.82 PEN 9.71

-3.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,795

$0.66 PEN 2.28

78.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 245.4K

$19.88 PEN 68.4

283.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,812

$2.96 PEN 10.19

-38.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,849

$2.34 PEN 8.04

-8.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$7.01 PEN 24.13

15.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,102

$1.49 PEN 5.12

-14.09%

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

$34.4K COP 110.8M

$21.2K PEN 73.1K

62.12%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$23.0K PEN 79.2K

48.30%

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

$178 COP 571.7K

$41.49 PEN 143

328.37%

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

$13.89 COP 44.7K

$8.83 PEN 30.38

57.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 98.9K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 134.9K

$28.47 PEN 98.0

47.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.0K

$2.28 PEN 7.84

227.63%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$194 PEN 667

307.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.6M

$2,339 PEN 8,053

425.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 277.7K

$42.52 PEN 146

103.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 190.6K

$13.17 PEN 45.34

349.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 445.0K

$57.6 PEN 198

140.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 317.8K

$72.4 PEN 249

36.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$226 PEN 780

492.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.1M

$129 PEN 442

419.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$396 PEN 1,364

398.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$399 PEN 1,372

159.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$3,679 PEN 12.7K

11.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$521 PEN 1,794

23.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Piura: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Piura

$129 18.4% 80.7% $539

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Piura

$250 35.8% 18.7% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Piura

$50 * 7.2% 77.4% $172

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Piura

$116 16.6% 33% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Piura

$84 12% 51.5% $89

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Piura

$37 5.3% 60.2% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Piura

$33 4.7% 41.9% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $226 in Piura. 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 24% 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 in Medellin versus $24 in Piura. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $250 – making Piura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇪 Piura

🕒 Local time

17:07 5:07 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

158,495

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Piura 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Piura

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 Piura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 142%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,047 in Piura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Piura, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $226 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $24 in Piura. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $698 in Piura. That makes Piura about 59% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Piura, where all-in costs run around $698, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Piura it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Piura – 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 Piura. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.