Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Plasencia

For one person, living is cheaper in Plasencia: $1,519 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,625
/mo nomad
Plasencia
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,519
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Plasencia

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,519 in Plasencia, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,625
  • Plasencia $1,519

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $2,284 in Plasencia, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,412
  • Plasencia $2,284

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $3,048 in Plasencia, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,199
  • Plasencia $3,048

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

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Plasencia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.30 COP 26.3K
$13.27 €11.80
-37.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.91 COP 148.7K
$67.3 €59.8
-30.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.24 COP 29.3K
$8.85 €7.87
4.41%
Cappuccino
$3.05 COP 9,676
$1.86 €1.65
63.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,707
$2.03 €1.80
-11.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 COP 4,382
$1.55 €1.38
-10.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 COP 10.3K
$3.04 €2.70
6.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.56 COP 17.6K
$3.28 €2.92
69.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Plasencia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 COP 4,760
$1.16 €1.03
29.31%
White Bread (500g)
$2.37 COP 7,508
$1.66 €1.48
42.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.70 COP 5,377
$1.52 €1.35
11.84%
Eggs
$2.96 COP 9,379
$3.39 €3.01
-12.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.22 COP 32.4K
$13.51 €12.02
-24.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.74 COP 30.9K
$8.24 €7.33
18.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.90 COP 44.1K
$16.04 €14.27
-13.34%
Apples (1kg)
$4.13 COP 13.1K
$2.41 €2.14
71.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,839
$2.00 €1.78
-23.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 COP 7,052
$1.78 €1.58
24.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.27 COP 7,194
$2.61 €2.32
-13.03%
Potato (1kg)
$1.99 COP 6,311
$1.80 €1.60
10.56%
Onion (1kg)
$1.67 COP 5,285
$2.10 €1.87
-20.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.18 COP 3,742
$1.50 €1.34
-21.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,919
$0.73 €0.65
69.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.87 COP 12.3K
$6.60 €5.87
-41.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.78 COP 43.7K
$5.92 €5.27
132.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,256
$1.14 €1.01
45.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 COP 7,615
$1.88 €1.67
27.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Plasencia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.24 COP 3,944
$1.39 €1.24
-10.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$78.2 COP 248.0K
$31.14 €27.70
151.16%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 COP 4,044
$1.72 €1.53
-25.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.15 COP 6,803
$1.11 €0.99
93.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.37 COP 26.5K
$14.72 €13.09
-43.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,288
$1.77 €1.57
-23.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K COP 110.2M
$32.1K €28.5K
8.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 110.0M
$30.7K €27.3K
13.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Plasencia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 COP 528.4K
$118 €105
40.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.62 COP 43.2K
$16.42 €14.60
-17.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.12 COP 92.3K
$32.18 €28.63
-9.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Plasencia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.09 COP 143.0K
$48.86 €43.46
-7.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.18 COP 54.5K
$15.30 €13.61
12.29%
Cinema Ticket
$6.97 COP 22.1K
$8.02 €7.13
-13.09%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Plasencia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.5M
$542 €482
45.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,041 COP 28.7M
$8,047 €7,158
12.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Plasencia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.8 COP 278.4K
$89.4 €79.6
-1.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.2 COP 184.4K
$39.74 €35.35
46.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$139 COP 440.7K
$93.6 €83.2
48.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.9 COP 313.5K
$113 €100
-12.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Plasencia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,028 COP 3.3M
$1,020 €907
0.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$620 COP 2.0M
$633 €563
-2.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,881 COP 6.0M
$1,410 €1,254
33.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 COP 3.2M
$934 €830
7.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,988 COP 12.6M
$3,177 €2,826
25.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,702 COP 5.4M
$1,877 €1,670
-9.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Plasencia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$663 COP 2.1M
$1,339 €1,191
-50.45%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
3.34
227.54%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Plasencia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$619
Plasencia
$633 2.2% $14
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$298
Plasencia
$268 10.2% $30
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$209
Plasencia
$167 20.3% $42
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$173
Plasencia
$151 12.6% $22
Eating Out
Medellin
$171
Plasencia
$191 11.9% $20
Getting Around
Medellin
$95
Plasencia
$44 53.8% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$59
Plasencia
$65 9.9% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $1,020 in Plasencia. 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 102% higher in Plasencia, 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 $67.0 in Plasencia. Groceries tell a different story – $298 in Medellin vs $268 in Plasencia – so Plasencia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇪🇸 Plasencia
🕒 Local time
03:10 3:10 AM
10:10 10:10 AM
7 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
39,412
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Plasencia 7,820 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Plasencia

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 Plasencia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Plasencia cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 7%, 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 $2,437 per month in Medellin and $2,278 in Plasencia. 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 Plasencia, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Plasencia?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $67.0 in Plasencia. 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 Plasencia?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $1,519 in Plasencia. That's a gap of about 7%.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Plasencia?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Plasencia, where all-in costs run around $1,519, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Plasencia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Plasencia more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Plasencia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Medellin or Plasencia?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Plasencia. 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.

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