Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Plunge

For one person, living is cheaper in Plunge: $1,428 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Plunge
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Plunge Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Plunge

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Plunge

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,428 in Plunge, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Plunge $1,428

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,236 in Plunge, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Plunge $2,236

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,043 in Plunge, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Plunge $3,043

Medellin costs about 15% more than Plunge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Plunge sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Plunge by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$14.34 €12.80

-43.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$76.5 €68.2

-38.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$8.73 €7.79

8.82%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$3.82 €3.41

-21.20%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.32 €2.07

-22.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$2.21 €1.98

-36.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$5.60 €5.00

-43.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$4.35 €3.88

32.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.53 €1.36

-1.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$1.68 €1.49

41.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$2.39 €2.13

-25.94%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$3.29 €2.93

-12.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.52 €9.39

-3.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$8.32 €7.42

18.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$11.69 €10.43

19.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.87 €1.67

112.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$1.44 €1.28

7.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.67 €1.49

30.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$3.50 €3.12

-37.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$0.95 €0.85

106.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$0.77 €0.69

106.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.57 €1.40

-26.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.80 €0.71

55.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.29 €5.61

-37.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$9.02 €8.05

51.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.82 €1.62

-8.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$1.90 €1.69

18.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$1.14 €1.02

2.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$27.78 €24.78

178.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.00 €2.67

-57.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$1.26 €1.13

62.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$14.15 €12.63

-39.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.96 €1.75

-31.12%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$27.8K €24.8K

22.56%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$28.6K €25.5K

21.24%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$232 €207

-26.87%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$13.84 €12.35

-2.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$20.67 €18.44

35.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$39.29 €35.06

11.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$21.18 €18.90

-18.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$9.91 €8.84

-30.27%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$657 €587

21.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$11.3K €10.1K

-19.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$95.1 €84.9

-10.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$40.80 €36.40

42.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$91.5 €81.6

47.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$131 €117

-25.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$576 €514

109.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$402 €358

59.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$735 €656

175.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$724 €646

39.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$3,044 €2,716

37.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,894 €1,690

0.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,294 €1,155

-49.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.99

174.19%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Plunge: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Plunge

$402 28.1% 37.4% $240

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Plunge

$256 18% 13.7% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Plunge

$267 18.7% 26.1% $55

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Plunge

$242 16.9% 42.4% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Plunge

$161 11.3% 4.6% $7.7

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Plunge

$42 2.9% 55.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Plunge

$59 4.1% 2.7% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $576 in Plunge. 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 97% higher in Plunge, 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 $76 in Plunge. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $256 in Plunge – so Plunge wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇹 Plunge

🕒 Local time

15:16 3:16 PM

22:16 10:16 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

20,041

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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 = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Plunge 9,890 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Plunge

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 Plunge: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,142 in Plunge. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Plunge, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $576 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $76 in Plunge. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,428 in Plunge. That makes Plunge about 13% cheaper.

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