Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Polva

For one person, living is cheaper in Polva: $1,216 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Polva
Learn more

Polva Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Polva

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Polva

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,216 in Polva, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Polva $1,216

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,934 in Polva, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Polva $1,934

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,652 in Polva, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Polva $2,652

Medellin costs about 35% more than Polva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Polva is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$17.06 €15.32

-52.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$88.9 €79.9

-47.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$11.92 €10.71

-20.30%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$4.33 €3.89

-30.48%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.24 €2.01

-19.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$2.29 €2.06

-38.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$6.80 €6.11

-53.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$6.81 €6.12

-15.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.13 €1.02

33.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.40 €1.26

70.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.95 €2.65

-40.00%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.19 €2.87

-9.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.14 €10.00

-8.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$9.07 €8.15

8.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$27.39 €24.60

-48.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.34 €2.10

69.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.40 €1.26

10.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.58 €2.32

-15.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$2.90 €2.60

-24.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.81 €0.72

141.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.81 €0.72

96.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.04 €1.83

-43.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.02 €0.91

21.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$6.93 €6.23

-42.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$10.18 €9.15

34.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.97 €1.77

-15.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.06 €1.85

9.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$6.09 €5.47

-79.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.19 €1.07

72.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$26.47 €23.78

-67.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.95 €1.75

-30.77%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$28.3K €25.4K

20.52%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$31.5K €28.3K

10.16%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$340 €306

-50.12%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$17.33 €15.56

-21.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$31.99 €28.74

-12.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$13.45 €12.08

-48.62%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$721 €648

10.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$9,967 €8,954

-8.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$104 €93.7

-18.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$50.2 €45.06

15.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$117 €105

15.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$136 €123

-28.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.44

218.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Polva: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Polva

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Polva

$314 25.9% 5.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Polva

$389 32% 84.3% $178

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Polva

$290 23.8% 70.9% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Polva

$183 15.1% 8.5% $14

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Polva

$12 * 1% 87.1% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Polva

$27 * 2.2% 53.3% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $89 in Polva. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $314 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇪 Polva

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

23:50 11:50 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

5,700

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Polva 10,150 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Polva

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 Polva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 35%, 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 $1,824 in Polva. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $89 in Polva. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,216 in Polva. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,216 in Polva to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.