Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Popayan

For one person, living is cheaper in Popayan: $1,398 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Popayan
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Popayan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Popayan

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,398

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Popayan

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,398 in Popayan, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Popayan $1,398

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $2,091 in Popayan, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Popayan $2,091

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,783 in Popayan, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Popayan $2,783

Medellin costs about 21% more than Popayan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Popayan sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, Popayan by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$7.83 COP 25.3K

6.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$46.74 COP 151.0K

-0.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$9.82 COP 31.7K

-3.56%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.77 COP 8,933

13.00%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$1.36 COP 4,405

30.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$0.91 COP 2,931

56.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.86 COP 9,246

10.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$4.26 COP 13.8K

33.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$1.50 COP 4,839

2.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$2.07 COP 6,699

10.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$1.99 COP 6,416

-2.51%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$3.31 COP 10.7K

-7.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$8.28 COP 26.7K

20.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$11.20 COP 36.2K

-6.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$14.18 COP 45.8K

-1.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.93 COP 12.7K

3.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$1.49 COP 4,812

2.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$1.82 COP 5,867

15.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$1.81 COP 5,857

26.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$1.62 COP 5,225

30.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$1.69 COP 5,460

1.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$1.04 COP 3,368

12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$1.34 COP 4,327

17.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$4.02 COP 13.0K

-2.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$13.00 COP 42.0K

8.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$1.61 COP 5,192

9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$2.27 COP 7,326

19.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$1.17 COP 3,780

0.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$56.8 COP 183.5K

34.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$1.71 COP 5,512

5.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$2.15 COP 6,958

-0.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$8.15 COP 26.3K

-0.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$1.33 COP 4,302

-3.76%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$36.6K COP 118.4M

-6.02%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$37.8K COP 122.1M

-9.67%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$111 COP 360.0K

59.46%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$14.64 COP 47.3K

-5.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$27.47 COP 88.7K

11.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$39.02 COP 126.0K

7.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$6.76 COP 21.8K

10.50%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$507 COP 1.6M

55.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$10.5K COP 33.8M

17.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$80.7 COP 260.7K

6.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$58.1 COP 187.6K

2.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$119 COP 385.6K

15.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$104 COP 334.8K

-4.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$802 COP 2.6M

67.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$506 COP 1.6M

31.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,349 COP 4.4M

46.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$779 COP 2.5M

32.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$2,078 COP 6.7M

97.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,794 COP 5.8M

8.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-8.83%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Popayan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Popayan

$506 36.2% 24.1% $161

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Popayan

$292 20.9% 4.9% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Popayan

$154 11% 30.9% $69

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Popayan

$157 11.2% 8.9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Popayan

$163 11.6% 5.5% $9.4

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Popayan

$74 5.3% 20.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Popayan

$53 3.8% 7.7% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $802 in Popayan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $47 in Popayan. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $292 in Popayan – so Popayan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇴 Popayan

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

318,059

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Medellin Popayan 440 km

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Medellin
Popayan

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 Popayan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $2,098 in Popayan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Popayan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $802 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Popayan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,398 in Popayan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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