Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Port Alberni

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Port Alberni: $1,625 and $1,693 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Port Alberni
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Port Alberni Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Port Alberni

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Port Alberni

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,693 in Port Alberni, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Port Alberni $1,693

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $2,834 in Port Alberni, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Port Alberni $2,834

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $3,976 in Port Alberni, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Port Alberni $3,976

Medellin is about 4% cheaper than Port Alberni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Port Alberni sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Port Alberni by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$18.06 CA$25.54

-54.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$63.2 CA$89.4

-25.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$10.51 CA$14.86

-12.08%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$4.00 CA$5.65

-23.75%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$2.12 CA$2.99

-15.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$1.44 CA$2.04

-4.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$3.48 CA$4.92

-6.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$5.44 CA$7.69

2.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$2.25 CA$3.18

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$2.31 CA$3.26

2.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$2.90 CA$4.10

-41.38%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$3.92 CA$5.54

-24.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$9.02 CA$12.76

13.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$4.29 CA$6.06

127.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$19.98 CA$28.24

-30.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.75 CA$3.89

50.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.08 CA$1.53

41.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$3.44 CA$4.86

-35.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$3.62 CA$5.12

-37.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$2.15 CA$3.04

-7.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.87 CA$2.64

-10.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$2.16 CA$3.05

-45.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.75 CA$1.05

65.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$10.52 CA$14.87

-63.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$10.58 CA$14.96

30.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$2.56 CA$3.62

-35.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.88 CA$4.08

-16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$1.45 CA$2.05

-14.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$34.08 CA$48.17

129.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$2.71 CA$3.84

-52.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.60 CA$2.26

34.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$31.40 CA$44.39

-73.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.21 CA$1.71

11.57%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$27.3K CA$38.5K

27.53%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$21.0K CA$29.6K

65.48%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$81.5 CA$115

104.60%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$36.54 CA$51.7

-62.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$51.9 CA$73.4

-43.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$41.88 CA$59.2

7.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$12.61 CA$17.83

-44.73%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$1,088 CA$1,538

-27.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$20.3K CA$28.6K

-55.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$58.9 CA$83.2

49.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$32.95 CA$46.58

76.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$95.4 CA$135

45.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$94.4 CA$133

4.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$788 CA$1,114

30.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$711 CA$1,005

-12.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,697 CA$2,399

10.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$1,690 CA$2,390

-40.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$3,103 CA$4,387

-78.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.28

155.61%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Port Alberni: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Port Alberni

$711 42% 14.8% $92

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Port Alberni

$301 17.8% 1% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Port Alberni

$170 10% 18.9% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Port Alberni

$127 7.5% 26.6% $46

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Port Alberni

$267 15.7% 56% $96

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Port Alberni

$51 3% 46.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Port Alberni

$67 4% 13.7% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $788 in Port Alberni. 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 368% higher in Port Alberni, 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $63.0 in Port Alberni. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $301 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 Port Alberni

🕒 Local time

23:57 11:57 PM

21:57 9:57 PM

2 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

17,743

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Port Alberni 6,620 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Port Alberni

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 Port Alberni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Port Alberni is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $2,540 in Port Alberni. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $63.0 in Port Alberni. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $1,693 in Port Alberni. That's a gap of about 4%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Port Alberni at $1,693. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Alberni it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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