Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Portmore

For one person, living is cheaper in Portmore: $1,250 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Portmore
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Portmore Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Portmore

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Portmore

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,250 in Portmore, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Portmore $1,250

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,081 in Portmore, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Portmore $2,081

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,912 in Portmore, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Portmore $2,912

Medellin costs about 31% more than Portmore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Portmore is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$10.11 JMD 1,598

-19.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$63.1 JMD 9,975

-25.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$7.99 JMD 1,262

18.90%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$5.27 JMD 833

-42.88%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.93 JMD 147

93.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.61 JMD 96.6

131.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.18 JMD 345

45.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.18 JMD 345

163.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$3.18 JMD 502

-52.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$3.64 JMD 575

-34.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.03 JMD 163

71.84%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.44 JMD 544

-15.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$11.29 JMD 1,784

-9.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.22 JMD 982

58.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$9.49 JMD 1,499

47.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$5.88 JMD 929

-32.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$3.94 JMD 622

-60.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$3.01 JMD 476

-27.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$3.02 JMD 477

-27.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$3.22 JMD 509

-39.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.57 JMD 406

-38.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.55 JMD 245

-25.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.25 JMD 197

-0.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$9.49 JMD 1,499

-58.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$11.46 JMD 1,811

19.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.87 JMD 454

-42.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.16 JMD 342

4.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$2.25 JMD 355

-48.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$50.1 JMD 7,917

54.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.92 JMD 145

38.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$3.13 JMD 494

-34.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$6.44 JMD 1,017

32.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.26 JMD 200

7.14%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

-23.16%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$32.7K JMD 5.2M

6.13%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$160 JMD 25.2K

6.23%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$28.89 JMD 4,564

-53.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$52.8 JMD 8,346

-46.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$58.7 JMD 9,273

-25.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$13.47 JMD 2,129

-48.70%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$281 JMD 44.4K

183.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$3,157 JMD 498.8K

188.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$23.28 JMD 3,677

263.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$31.19 JMD 4,928

85.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$77.0 JMD 12.2K

75.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$95.9 JMD 15.2K

2.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$315 JMD 49.7K

283.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$218 JMD 34.4K

194.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$667 JMD 105.3K

204.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$605 JMD 95.5K

67.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$7,655 JMD 1.2M

-45.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$5,857 JMD 925.3K

-67.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,280 JMD 202.3K

-48.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.45

15.77%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Portmore: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Portmore

$218 17.4% 66% $423

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Portmore

$337 27% 13.6% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Portmore

$241 19.3% 14.3% $30

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Portmore

$190 15.2% 11.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Portmore

$102 8.2% 39.4% $67

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Portmore

$76 6.1% 19.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Portmore

$86 6.9% 48.9% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $315 in Portmore. 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 95% higher in Portmore, 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 $63 in Portmore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $337 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇲 Portmore

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

170,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR 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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Portmore 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Portmore

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 Portmore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,875 in Portmore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Portmore, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $315 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $63 in Portmore. 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 $1,250 in Portmore. That makes Portmore about 24% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,250 in Portmore. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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