Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Quito

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $1,015 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Quito
Learn more

Quito Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$1,015

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Quito

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,015 in Quito, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Quito $1,015

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,636 in Quito, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Quito $1,636

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,258 in Quito, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Quito $2,258

Medellin costs about 62% more than Quito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Quito is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$5.41 $5.41

49.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$55.2 $55.2

-14.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.66 $7.66

24.02%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.31 $3.31

-9.06%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.36 $1.36

32.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.09 $1.09

29.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$3.46 $3.46

-8.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$5.85 $5.85

-1.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.09 $1.09

38.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.55 $1.55

53.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.56 $1.56

13.46%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.16 $2.16

33.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$6.45 $6.45

57.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$5.22 $5.22

89.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$7.66 $7.66

82.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.34 $2.34

69.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.20 $1.20

29.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.27 $1.27

71.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.12 $1.12

94.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.19 $1.19

64.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.02 $1.02

55.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.90 $0.90

27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.00 $1.00

24.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$6.14 $6.14

-35.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$8.62 $8.62

58.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.58 $1.58

5.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$3.10 $3.10

-27.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.36 $0.36

225.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$21.34 $21.34

262.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.46 $1.46

-13.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.54 $1.54

33.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$10.07 $10.07

-15.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.86 $0.86

56.98%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$23.3K $23.3K

45.98%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$30.5K $30.5K

13.70%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$28.33 $28.33

498.84%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$18.08 $18.08

-25.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$28.84 $28.84

-2.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$42.86 $42.86

1.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$17.92 $17.92

-4.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$6.75 $6.75

2.37%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$750 $750

6.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$8,967 $8,967

1.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$69.7 $69.7

21.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$49.06 $49.06

18.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$112 $112

20.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$110 $110

-10.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$548 $548

120.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$362 $362

77.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,126 $1,126

80.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$637 $637

58.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,654 $1,654

152.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$664 $664

187.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$606 $606

8.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.12

8.10%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Quito: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Quito

$362 35.6% 43.6% $280

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Quito

$192 18.9% 35.4% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Quito

$75 7.4% 64.4% $136

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Quito

$145 14.3% 14.6% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Quito

$153 15.1% 9.3% $16

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Quito

$32 3.2% 65.8% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Quito

$56 5.6% 2.1% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $548 in Quito. 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 8% higher in Medellin, 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 in Medellin versus $55 in Quito. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $192 in Quito – so Quito wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇨 Quito

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,671,191 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR 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).

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

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Quito 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Quito

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 Quito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,522 in Quito. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quito, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $548 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $55 in Quito. 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 $1,015 in Quito. That’s a gap of about 62%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Quito, where all-in costs run around $1,015, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Quito it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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