Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Resistencia

For one person, living is cheaper in Resistencia: $1,180 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Resistencia
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Resistencia Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Resistencia

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,180

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Resistencia

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Medellin vs $1,180 in Resistencia, rent included.

Medellin $1,589
Resistencia $1,180

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Medellin vs $1,915 in Resistencia, rent included.

Medellin $2,364
Resistencia $1,915

A family of three spends $3,139 per month in Medellin vs $2,650 in Resistencia, rent included.

Medellin $3,139
Resistencia $2,650

Medellin costs about 35% more than Resistencia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 19% above the global median, while Resistencia is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$16.49 ARS 25.0K

-51.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$57.6 ARS 87.4K

-19.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$13.25 ARS 20.1K

-28.83%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$3.67 ARS 5,570

-20.71%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$2.47 ARS 3,753

-29.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$2.13 ARS 3,223

-38.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$4.38 ARS 6,642

-28.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$3.73 ARS 5,660

48.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$1.35 ARS 2,042

4.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$2.46 ARS 3,732

-0.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$2.00 ARS 3,028

-18.50%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$2.71 ARS 4,105

4.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$9.29 ARS 14.1K

4.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$7.17 ARS 10.9K

29.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$11.05 ARS 16.8K

21.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$2.57 ARS 3,903

55.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$2.02 ARS 3,063

-26.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$1.35 ARS 2,053

57.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$2.40 ARS 3,642

-6.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$0.97 ARS 1,473

67.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$3.69 ARS 5,590

3.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$4.55 ARS 6,898

188.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$1.05 ARS 1,589

11.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$1.57 ARS 2,383

-19.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$1.07 ARS 1,620

18.69%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$115 ARS 173.6K

41.67%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$17.55 ARS 26.6K

-25.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$29.12 ARS 44.2K

-3.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$31.15 ARS 47.2K

42.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$9.21 ARS 14.0K

-33.88%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$272 ARS 411.7K

181.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$105 ARS 160.0K

-19.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$128 ARS 194.4K

2.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$116 ARS 176.4K

-17.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$514 ARS 779.8K

99.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$330 ARS 500.7K

83.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$987 ARS 1.5M

82.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$741 ARS 1.1M

33.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$565 ARS 856.5K

10.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Resistencia: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Resistencia

$330 28.1% 45.4% $274

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Resistencia

$207 * 17.6% 28.2% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Resistencia

$161 13.7% 20.8% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Resistencia

$158 * 13.4% 5.4% $9

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Resistencia

$264 22.4% 58.4% $97

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Resistencia

$5.8 * 0.5% 93.7% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Resistencia

$50 4.2% 12.2% $6.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $514 in Resistencia. 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 11% 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $58.0 in Resistencia. Groceries tell a different story – $288 in Medellin vs $207 in Resistencia – so Resistencia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇷 Resistencia

🕒 Local time

05:33 5:33 AM

07:33 7:33 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

290,793

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Resistencia 4,160 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Resistencia

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 Resistencia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Medellin and $1,770 in Resistencia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Resistencia, 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 $58.0 in Resistencia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Resistencia, where all-in costs run around $1,180, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Resistencia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Resistencia. 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.