Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Rethymno

For one person, living is cheaper in Rethymno: $1,358 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Rethymno
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Rethymno Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Rethymno

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Rethymno

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,358 in Rethymno, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Rethymno $1,358

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,031 in Rethymno, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Rethymno $2,031

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,703 in Rethymno, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Rethymno $2,703

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$12.69 €11.38

-36.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$56.1 €50.2

-16.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$10.25 €9.18

-7.32%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$3.54 €3.18

-14.97%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$1.67 €1.50

7.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.58 €0.52

143.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$4.54 €4.07

-29.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$5.25 €4.70

9.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.58 €1.42

-4.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$1.21 €1.08

96.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$2.26 €2.03

-21.68%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$4.48 €4.01

-35.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$15.17 €13.60

-32.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$9.68 €8.67

1.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$15.43 €13.83

-9.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$1.99 €1.79

99.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.99 €1.78

-22.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.24 €1.11

75.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.70 €1.52

28.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$0.96 €0.86

104.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$1.01 €0.90

57.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.69 €0.62

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.74 €0.66

67.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.38 €3.93

-9.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$6.89 €6.18

98.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$1.81 €1.62

-8.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$1.82 €1.64

24.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$1.81 €1.62

-35.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$4.58 €4.10

-72.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$1.14 €1.02

79.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$11.38 €10.20

-24.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$2.21 €1.98

-38.91%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$22.4K €20.1K

52.06%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$24.5K €22.0K

41.39%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$191 €171

-11.06%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$18.37 €16.46

-26.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$31.03 €27.81

-9.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$61.2 €54.8

-28.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$8.46 €7.58

-18.32%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$366 €328

117.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$3,964 €3,552

129.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$88.2 €79.0

-3.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$11.04 €9.89

425.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$44.52 €39.89

203.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$44.41 €39.80

120.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$548 €491

120.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$447 €401

43.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$913 €818

122.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$700 €627

44.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$4,172 €3,738

-0.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,963 €2,655

-35.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,201 €1,076

-45.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.3

154.42%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Rethymno: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Rethymno

$447 32.9% 30.3% $195

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Rethymno

$273 20.1% 7.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Rethymno

$240 17.7% 13.7% $29

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Rethymno

$217 16% 28% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Rethymno

$85 6.2% 49.9% $84

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Rethymno

$18 * 1.3% 81.3% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Rethymno

$78 5.8% 35.7% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $548 in Rethymno. 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 83% higher in Rethymno, 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 $56 in Rethymno. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $273 in Rethymno – so Rethymno wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇬🇷 Rethymno

🕒 Local time

23:25 11:25 PM

06:25 6:25 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

35,763

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Rethymno 10,510 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
Rethymno

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 Rethymno: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 21%, 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 $2,037 in Rethymno. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rethymno, 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 $56 in Rethymno. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Rethymno, where all-in costs run around $1,358, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Rethymno it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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