Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Rio Dulce

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Dulce: $743 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Rio Dulce

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$743

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Rio Dulce

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $743 in Rio Dulce, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Rio Dulce $743

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,243 in Rio Dulce, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Rio Dulce $1,243

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,743 in Rio Dulce, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Rio Dulce $1,743

Medellin costs about 121% more than Rio Dulce, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Rio Dulce is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$6.85 Q 52.4

18.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$50.8 Q 388

-7.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.62 Q 58.2

24.67%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.33 Q 25.43

-9.61%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.11 Q 8.49

62.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.98 Q 7.46

43.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$3.25 Q 24.81

-2.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$4.77 Q 36.44

20.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.99 Q 15.18

-24.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$3.00 Q 22.88

-20.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.08 Q 15.92

-14.90%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.39 Q 18.25

20.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$6.39 Q 48.83

59.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$9.24 Q 70.6

6.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$13.25 Q 101

5.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.87 Q 29.55

2.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.72 Q 13.14

-9.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.78 Q 21.26

-21.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.58 Q 12.04

37.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.49 Q 11.37

31.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.19 Q 16.77

-27.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.69 Q 5.26

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.14 Q 8.75

8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.18 Q 31.92

-5.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$8.12 Q 62.0

68.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.80 Q 13.75

-7.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.60 Q 19.90

-13.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$5.39 Q 41.15

-76.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$10.59 Q 80.9

-19.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.35 Q 10.28

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$27.7K Q 211.9K

22.79%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$25.5K Q 194.8K

35.95%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$71.2 Q 544

138.31%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$29.68 Q 227

-54.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$46.26 Q 353

-39.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$6.66 Q 50.9

3.75%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$345 Q 2,638

130.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$6,665 Q 50.9K

36.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$49.75 Q 380

70.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$47.44 Q 362

22.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$118 Q 901

14.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$114 Q 872

-14.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.62

-5.85%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Rio Dulce: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Rio Dulce

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Rio Dulce

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Rio Dulce

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Rio Dulce

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Rio Dulce

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Rio Dulce

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Rio Dulce

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $51 in Rio Dulce. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $277 in Rio Dulce – so Rio Dulce wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇬🇹 Rio Dulce

🕒 Local time

16:20 4:20 PM

15:20 3:20 PM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.118 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, 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).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.5 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.118 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Rio Dulce 1,790 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Rio Dulce

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 Rio Dulce: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 121%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,115 in Rio Dulce. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $51 in Rio Dulce. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $743 in Rio Dulce to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.