Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sale

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,445 in Sale, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Sale
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Sale Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Sale

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,445

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sale

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $2,445 in Sale, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Sale $2,445

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $3,589 in Sale, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Sale $3,589

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $4,732 in Sale, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Sale $4,732

Medellin is about 34% cheaper than Sale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Sale sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Sale by 81%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.3K

$15.16 A$21.72

-47.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 147.1K

$82.4 A$118

-44.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.3K

$11.48 A$16.45

-17.25%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,920

$3.80 A$5.44

-18.16%

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

$1.83 COP 5,832

$3.10 A$4.44

-40.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,384

$2.10 A$3.02

-34.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,725

$8.47 A$12.13

-63.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$7.86 A$11.25

-30.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,625

$1.60 A$2.29

-9.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,537

$2.49 A$3.56

-5.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,358

$2.27 A$3.26

-25.99%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,127

$5.54 A$7.94

-48.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.5K

$9.18 A$13.15

11.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.4K

$8.97 A$12.85

6.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.8K

$15.39 A$22.05

-8.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 13.0K

$3.60 A$5.15

13.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,768

$2.89 A$4.15

-48.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,929

$2.99 A$4.28

-27.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,350

$4.20 A$6.02

-45.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,147

$2.75 A$3.94

-29.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,224

$2.29 A$3.28

-28.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,590

$2.12 A$3.04

-46.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,976

$1.36 A$1.95

-8.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$44.03 A$63.1

-90.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.6K

$15.02 A$21.52

-11.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,413

$4.58 A$6.56

-62.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,566

$5.23 A$7.49

-54.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,848

$2.91 A$4.17

-58.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.9K

$84.6 A$121

-9.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,202

$3.92 A$5.62

-66.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,811

$1.49 A$2.13

43.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 27.0K

$45.41 A$65.1

-81.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,137

$1.15 A$1.64

13.04%

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

$28.0K COP 89.2M

$26.1K A$37.4K

7.14%

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

$35.4K COP 112.9M

$28.3K A$40.5K

25.32%

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

$172 COP 548.6K

$210 A$301

-18.01%

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

$13.37 COP 42.6K

$31.51 A$45.14

-57.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.6K

$60.5 A$86.7

-52.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 144.2K

$62.9 A$90.1

-28.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.3K

$16.87 A$24.17

1.01%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.0K

$15.86 A$22.72

-60.40%

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

$770 COP 2.5M

$2,317 A$3,319

-66.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.7M

$21.8K A$31.2K

-58.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 275.5K

$73.7 A$106

17.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 182.1K

$50.6 A$72.4

13.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 435.3K

$102 A$147

33.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 312.1K

$107 A$153

-8.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$1,502 A$2,151

-29.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$1,150 A$1,648

-46.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$2,440 A$3,496

-22.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$1,855 A$2,657

-44.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$6,605 A$9,462

-38.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.4M

$4,309 A$6,173

-61.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.84

87.33%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sale: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Sale

$1.2K 47.1% 86.8% $534

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Sale

$360 14.7% 22.2% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Sale

$302 12.4% 41% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Sale

$150 6.1% 11.7% $20

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Sale

$280 11.5% 66.4% $112

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Sale

$108 4.4% 15.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Sale

$95 3.9% 63.6% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $1,502 in Sale. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $82.0 in Sale. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $360 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇺 Sale

🕒 Local time

14:12 2:12 PM

06:12 6:12 AM

16 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

13,673

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 3,188 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,559 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Sale 14,450 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sale

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 Sale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sale is pricier by about 51%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $3,667 in Sale. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, 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 $46.00 in Medellin and $82.0 in Sale. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $2,445 in Sale. That's a gap of about 51%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Sale at $2,445. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sale it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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