Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Silves

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Silves: $1,614 and $1,629 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Silves
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Silves Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Silves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Silves

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,629 in Silves, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Silves $1,629

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $2,393 in Silves, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Silves $2,393

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $3,157 in Silves, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Silves $3,157

Medellin is about 1% cheaper than Silves, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Silves sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Silves by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$13.54 €12.04

-41.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$47.10 €41.90

-2.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$9.30 €8.28

2.15%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$1.92 €1.71

61.98%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.93 €1.72

-5.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.45 €1.29

-4.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.82 €2.51

8.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.42 €3.04

60.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.10 €0.98

31.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.47 €1.30

60.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.57 €1.40

7.01%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$3.39 €3.02

-15.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$11.90 €10.58

-14.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$7.31 €6.50

30.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$14.47 €12.87

-2.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.25 €2.00

80.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.34 €1.19

11.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.77 €1.57

22.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$2.57 €2.29

-10.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.82 €1.62

6.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.91 €1.70

-14.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.50 €1.34

-24.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.79 €0.70

58.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$5.98 €5.32

-33.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$4.48 €3.98

197.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.22 €1.09

39.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.10 €1.87

12.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$2.28 €2.03

-46.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$41.98 €37.35

82.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$3.80 €3.38

-65.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.15 €1.03

86.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$18.40 €16.36

-53.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$2.07 €1.84

-37.20%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$33.9K €30.2K

-17.47%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$34.0K €30.3K

4.13%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$120 €106

43.78%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$19.84 €17.65

-32.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$36.39 €32.36

-21.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$40.12 €35.69

12.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$14.69 €13.07

16.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$8.33 €7.41

-24.61%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$419 €372

83.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$11.3K €10.0K

-19.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$78.9 €70.2

9.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$36.89 €32.81

54.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$84.4 €75.1

61.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$105 €93.0

-6.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$944 €840

11.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$761 €676

-19.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,546 €1,375

22.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,194 €1,062

-14.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$3,242 €2,884

25.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$2,241 €1,993

-25.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$948 €843

-31.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.67

198.09%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Silves: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Silves

$761 46.7% 23.5% $145

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Silves

$244 15% 17.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Silves

$176 10.8% 17.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Silves

$137 8.4% 19.4% $33

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Silves

$194 11.9% 15% $25

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Silves

$61 3.7% 35% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Silves

$57 3.5% 1.8% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $944 in Silves. 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 45% higher in Silves, 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $47.00 in Silves. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Medellin vs $244 in Silves – so Silves wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇹 Silves

🕒 Local time

13:54 1:54 PM

19:54 7:54 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

37,776

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Silves 7,580 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Silves

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 Silves: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Silves is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $2,444 in Silves. 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 $47.00 in Silves. 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 $1,629 in Silves. That's a gap of about 1%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Silves at $1,629. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Silves 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, Silves makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.