Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Puerto Rico

Name: Puerto Rico
Address: Puerto Rico, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,716 in Puerto Rico, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. The total is higher in Puerto Rico despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Rico
Learn more

Puerto Rico Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Puerto Rico

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Puerto Rico

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,716 in Puerto Rico, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Puerto Rico $1,716

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,564 in Puerto Rico, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Puerto Rico $2,564

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,412 in Puerto Rico, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Puerto Rico $3,412

Medellin is about 4% cheaper than Puerto Rico, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Puerto Rico sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Puerto Rico by 26%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$20.45 €18.32

-60.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$61.0 €54.7

-22.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$11.30 €10.12

-15.93%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.04 €1.83

47.55%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.89 €1.70

-4.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.29 €1.16

9.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$2.72 €2.43

16.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.42 €3.06

68.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.38 €1.23

9.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$2.40 €2.15

-0.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.53 €1.37

15.69%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$4.25 €3.81

-32.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$19.32 €17.30

-47.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$10.01 €8.97

-1.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$17.41 €15.59

-19.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.67 €2.39

48.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$2.32 €2.08

-33.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.15 €1.93

1.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$2.49 €2.23

-12.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$2.17 €1.94

-9.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.02 €1.81

-21.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$1.62 €1.45

-29.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.97 €0.87

27.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.63 €4.15

-14.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$7.87 €7.05

73.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.70 €1.53

-2.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.69 €1.51

33.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$1.66 €1.48

-29.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$32.24 €28.88

139.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$4.33 €3.88

-70.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.67 €1.49

22.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$16.83 €15.08

-49.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.74 €1.56

-22.41%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$34.9K €31.2K

-2.32%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$31.9K €28.6K

8.53%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$129 €116

31.48%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$22.38 €20.04

-39.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$35.85 €32.11

-21.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$44.45 €39.81

-1.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$15.59 €13.97

10.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$9.91 €8.87

-30.27%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$403 €361

97.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$4,970 €4,452

83.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$91.8 €82.2

-7.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$42.61 €38.16

36.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$90.6 €81.1

48.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$114 €102

-13.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$874 €783

38.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$679 €608

-5.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,331 €1,192

52.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,010 €905

0.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$3,233 €2,896

28.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,186 €1,958

-12.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.56

207.30%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Puerto Rico: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Puerto Rico

$679 39.6% 5.9% $38

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Puerto Rico

$326 19% 9.7% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Puerto Rico

$187 10.9% 11.4% $24

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Puerto Rico

$255 14.9% 50.5% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Puerto Rico

$152 8.9% 9.8% $17

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Puerto Rico

$52 3% 44.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Puerto Rico

$64 3.8% 11.7% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $874 in Puerto Rico. 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 $47 in Medellin versus $61 in Puerto Rico. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $326 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇸 Puerto Rico

🕒 Local time

21:08 9:08 PM

02:08 2:08 AM

5 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,500

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Puerto Rico 6,730 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Puerto Rico

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 Puerto Rico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Puerto Rico is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,574 in Puerto Rico. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Puerto Rico, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $874 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $61 in Puerto Rico. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,716 in Puerto Rico. That makes Medellin about 4% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,716 in Puerto Rico, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $1,716 in Puerto Rico. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.