Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tena

For one person, living is cheaper in Tena: $891 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Tena
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Tena Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Tena

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tena

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $891 in Tena, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Tena $891

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,475 in Tena, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Tena $1,475

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,060 in Tena, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Tena $2,060

Medellin costs about 90% more than Tena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Tena is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$5.63 $5.63

48.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$54.8 $54.8

-15.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$7.58 $7.58

24.93%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.34 $3.34

-6.29%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$1.43 $1.43

23.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$1.05 $1.05

35.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.43 $3.43

-8.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$6.12 $6.12

-6.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$1.14 $1.14

34.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.60 $1.60

43.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.51 $1.51

28.48%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$2.08 $2.08

47.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$6.51 $6.51

53.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$5.42 $5.42

92.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$7.67 $7.67

82.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.33 $2.33

73.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$1.22 $1.22

25.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$1.27 $1.27

65.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$1.13 $1.13

102.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$1.19 $1.19

77.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$1.08 $1.08

58.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$0.87 $0.87

34.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$1.00 $1.00

58.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$5.93 $5.93

-34.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$8.27 $8.27

69.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$1.58 $1.58

11.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$3.10 $3.10

-12.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$0.33 $0.33

257.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$1.53 $1.53

18.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$0.75 $0.75

184.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$9.91 $9.91

-17.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$0.86 $0.86

48.84%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$23.4K $23.4K

47.28%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$30.1K $30.1K

13.41%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$28.50 $28.50

523.61%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$17.84 $17.84

-22.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$28.34 $28.34

8.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$29.89 $29.89

40.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$16.69 $16.69

0.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$6.50 $6.50

14.92%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$729 $729

8.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$9,064 $9,064

35.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$71.3 $71.3

21.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$50.4 $50.4

17.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$116 $116

19.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$109 $109

-9.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$422 $422

217.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$270 $270

146.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$802 $802

146.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$507 $507

103.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.12

8.10%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tena: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Tena

$270 30.4% 59.5% $397

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Tena

$193 21.7% 37.2% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Tena

$75 8.4% 66.4% $148

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Tena

$147 16.5% 14.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Tena

$156 17.5% 9.4% $16

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Tena

$6.6 * 0.7% 92.9% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Tena

$43 4.8% 24.6% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $422 in Tena. 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 $55 in Tena. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $193 in Tena – so Tena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇨 Tena

🕒 Local time

16:35 4:35 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

16,669

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Tena 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Tena

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 Tena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 90%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,336 in Tena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tena, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $422 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $55 in Tena. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 59% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tena, where all-in costs run around $891, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Tena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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