Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Trujillo Alto

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $1,754 in Trujillo Alto, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Trujillo Alto
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Trujillo Alto Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Trujillo Alto

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,754

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Trujillo Alto

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,754 in Trujillo Alto, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Trujillo Alto $1,754

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $2,637 in Trujillo Alto, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Trujillo Alto $2,637

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $3,520 in Trujillo Alto, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Trujillo Alto $3,520

Medellin is about 4% cheaper than Trujillo Alto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Medellin and Trujillo Alto sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, Trujillo Alto by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$12.83 $12.83

-35.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$78.6 $78.6

-40.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$9.43 $9.43

0.42%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$2.91 $2.91

7.56%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$1.92 $1.92

-7.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$0.98 $0.98

44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.03 $3.03

3.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$3.89 $3.89

46.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$2.16 $2.16

-29.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$3.36 $3.36

-31.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$2.42 $2.42

-19.83%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$4.90 $4.90

-37.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$8.64 $8.64

15.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$9.37 $9.37

11.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$7.81 $7.81

78.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$4.29 $4.29

-5.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$2.57 $2.57

-40.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$4.74 $4.74

-55.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$3.82 $3.82

-40.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$3.74 $3.74

-43.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$4.05 $4.05

-57.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$3.48 $3.48

-66.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$1.54 $1.54

2.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$10.11 $10.11

-61.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$14.96 $14.96

-6.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$3.11 $3.11

-43.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$4.09 $4.09

-33.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$2.44 $2.44

-25.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$1.47 $1.47

44.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$42.15 $42.15

-80.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.04 $1.04

23.08%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$34.4K $34.4K

0.11%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$28.2K $28.2K

20.89%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$327 $327

-45.71%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$58.4 $58.4

-76.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$69.2 $69.2

-55.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$29.43 $29.43

42.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$10.16 $10.16

65.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$10.69 $10.69

-30.12%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$344 $344

129.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$5,458 $5,458

125.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$39.36 $39.36

119.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$54.0 $54.0

9.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$90.0 $90.0

53.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$113 $113

-12.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$698 $698

92.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$544 $544

22.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,160 $1,160

70.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$960 $960

7.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$1,903 $1,903

115.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,614 $1,614

20.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$3,311 $3,311

-80.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.55

67.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Trujillo Alto: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Trujillo Alto

$544 31% 18.5% $123

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Trujillo Alto

$361 20.6% 17.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Trujillo Alto

$455 25.9% 105% $233

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Trujillo Alto

$200 11.4% 16.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Trujillo Alto

$133 7.6% 22.6% $39

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Trujillo Alto

$9.8 * 0.6% 89.5% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Trujillo Alto

$51 2.9% 10.7% $6.1

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 $698 in Trujillo Alto. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Trujillo Alto are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $79 in Trujillo Alto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $361 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇷 Trujillo Alto

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

22:47 10:47 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

43,712

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Trujillo Alto 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Trujillo Alto

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 Trujillo Alto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Trujillo Alto is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $2,631 in Trujillo Alto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Trujillo Alto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $698 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $79 in Trujillo Alto. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Trujillo Alto, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,754 in Trujillo Alto, 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 $1,692 in Medellin to $1,754 in Trujillo Alto. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Trujillo Alto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.