Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tulcán

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulcán: $920 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Tulcán
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Tulcán Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Tulcán

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$920

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tulcán

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $920 in Tulcán, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Tulcán $920

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,503 in Tulcán, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Tulcán $1,503

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,086 in Tulcán, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Tulcán $2,086

Medellin costs about 78% more than Tulcán, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Tulcán is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.41 $5.41

49.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.8K

$54.1 $54.1

-13.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$7.44 $7.44

27.69%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,729

$3.29 $3.29

-8.51%

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

$1.80 COP 5,806

$1.44 $1.44

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,558

$1.04 $1.04

35.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$3.40 $3.40

-6.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$6.14 $6.14

-6.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,873

$1.10 $1.10

37.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,673

$1.56 $1.56

52.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,716

$1.51 $1.51

17.22%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,327

$2.07 $2.07

39.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.24 $6.24

63.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$5.19 $5.19

90.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$7.61 $7.61

83.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.26 $2.26

75.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,009

$1.23 $1.23

26.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,044

$1.26 $1.26

73.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.10 $1.10

98.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,333

$1.24 $1.24

58.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,129

$1.02 $1.02

55.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$0.87 $0.87

32.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,012

$0.99 $0.99

25.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.09 $6.09

-34.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$8.41 $8.41

62.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,356

$1.52 $1.52

9.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,286

$3.18 $3.18

-28.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,769

$0.39 $0.39

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,092

$1.54 $1.54

-17.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,608

$1.54 $1.54

33.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$10.05 $10.05

-14.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,346

$0.87 $0.87

55.17%

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

$34.1K COP 109.9M

$23.1K $23.1K

47.18%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$29.5K $29.5K

17.63%

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

$170 COP 547.5K

$28.27 $28.27

500.11%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$17.94 $17.94

-24.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$28.72 $28.72

-2.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.0K

$31.61 $31.61

38.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$14.41 $14.41

19.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.56 $6.56

5.34%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$750 $750

6.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$8,960 $8,960

1.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.4K

$70.7 $70.7

19.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.0K

$49.23 $49.23

17.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.5K

$114 $114

18.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.8K

$107 $107

-8.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$483 $483

150.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$302 $302

112.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$786 $786

157.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$545 $545

85.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tulcán: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Tulcán

$302 32.9% 52.9% $339

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Tulcán

$189 20.6% 36.2% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Tulcán

$75 8.2% 64.5% $136

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Tulcán

$144 15.7% 14.9% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Tulcán

$153 16.7% 9.3% $16

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Tulcán

$11 * 1.2% 88.5% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Tulcán

$45 4.9% 22.2% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $483 in Tulcán. 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 $54 in Tulcán. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $189 in Tulcán – so Tulcán wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇨 Tulcán

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

82,734

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,617 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Tulcán 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Tulcán

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 Tulcán: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,380 in Tulcán. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tulcán, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $483 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $54 in Tulcán. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Tulcán, where all-in costs run around $920, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Tulcán it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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