Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Vacoas

For one person, living is cheaper in Vacoas: $750 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Vacoas
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Vacoas Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Vacoas

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Vacoas

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $750 in Vacoas, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Vacoas $750

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,104 in Vacoas, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Vacoas $1,104

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,458 in Vacoas, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Vacoas $1,458

Medellin costs about 118% more than Vacoas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Vacoas is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$5.95 MUR 282

35.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$32.47 MUR 1,539

44.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$6.31 MUR 299

50.55%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.58 MUR 122

16.67%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.15 MUR 54.3

56.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.62 MUR 29.39

127.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.66 MUR 126

19.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.91 MUR 185

47.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.40 MUR 66.2

7.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.73 MUR 34.58

226.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.16 MUR 54.9

52.59%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.24 MUR 106

29.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$2.71 MUR 128

276.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$2.62 MUR 124

276.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$11.51 MUR 545

21.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.59 MUR 123

53.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.22 MUR 105

-30.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.43 MUR 67.8

52.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$2.90 MUR 137

-24.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.02 MUR 48.17

92.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.01 MUR 47.87

57.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.75 MUR 35.37

53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.72 MUR 34.17

72.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$6.30 MUR 299

-37.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$6.42 MUR 305

113.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.45 MUR 68.7

14.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.37 MUR 112

-4.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.30 MUR 61.8

-10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$4.24 MUR 201

-70.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$3.25 MUR 154

-36.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$4.16 MUR 197

105.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.41 MUR 66.9

-4.26%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$29.6K MUR 1.4M

15.11%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$31.5K MUR 1.5M

10.08%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$44.84 MUR 2,126

278.35%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$10.49 MUR 498

29.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$24.48 MUR 1,161

14.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$25.26 MUR 1,198

73.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$5.33 MUR 253

29.64%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$126 MUR 5,969

532.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$7,579 MUR 359.3K

20.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$31.56 MUR 1,496

168.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$38.24 MUR 1,813

51.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$64.3 MUR 3,048

109.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$47.72 MUR 2,262

105.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$262 MUR 12.4K

360.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$223 MUR 10.6K

187.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$472 MUR 22.4K

329.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$231 MUR 10.9K

338.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$688 MUR 32.6K

-4.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.67

64.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Vacoas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Vacoas

$223 29.7% 65.2% $419

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Vacoas

$179 23.8% 39.9% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Vacoas

$80 10.6% 62.2% $131

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Vacoas

$126 16.7% 25.9% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Vacoas

$82 10.9% 51.6% $87

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Vacoas

$26 * 3.4% 72.5% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Vacoas

$36 4.8% 37.5% $22

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 $262 in Vacoas. 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 5% higher in Vacoas, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $32 in Vacoas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $179 – making Vacoas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇺 Vacoas

🕒 Local time

10:22 10:22 AM

19:22 7:22 PM

9 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

115,289

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 MUR = 2.11 USD

100 MUR = 1.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 47.41 MUR (100 MUR = 2.11 USD). 1 EUR = 52.77 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Vacoas 14,730 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
Vacoas

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 Vacoas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 118%, 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 $1,126 in Vacoas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vacoas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $262 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $32 in Vacoas. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 66% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

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