Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Valdivia

For one person, living is cheaper in Valdivia: $1,001 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Valdivia
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Valdivia Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Valdivia

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,001

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Valdivia

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,001 in Valdivia, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Valdivia $1,001

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,518 in Valdivia, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Valdivia $1,518

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,036 in Valdivia, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Valdivia $2,036

Medellin costs about 64% more than Valdivia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Valdivia is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$6.15 CLP 6,010

31.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$45.34 CLP 44.3K

3.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$6.66 CLP 6,504

42.64%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.01 CLP 1,966

49.75%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.98 CLP 1,937

-9.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.27 CLP 1,242

11.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$3.58 CLP 3,495

-11.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.48 CLP 3,403

65.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.16 CLP 1,137

30.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.33 CLP 1,296

78.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.51 CLP 1,471

17.22%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.98 CLP 2,908

-3.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$8.87 CLP 8,670

14.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.53 CLP 6,377

51.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$12.32 CLP 12.0K

13.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.06 CLP 2,017

92.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.86 CLP 1,819

-16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.79 CLP 1,750

21.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.84 CLP 1,800

18.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.28 CLP 2,228

-14.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.49 CLP 1,461

6.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.48 CLP 1,446

-22.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.12 CLP 1,098

10.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$5.14 CLP 5,023

-22.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$4.68 CLP 4,572

192.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.50 CLP 1,462

10.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.10 CLP 2,047

7.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.59 CLP 581

98.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.92 CLP 894

38.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.46 CLP 1,428

-7.53%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$14.5K CLP 14.2M

134.65%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$17.0K CLP 16.6M

104.46%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$88.6 CLP 86.5K

91.57%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$13.62 CLP 13.3K

-0.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$30.40 CLP 29.7K

-7.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$41.14 CLP 40.2K

6.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$23.51 CLP 23.0K

-26.88%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$4.58 CLP 4,476

50.87%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$238 CLP 232.9K

234.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$3,049 CLP 3.0M

198.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$49.97 CLP 48.8K

69.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$17.41 CLP 17.0K

232.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$49.21 CLP 48.1K

174.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$76.8 CLP 75.1K

27.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$571 CLP 558.4K

111.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$369 CLP 360.5K

73.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$991 CLP 968.0K

104.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$550 CLP 537.4K

83.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$4,449 CLP 4.3M

-6.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$611 CLP 596.7K

7.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.5

143.11%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Valdivia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Valdivia

$369 36.9% 42.5% $273

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Valdivia

$227 22.7% 23.5% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Valdivia

$133 13.3% 37.2% $79

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Valdivia

$131 13.1% 22.7% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Valdivia

$87 8.7% 48.5% $82

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Valdivia

$3.3 * 0.3% 96.5% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Valdivia

$50 5% 12.6% $7.2

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 $571 in Valdivia. 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 8% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $45 in Valdivia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $227 – making Valdivia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇱 Valdivia

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

19:19 7:19 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

150,048

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, 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 = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 977 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,088 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.19 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Valdivia 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Valdivia

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 Valdivia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 64%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,501 in Valdivia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Valdivia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $571 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $45 in Valdivia. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Valdivia, where all-in costs run around $1,001, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Valdivia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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