Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Valence

For one person, living is cheaper in Valence: $1,594 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $540 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Valence
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Valence Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Valence

🇫🇷 France

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Valence

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,594 in Valence, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Valence $1,594

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,337 in Valence, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Valence $2,337

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,079 in Valence, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Valence $3,079

Medellin costs about 3% more than Valence, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Valence sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Valence by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$13.56 €12.09

-40.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$39.55 €35.28

18.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$9.56 €8.53

-0.63%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$3.72 €3.32

-19.09%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.98 €2.66

-39.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$2.00 €1.78

-29.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$5.74 €5.12

-44.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$4.55 €4.06

26.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.14 €1.02

32.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$1.10 €0.98

116.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$2.26 €2.01

-21.68%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$3.78 €3.37

-23.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$18.42 €16.44

-44.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$13.75 €12.26

-28.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$24.90 €22.22

-43.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.00 €2.67

32.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$2.39 €2.14

-35.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$2.89 €2.58

-24.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$3.97 €3.54

-45.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$2.33 €2.08

-15.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$2.95 €2.63

-46.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.73 €1.55

-33.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.21 €0.19

490.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$14.05 €12.53

-71.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$3.28 €2.92

317.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$3.80 €3.39

-56.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$2.79 €2.49

-19.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$1.52 €1.36

-23.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$22.60 €20.17

242.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$4.94 €4.40

-74.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$1.64 €1.46

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$32.99 €29.43

-74.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$2.23 €1.99

-39.46%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$34.3K €30.6K

-0.70%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$38.4K €34.3K

-9.75%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$137 €122

23.70%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$11.35 €10.12

19.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$27.40 €24.44

2.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$27.80 €24.80

57.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$16.82 €15.01

2.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$13.76 €12.28

-49.78%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$729 €651

9.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$12.8K €11.5K

-29.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$77.3 €68.9

9.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$65.7 €58.6

-11.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$103 €92.2

30.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$179 €159

-45.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$587 €524

105.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$531 €474

20.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$838 €748

141.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$722 €645

40.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$3,116 €2,780

33.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,705 €2,413

-29.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,599 €2,319

-74.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.81

187.14%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Valence: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Valence

$531 33.3% 17.2% $111

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Valence

$359 22.6% 21% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Valence

$176 11% 16.7% $35

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Valence

$239 15% 41.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Valence

$191 12% 13.1% $22

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Valence

$42 2.6% 55.3% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Valence

$55 3.5% 3.8% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $587 in Valence. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Valence are about 4 times higher, 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 $40 in Valence. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $359 in Valence – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇫🇷 Valence

🕒 Local time

13:18 1:18 PM

19:18 7:18 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

64,483

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Valence 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Valence

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 Valence: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 3%, 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 $2,391 in Valence. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Valence, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $587 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $40 in Valence. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,594 in Valence. That makes Valence about 3% cheaper.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,594 in Valence. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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