Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Valencia

For one person, living is cheaper in Valencia: $833 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Valencia
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Valencia Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Valencia

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$833

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Valencia

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $833 in Valencia, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Valencia $833

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,345 in Valencia, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Valencia $1,345

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,858 in Valencia, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Valencia $1,858

Medellin costs about 95% more than Valencia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Valencia is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$6.17 VES 5,413

34.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$34.50 VES 30.3K

35.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$15.69 VES 13.8K

-41.11%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.31 VES 2,906

-7.85%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.66 VES 1,457

8.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$1.29 VES 1,132

6.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.03 VES 1,785

59.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$3.07 VES 2,692

81.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$2.06 VES 1,810

-27.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.29 VES 1,134

83.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.40 VES 1,230

21.43%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.21 VES 1,940

33.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$6.48 VES 5,688

57.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$6.86 VES 6,019

41.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$7.21 VES 6,328

92.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$5.13 VES 4,507

-19.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.51 VES 1,323

1.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.94 VES 1,703

14.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$2.38 VES 2,087

-4.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$2.69 VES 2,360

-26.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$2.02 VES 1,770

-17.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.84 VES 1,618

-35.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$1.84 VES 1,611

-32.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$2.54 VES 2,227

52.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$9.90 VES 8,690

39.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.41 VES 1,236

17.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.20 VES 1,934

9.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.29 VES 252

327.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$50.5 VES 44.3K

54.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$3.17 VES 2,781

-59.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.96 VES 1,720

9.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$3.96 VES 3,477

111.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$0.78 VES 681

73.08%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$30.9K VES 27.2M

12.35%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$42.2K VES 37.0M

-17.79%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$20.04 VES 17.6K

731.59%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$8.62 VES 7,566

58.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$35.81 VES 31.4K

-18.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$36.12 VES 31.7K

24.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$30.52 VES 26.8K

-43.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$4.97 VES 4,367

40.24%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$81.3 VES 71.4K

871.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$2,951 VES 2.6M

206.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$43.65 VES 38.3K

101.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$47.15 VES 41.4K

23.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$93.5 VES 82.1K

48.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$45.93 VES 40.3K

115.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$205 VES 180.2K

400.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$140 VES 122.7K

343.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$281 VES 246.9K

568.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$241 VES 211.4K

318.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$557 VES 488.7K

616.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$386 VES 338.7K

341.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$211 VES 185.5K

213.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Valencia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Valencia

$140 16.8% 77.4% $480

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Valencia

$250 30.1% 15.9% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Valencia

$64 7.7% 69.2% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Valencia

$104 12.4% 40% $69

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Valencia

$164 19.7% 3.9% $6.6

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Valencia

$65 7.8% 32.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Valencia

$46 5.5% 22% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $205 in Valencia. 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 214% 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $34.00 in Valencia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $250 – making Valencia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇻🇪 Valencia

🕒 Local time

18:29 6:29 PM

19:29 7:29 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,299,026

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Valencia 940 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Valencia

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 Valencia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 95%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,250 in Valencia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Valencia, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $34.00 in Valencia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $833 in Valencia. That's a gap of about 95%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Valencia, where all-in costs run around $833, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Valencia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Valencia – 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 Valencia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.