Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Valparaiso

For one person, living is cheaper in Valparaiso: $1,075 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Valparaiso
Learn more

Valparaiso Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Valparaiso

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,075

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Valparaiso

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,075 in Valparaiso, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Valparaiso $1,075

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,582 in Valparaiso, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Valparaiso $1,582

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,090 in Valparaiso, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Valparaiso $2,090

Medellin costs about 52% more than Valparaiso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Valparaiso is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$8.94 CLP 8,882

-9.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$35.36 CLP 35.1K

33.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$8.54 CLP 8,482

11.24%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.75 CLP 2,728

9.45%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.18 CLP 1,170

52.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.83 CLP 822

69.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$3.92 CLP 3,890

-18.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$4.43 CLP 4,400

29.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.23 CLP 1,227

22.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.80 CLP 1,791

32.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.57 CLP 1,559

12.74%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$3.81 CLP 3,788

-24.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.96 CLP 10.9K

-7.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$6.74 CLP 6,698

46.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$8.80 CLP 8,740

58.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.66 CLP 1,649

139.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.55 CLP 1,539

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.52 CLP 1,513

43.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.51 CLP 1,499

44.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.93 CLP 920

110.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.24 CLP 1,231

28.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$1.19 CLP 1,179

-3.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$1.11 CLP 1,104

11.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.17 CLP 4,138

-5.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$5.10 CLP 5,064

168.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.32 CLP 1,310

25.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.77 CLP 1,762

27.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.58 CLP 581

101.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$50.1 CLP 49.7K

54.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$0.42 CLP 417

202.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.83 CLP 823

146.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$3.44 CLP 3,414

148.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.41 CLP 1,404

-4.26%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$14.3K CLP 14.2M

138.72%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$18.6K CLP 18.5M

86.14%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$117 CLP 115.8K

45.47%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$11.94 CLP 11.9K

13.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$18.86 CLP 18.7K

48.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$24.53 CLP 24.4K

78.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$22.75 CLP 22.6K

-24.44%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.24 CLP 7,191

-4.56%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$438 CLP 434.7K

82.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$10.8K CLP 10.8M

-15.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$31.44 CLP 31.2K

169.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$27.41 CLP 27.2K

111.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$54.0 CLP 53.6K

150.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$48.80 CLP 48.5K

100.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$464 CLP 461.1K

160.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$373 CLP 370.1K

72.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$676 CLP 671.7K

199.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$532 CLP 528.8K

90.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$1,526 CLP 1.5M

173.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$991 CLP 984.1K

92.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$725 CLP 720.2K

-9.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.39

102.97%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Valparaiso: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Valparaiso

$373 34.7% 41.9% $269

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Valparaiso

$220 20.5% 26% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Valparaiso

$147 13.7% 30.2% $64

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Valparaiso

$167 15.5% 1.8% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Valparaiso

$73 6.8% 57% $96

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Valparaiso

$57 5.3% 39.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Valparaiso

$39 3.6% 32.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $464 in Valparaiso. 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 10% higher in Valparaiso, 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 $35 in Valparaiso. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $220 – making Valparaiso the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇱 Valparaiso

🕒 Local time

19:03 7:03 PM

21:03 9:03 PM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

251,177

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.07 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.02 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 993 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.01 USD). 1 EUR = 1,109 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.02 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Valparaiso 4,390 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Valparaiso

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 Valparaiso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,613 in Valparaiso. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Valparaiso, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $464 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $35 in Valparaiso. 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 $1,075 in Valparaiso. That makes Valparaiso about 34% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,075 in Valparaiso, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Valparaiso is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 34% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.