Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Van

For one person, living is cheaper in Van: $956 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Van
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Van Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Van

🇹🇷 Turkey

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Van

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $956 in Van, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Van $956

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,536 in Van, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Van $1,536

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,116 in Van, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Van $2,116

Medellin costs about 71% more than Van, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Van is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$7.48 ₺373

8.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$34.59 ₺1,723

36.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.93 ₺395

19.80%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.57 ₺178

-15.69%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.14 ₺56.6

57.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.42 ₺21.17

235.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$3.33 ₺166

-4.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.10 ₺154

85.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$0.96 ₺47.67

57.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.00 ₺49.80

138.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.25 ₺112

-21.33%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.48 ₺73.9

95.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$8.99 ₺448

13.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$4.07 ₺203

142.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$22.62 ₺1,127

-38.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.82 ₺90.9

118.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.83 ₺91.1

-15.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.09 ₺54.3

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.15 ₺57.4

89.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.52 ₺25.73

276.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.35 ₺17.44

354.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.74 ₺36.87

55.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.61 ₺30.53

103.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.16 ₺108

83.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$10.36 ₺516

32.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,222

$2.01 ₺99.9

-17.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,104

$2.79 ₺139

-19.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.73 ₺36.59

60.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.30 ₺64.6

-2.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.76 ₺37.85

169.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$7.21 ₺359

18.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.28 ₺64.0

5.47%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$42.2K ₺2.1M

-19.35%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$38.9K ₺1.9M

-10.89%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$79.9 ₺3,981

112.33%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$10.46 ₺521

29.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$13.39 ₺667

109.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$57.0 ₺2,841

-23.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$6.49 ₺324

6.47%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$624 ₺31.1K

27.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$11.4K ₺566.1K

-19.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$45.86 ₺2,285

84.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$33.35 ₺1,661

73.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$79.7 ₺3,969

69.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$88.8 ₺4,425

10.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$469 ₺23.4K

157.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$278 ₺13.9K

130.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$816 ₺40.6K

148.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$586 ₺29.2K

72.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,491 ₺74.3K

179.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$968 ₺48.2K

97.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

41.33

-73.53%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Van: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Van

$278 29.1% 56.6% $363

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Van

$229 23.9% 23% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Van

$104 10.9% 50.9% $108

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Van

$156 16.3% 8.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Van

$111 11.7% 34% $58

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Van

$8 * 0.8% 91.4% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Van

$70 7.3% 21.7% $12

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 $469 in Van. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $35 in Van. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $229 – making Van the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇷 Van

🕒 Local time

06:56 6:56 AM

14:56 2:56 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,141,015

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.82 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.45 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Van 12,010 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Van

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 Van: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 71%, 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 $1,434 in Van. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Van, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $469 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $35 in Van. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% 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 Van – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.