Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Vaughan

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,476 in Vaughan, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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
120

Cost of Living Index in Vaughan
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Vaughan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Vaughan

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,476

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Vaughan

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,476 in Vaughan, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Vaughan $2,476

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,872 in Vaughan, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Vaughan $3,872

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $5,267 in Vaughan, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Vaughan $5,267

Medellin is about 34% cheaper than Vaughan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Vaughan sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Vaughan by 82%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$17.09 CA$23.88

-52.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$71.7 CA$100

-34.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$9.90 CA$13.84

-4.04%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$3.80 CA$5.32

-20.79%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$2.16 CA$3.01

-16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.71 CA$2.39

-17.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$5.70 CA$7.96

-44.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$6.44 CA$9.00

-10.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.98 CA$2.76

-23.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$2.22 CA$3.10

7.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$2.70 CA$3.78

-34.44%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$3.04 CA$4.25

-4.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.65 CA$13.48

5.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$12.11 CA$16.92

-18.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$14.05 CA$19.64

-0.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.45 CA$4.83

15.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.34 CA$1.87

15.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$3.16 CA$4.41

-31.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$3.44 CA$4.80

-36.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.68 CA$2.34

16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.90 CA$2.66

-16.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$2.28 CA$3.19

-49.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$1.26 CA$1.76

-1.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$12.69 CA$17.73

-68.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$13.30 CA$18.58

2.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.99 CA$2.78

-16.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.41 CA$1.97

60.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$2.95 CA$4.12

-60.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$113 CA$158

-31.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$3.05 CA$4.26

-58.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.21 CA$1.69

69.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$22.31 CA$31.17

-61.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.18 CA$1.65

14.41%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$28.7K CA$40.1K

18.85%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$20.2K CA$28.2K

71.77%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$113 CA$157

50.76%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$29.62 CA$41.39

-54.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$49.75 CA$69.5

-43.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$30.89 CA$43.16

41.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$21.55 CA$30.11

-20.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$10.36 CA$14.47

-33.30%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$722 CA$1,008

10.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$16.7K CA$23.4K

-45.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$43.33 CA$60.6

95.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$44.36 CA$62.0

30.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$106 CA$149

26.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$107 CA$149

-8.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,794 CA$2,506

-32.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,370 CA$1,915

-53.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$3,421 CA$4,780

-40.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$2,701 CA$3,774

-62.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$7,654 CA$10.7K

-45.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$5,523 CA$7,717

-65.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,084 CA$4,310

-78.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.26

107.98%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Vaughan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Vaughan

$1.4K 55.4% 114% $729

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Vaughan

$324 13.1% 9.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Vaughan

$192 7.8% 9.2% $19

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Vaughan

$269 10.9% 58.5% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Vaughan

$135 5.5% 19.8% $34

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Vaughan

$134 5.4% 43% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Vaughan

$52 2.1% 10.3% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,794 in Vaughan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Vaughan are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $72 in Vaughan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $324 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 Vaughan

🕒 Local time

19:06 7:06 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

323,103

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Vaughan 4,190 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Vaughan

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 Vaughan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Vaughan is pricier by about 51%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,714 in Vaughan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,794 in Vaughan.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $72 in Vaughan. 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 $2,476 in Vaughan. That makes Medellin about 34% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,476 in Vaughan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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