Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Vilcabamba

For one person, living is cheaper in Vilcabamba: $943 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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 Vilcabamba
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Vilcabamba Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Vilcabamba

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$943

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Vilcabamba

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $943 in Vilcabamba, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Vilcabamba $943

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,400 in Vilcabamba, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Vilcabamba $1,400

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,857 in Vilcabamba, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Vilcabamba $1,857

Medellin costs about 74% more than Vilcabamba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Vilcabamba is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.53 $3.53

129.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$29.95 $29.95

57.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$8.06 $8.06

17.87%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.20 $2.20

36.82%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.97 $0.97

85.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.07 $1.07

31.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.03 $2.03

56.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.45 $3.45

66.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.04 $1.04

45.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.79 $1.79

32.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.47 $1.47

20.41%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.48 $2.48

16.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.29 $8.29

22.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$5.14 $5.14

92.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.24 $7.24

93.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.87 $1.87

112.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.10 $1.10

40.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.21 $1.21

80.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.13 $1.13

92.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.93 $0.93

110.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.09 $1.09

45.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.81 $0.81

41.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.02 $1.02

21.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$5.22 $5.22

-24.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$11.20 $11.20

22.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.64 $1.64

1.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.78 $2.78

-18.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.34 $0.34

244.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.40 $1.40

-9.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.23 $1.23

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$10.09 $10.09

-15.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.68 $0.68

98.53%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$22.9K $22.9K

48.94%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$29.8K $29.8K

16.51%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$34.34 $34.34

394.03%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$13.49 $13.49

0.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$36.53 $36.53

-23.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$30.19 $30.19

44.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$16.60 $16.60

3.55%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.34 $6.34

8.99%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$341 $341

133.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$6,293 $6,293

44.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$61.1 $61.1

38.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$44.77 $44.77

29.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$92.3 $92.3

46.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$72.6 $72.6

34.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$383 $383

215.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$381 $381

68.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$618 $618

228.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$572 $572

77.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,295 $1,295

221.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,087 $1,087

75.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$448 $448

46.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.09

8.42%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Vilcabamba: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Vilcabamba

$381 40.4% 40.6% $260

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Vilcabamba

$200 21.2% 32.8% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Vilcabamba

$84 9% 60.1% $127

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Vilcabamba

$104 11% 38.6% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Vilcabamba

$122 12.9% 27.9% $47

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Vilcabamba

$8.9 * 0.9% 90.5% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Vilcabamba

$43 4.6% 25.5% $15

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 $383 in Vilcabamba. 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 47% 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 in Medellin versus $30 in Vilcabamba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $200 – making Vilcabamba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇨 Vilcabamba

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR 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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Vilcabamba 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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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 Vilcabamba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,414 in Vilcabamba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vilcabamba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $383 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $30 in Vilcabamba. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $943 in Vilcabamba. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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