Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Villa María

For one person, living is cheaper in Villa María: $1,294 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Villa María
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Villa María Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Villa María

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Villa María

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,294 in Villa María, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Villa María $1,294

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,065 in Villa María, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Villa María $2,065

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,837 in Villa María, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Villa María $2,837

Medellin costs about 27% more than Villa María, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Villa María is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$16.51 ARS 25.5K

-51.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.8K

$52.1 ARS 80.5K

-9.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$13.86 ARS 21.4K

-31.46%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,729

$3.84 ARS 5,927

-21.61%

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

$1.80 COP 5,806

$2.54 ARS 3,922

-29.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,558

$1.78 ARS 2,753

-20.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$4.04 ARS 6,241

-21.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.91 ARS 6,036

47.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,873

$1.27 ARS 1,962

18.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,673

$2.12 ARS 3,278

12.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,716

$2.04 ARS 3,149

-13.24%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,327

$2.99 ARS 4,625

-3.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.06 ARS 15.5K

1.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$7.87 ARS 12.2K

25.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$11.77 ARS 18.2K

18.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.34 ARS 3,618

69.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,009

$2.36 ARS 3,642

-34.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,044

$1.43 ARS 2,212

52.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$2.68 ARS 4,141

-18.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,333

$1.03 ARS 1,599

90.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,129

$0.87 ARS 1,349

82.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,012

$1.56 ARS 2,416

-20.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.21 ARS 4,961

23.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$5.29 ARS 8,177

158.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,356

$1.92 ARS 2,969

-13.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,286

$3.49 ARS 5,396

-35.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,769

$1.12 ARS 1,725

4.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,092

$1.63 ARS 2,525

-22.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,608

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,346

$1.28 ARS 1,978

5.47%

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

$34.1K COP 109.9M

$25.5K ARS 39.3M

33.83%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$34.2K ARS 52.8M

1.48%

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

$170 COP 547.5K

$129 ARS 199.5K

31.39%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$16.95 ARS 26.2K

-20.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$27.60 ARS 42.6K

1.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.0K

$28.53 ARS 44.1K

53.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$18.00 ARS 27.8K

-4.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$10.10 ARS 15.6K

-31.58%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$259 ARS 400.0K

207.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$4,375 ARS 6.8M

108.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.4K

$101 ARS 155.4K

-15.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.0K

$74.1 ARS 114.5K

-21.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.5K

$120 ARS 185.4K

12.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.8K

$113 ARS 174.0K

-13.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$541 ARS 836.0K

123.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$362 ARS 559.9K

77.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,133 ARS 1.8M

78.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$724 ARS 1.1M

39.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,313 ARS 2.0M

45.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

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 25, 2026

Last update for Villa María: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Villa María

$362 28% 43.5% $279

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Villa María

$255 * 19.7% 14.3% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Villa María

$174 13.4% 17.8% $38

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Villa María

$265 20.5% 56.3% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Villa María

$183 14.2% 8.5% $14

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Villa María

$6.1 * 0.5% 93.5% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Villa María

$49 3.8% 15.3% $8.8

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 $541 in Villa María. 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 $52 in Villa María. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $255 in Villa María – so Villa María wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇷 Villa María

🕒 Local time

22:08 10:08 PM

00:08 12:08 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

80,006

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,617 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,545 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,732 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.77 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Villa María 4,500 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Villa María

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 Villa María: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 27%, 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 $1,941 in Villa María. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Villa María, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $541 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $52 in Villa María. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Villa María, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Villa María it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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