Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Waterloo, Canada

Name: Waterloo
Address: Waterloo, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,234 in Waterloo, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Waterloo
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Waterloo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Waterloo

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,234

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Waterloo

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,234 in Waterloo, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Waterloo $2,234

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,295 in Waterloo, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Waterloo $3,295

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,356 in Waterloo, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Waterloo $4,356

Medellin is about 27% cheaper than Waterloo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Waterloo sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Waterloo by 64%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$17.55 CA$24.52

-53.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$57.2 CA$79.9

-17.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$10.71 CA$14.97

-11.30%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.18 CA$4.45

-5.35%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.95 CA$2.73

-7.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.24 CA$1.73

13.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$5.13 CA$7.17

-38.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$5.76 CA$8.05

-0.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$2.04 CA$2.85

-25.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$2.49 CA$3.48

-4.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.47 CA$3.44

-28.34%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.92 CA$4.08

-1.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$11.35 CA$15.86

-10.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$15.00 CA$20.96

-34.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$16.02 CA$22.38

-12.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.46 CA$4.83

14.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.29 CA$1.81

20.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$3.19 CA$4.46

-31.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$3.42 CA$4.78

-36.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.39 CA$1.94

41.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.92 CA$2.68

-17.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.66 CA$2.32

-30.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.22 CA$1.71

1.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$12.80 CA$17.88

-69.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$9.80 CA$13.69

39.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.61 CA$3.64

-36.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.69 CA$3.76

-15.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$2.88 CA$4.03

-59.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$75.6 CA$106

2.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.47 CA$3.45

-48.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.81 CA$2.54

13.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$28.17 CA$39.36

-69.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.19 CA$1.67

13.45%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$26.9K CA$37.6K

26.63%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$20.6K CA$28.7K

68.52%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$147 CA$205

15.79%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$27.82 CA$38.86

-51.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$42.76 CA$59.7

-34.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$33.77 CA$47.19

29.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$19.23 CA$26.86

-10.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$10.90 CA$15.22

-36.61%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$444 CA$620

79.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$15.7K CA$21.9K

-41.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$64.4 CA$90.0

31.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$32.79 CA$45.82

76.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$81.9 CA$114

64.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$76.6 CA$107

27.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$1,443 CA$2,016

-16.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,141 CA$1,594

-43.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$2,161 CA$3,019

-6.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,905 CA$2,661

-46.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$5,280 CA$7,377

-21.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$4,609 CA$6,440

-58.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,129 CA$4,371

-79.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.22

109.58%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Waterloo: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Waterloo

$1.1K 51.1% 77.9% $500

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Waterloo

$346 15.5% 16.6% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Waterloo

$217 9.7% 2.8% $5.8

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Waterloo

$261 11.7% 53.7% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Waterloo

$115 5.2% 31.9% $54

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Waterloo

$99 4.4% 5.5% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Waterloo

$56 2.5% 3.4% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,443 in Waterloo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Waterloo are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $57 in Waterloo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $346 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇦 Waterloo

🕒 Local time

00:25 12:25 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

121,436

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Waterloo 4,160 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Waterloo

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 Waterloo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Waterloo is pricier by about 36%, 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 $3,352 in Waterloo. 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 $1,443 in Waterloo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $57 in Waterloo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $2,234 in Waterloo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,234 in Waterloo. 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, Waterloo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.