Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merida, Venezuela and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $814 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Merida

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$814

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Merida and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Merida and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $814 per month in Merida vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Merida $814
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,415 per month in Merida vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Merida $1,415
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $2,015 per month in Merida vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Merida $2,015
Medellin $3,249

Merida is about 52% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Merida sits 40% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.12 VES 10.8K

$8.34 COP 26.8K

45.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.9 VES 52.6K

$46.53 COP 149.7K

26.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 VES 9,947

$9.47 COP 30.5K

17.63%

Cappuccino

$2.44 VES 2,180

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-22.04%

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

$2.14 VES 1,906

$1.77 COP 5,681

20.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 VES 1,167

$1.42 COP 4,582

-7.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 VES 1,819

$3.15 COP 10.1K

-35.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 VES 2,647

$5.70 COP 18.3K

-48.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 VES 1,826

$1.53 COP 4,930

33.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 VES 2,906

$2.29 COP 7,370

42.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 VES 1,716

$1.94 COP 6,257

-1.03%

Eggs

$2.50 VES 2,236

$3.07 COP 9,864

-18.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.78 VES 6,049

$9.99 COP 32.1K

-32.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.84 VES 7,001

$10.45 COP 33.6K

-24.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 VES 6,786

$13.96 COP 44.9K

-45.56%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 VES 4,484

$4.05 COP 13.0K

23.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 VES 1,249

$1.53 COP 4,916

-8.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 VES 2,502

$2.10 COP 6,769

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 VES 2,027

$2.29 COP 7,378

-0.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 VES 1,840

$2.11 COP 6,785

-2.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 VES 1,171

$1.71 COP 5,498

-23.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 VES 1,337

$1.17 COP 3,764

28.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 VES 2,254

$1.58 COP 5,083

60.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 VES 3,313

$3.91 COP 12.6K

-5.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.91 VES 9,743

$14.04 COP 45.2K

-22.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 VES 1,250

$1.76 COP 5,667

-20.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 VES 1,967

$2.71 COP 8,724

-18.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 VES 281

$1.18 COP 3,795

-73.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 245.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 VES 3,670

$1.81 COP 5,812

127.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 VES 1,361

$2.13 COP 6,849

-28.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.93 VES 5,290

$8.13 COP 26.2K

-27.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 VES 652

$1.28 COP 4,102

-42.97%

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

$44.6K VES 39.8M

$34.4K COP 110.8M

29.51%

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

$49.2K VES 43.9M

$34.1K COP 109.8M

44.18%

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

$12.43 VES 11.1K

$178 COP 571.7K

-93.01%

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

$10.35 VES 9,235

$13.89 COP 44.7K

-25.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 VES 26.9K

$30.74 COP 98.9K

-1.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.77 VES 26.6K

$41.94 COP 134.9K

-29.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.15 VES 13.5K

$16.80 COP 54.0K

-9.82%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 VES 4,429

$7.47 COP 24.0K

-33.60%

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

$87.0 VES 77.7K

$790 COP 2.5M

-88.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,440 VES 2.2M

$12.3K COP 39.6M

-80.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.6 VES 66.6K

$86.3 COP 277.7K

-13.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.01 VES 37.5K

$59.3 COP 190.6K

-29.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 VES 88.0K

$138 COP 445.0K

-28.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 VES 86.0K

$98.8 COP 317.8K

-2.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$136 VES 121.1K

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-89.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$91.5 VES 81.7K

$667 COP 2.1M

-86.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 VES 198.1K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-88.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 VES 171.5K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-81.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,192 VES 1.1M

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-70.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,216 VES 1.1M

$1,940 COP 6.2M

-37.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$286 VES 255.3K

$646 COP 2.1M

-55.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

128.52%

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

Last update for Merida: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Merida

$287 35.3%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 6.9% $20

Eating Out

Merida

$190 23.3%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 9% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Merida

$140 17.2%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 22.9% $32

Accommodation & Living

Merida

$91 11.2%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 629% $576

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merida

$53 6.5%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 320% $169

Sport & Entertainment

Merida

$40 4.9%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 43.3% $17

Getting Around

Merida

$13 * 1.6%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 620% $80

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $136 in Merida versus $1,341 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Merida versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in Merida vs $307 in Medellin – so Merida wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Merida

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

00:39 12:39 AM

23:39 11:39 PM

1 h behind Merida

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

250,303

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 VES = 11.2 USD

10,000 VES = 9.98 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to VES – Venezuelan Bolívar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Bolívar (Bs.S)

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 893 VES (1,000 VES = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 1,002 VES (10,000 VES = 9.98 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to VES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Merida Medellin 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Merida
Medellin

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

Merida vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 108%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,221 per month in Merida and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Merida, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $136 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Merida and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $814 in Merida and $1,692 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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