Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterey, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $3,616 in Monterey, CA, rent and utilities included – about $23,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

173

Cost of Living Index in Monterey, CA
Learn more

Monterey, CA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Monterey, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,616

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterey, CA 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 Monterey, CA and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,616 per month in Monterey, CA vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Monterey, CA $3,616
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $5,349 per month in Monterey, CA vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Monterey, CA $5,349
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $7,082 per month in Monterey, CA vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Monterey, CA $7,082
Medellin $3,199

Monterey, CA costs about 123% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Monterey, CA and Medellin sit above the global median – Monterey, CA by 167%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.27 $20.27

$8.30 COP 26.3K

144.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 $78.6

$46.91 COP 148.7K

67.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.10 $12.10

$9.24 COP 29.3K

30.95%

Cappuccino

$5.22 $5.22

$3.05 COP 9,676

71.15%

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

$3.20 $3.20

$1.80 COP 5,707

77.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.38 COP 4,382

17.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 $5.45

$3.24 COP 10.3K

68.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.06 $6.06

$5.56 COP 17.6K

8.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.50 COP 4,760

10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.37 COP 7,508

33.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.70 COP 5,377

54.71%

Eggs

$4.57 $4.57

$2.96 COP 9,379

54.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.57 $9.57

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-6.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.38 $13.38

$9.74 COP 30.9K

37.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.12 $6.12

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-55.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 $3.66

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-11.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.53 COP 4,839

-21.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.22 COP 7,052

45.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.27 COP 7,194

76.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.99 COP 6,311

38.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.67 COP 5,285

17.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.18 COP 3,742

47.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.24 COP 3,919

0.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.59 $11.59

$3.87 COP 12.3K

199.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.31 $17.31

$13.78 COP 43.7K

25.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.66 COP 5,256

64.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.40 COP 7,615

-22.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.24 COP 3,944

62.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 $52.9

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-32.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.28 COP 4,044

23.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.15 COP 6,803

-55.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.04 $35.04

$8.37 COP 26.5K

318.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.35 COP 4,288

13.33%

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

$28.9K $28.9K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-16.90%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-25.64%

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

$238 $238

$167 COP 528.4K

42.86%

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

$75.1 $75.1

$13.62 COP 43.2K

451.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.7 $71.7

$29.12 COP 92.3K

146.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.1 $84.1

$45.09 COP 143.0K

86.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.63 $10.63

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-38.13%

Cinema Ticket

$12.75 $12.75

$6.97 COP 22.1K

82.93%

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

$555 $555

$790 COP 2.5M

-29.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K $12.5K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

38.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.8 $76.8

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-12.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$90.2 $90.2

$58.2 COP 184.4K

55.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 $129

$139 COP 440.7K

-7.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$98.9 COP 313.5K

36.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,490 $2,490

$1,028 COP 3.3M

142.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,205 $2,205

$620 COP 2.0M

255.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,056 $4,056

$1,881 COP 6.0M

115.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,027 $4,027

$1,008 COP 3.2M

299.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,909 $7,909

$3,988 COP 12.6M

98.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,838 $5,838

$1,702 COP 5.4M

243.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,771 $4,771

$663 COP 2.1M

619.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

10.94

-39.49%

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

Last update for Monterey, CA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterey, CA

$2.2K 61%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 71.9% $1.6K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterey, CA

$385 10.6%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 45.6% $176

Groceries & Markets

Monterey, CA

$335 9.3%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 11.2% $38

Eating Out

Monterey, CA

$320 8.8%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 46.6% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Monterey, CA

$194 5.4%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 10.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Monterey, CA

$110 3%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 46.1% $51

Getting Around

Monterey, CA

$67 1.9%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 41.5% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,490 in Monterey, CA versus $1,028 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 run about 619% higher in Monterey, CA, 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 $79.0 in Monterey, CA versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $335 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monterey, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

08:16 8:16 AM

2 h ahead of Monterey, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,803

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monterey, CA Medellin 5,780 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterey, CA
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

Monterey, CA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Monterey, CA is pricier by about 123%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,424 per month in Monterey, CA and $2,437 in Medellin. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Monterey, CA and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,616 in Monterey, CA and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 123%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Monterey, CA at $3,616. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterey, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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