Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,064 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,064 per month in Montreal vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Montreal $2,064
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,156 per month in Montreal vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Montreal $3,156
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,247 per month in Montreal vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Montreal $4,247
Medellin $3,186

Montreal costs about 26% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montreal and Medellin sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.55

$8.09 COP 25.6K

134.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$47.05 COP 148.9K

55.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.22

$9.50 COP 30.1K

14.53%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.34

$3.01 COP 9,540

26.58%

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

$1.94 CA$2.71

$1.80 COP 5,693

7.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.41 COP 4,469

12.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.91

$3.18 COP 10.0K

100.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.16

$5.75 COP 18.2K

26.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.11

$1.51 COP 4,778

47.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.44

$2.38 COP 7,524

33.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.63

$1.77 COP 5,606

87.01%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.08

$2.89 COP 9,146

25.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.40

$10.19 COP 32.2K

29.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.17

$9.87 COP 31.2K

17.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.18

$13.99 COP 44.3K

-2.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.60

$3.97 COP 12.6K

-17.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.55 COP 4,911

-5.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.71

$2.18 COP 6,907

54.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.40

$2.18 COP 6,910

44.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.64

$1.96 COP 6,210

-3.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.51

$1.59 COP 5,029

12.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.46

$1.15 COP 3,625

114.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.24 COP 3,934

27.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.78

$3.96 COP 12.5K

184.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.68

$13.68 COP 43.3K

-23.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.27

$1.66 COP 5,252

40.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$2.26 COP 7,145

28.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$1.17 COP 3,696

123.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

$77.4 COP 244.8K

2.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.56

$1.27 COP 4,013

156.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$2.05 COP 6,480

-29.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.76

$8.55 COP 27.1K

290.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.86

$1.35 COP 4,262

-1.48%

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

$28.6K CA$40.0K

$34.1K COP 107.8M

-15.95%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$34.7K COP 109.7M

-39.14%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$170 COP 536.8K

-52.81%

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

$34.30 CA$47.98

$13.55 COP 42.9K

153.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$59.9

$28.07 COP 88.8K

52.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.56

$43.70 COP 138.3K

-28.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.14

$17.19 COP 54.4K

12.91%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.71

$6.91 COP 21.9K

62.52%

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

$525 CA$734

$797 COP 2.5M

-34.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.8K

$9,112 COP 28.8M

79.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.1

$84.7 COP 268.1K

-31.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.3

$58.0 COP 183.4K

-34.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$135 COP 427.1K

-30.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$97.9 COP 309.7K

12.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,797

$1,208 COP 3.8M

6.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,366

$642 COP 2.0M

52.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,176

$2,028 COP 6.4M

11.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,329

$1,012 COP 3.2M

64.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,188

$4,170 COP 13.2M

23.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,363

$1,910 COP 6.0M

100.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,199

$657 COP 2.1M

356.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

10.94

-59.05%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 34.3% $335

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 15.4% $54

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 41.7% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 34.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 25.3% $34

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 6.5% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 7.3% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,285 in Montreal versus $1,208 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 Montreal are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

06:57 6:57 AM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Medellin 4,370 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
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

Montreal vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montreal is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,096 per month in Montreal and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,285 in Montreal and $1,208 in Medellin. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Montreal, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,064 in Montreal and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $2,064 in Montreal. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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