Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oranjestad and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,346 in Oranjestad, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Oranjestad
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Oranjestad Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Oranjestad

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,346

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,346 per month in Oranjestad vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Oranjestad $2,346
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $4,175 per month in Oranjestad vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Oranjestad $4,175
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $6,004 per month in Oranjestad vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Oranjestad $6,004
Medellin $3,186

Oranjestad costs about 43% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Oranjestad and Medellin sit above the global median – Oranjestad by 72%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.02 AWG 39.40

$8.09 COP 26.1K

172.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 AWG 142

$47.05 COP 151.9K

68.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.15 AWG 18.17

$9.50 COP 30.7K

6.84%

Cappuccino

$4.33 AWG 7.74

$3.01 COP 9,735

43.85%

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

$1.48 AWG 2.65

$1.80 COP 5,809

-17.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 AWG 2.99

$1.41 COP 4,561

18.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 AWG 5.32

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-6.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 AWG 6.99

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-32.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 AWG 3.43

$1.51 COP 4,876

27.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 AWG 5.17

$2.38 COP 7,678

21.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 AWG 5.06

$1.77 COP 5,720

59.89%

Eggs

$5.36 AWG 9.59

$2.89 COP 9,333

85.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.53 AWG 22.42

$10.19 COP 32.9K

22.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 AWG 16.41

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-7.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.36 AWG 22.12

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-11.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 AWG 8.47

$3.97 COP 12.8K

19.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 AWG 4.12

$1.55 COP 5,012

48.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 AWG 9.14

$2.18 COP 7,048

134.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 AWG 6.37

$2.18 COP 7,051

63.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 AWG 3.87

$1.96 COP 6,337

10.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 AWG 3.63

$1.59 COP 5,132

27.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.59 AWG 4.63

$1.15 COP 3,699

125.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 AWG 2.84

$1.24 COP 4,014

28.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.17 AWG 18.19

$3.96 COP 12.8K

156.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 AWG 18.24

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-25.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.95 AWG 7.08

$1.66 COP 5,359

137.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 AWG 7.90

$2.26 COP 7,291

95.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.14 AWG 3.83

$1.17 COP 3,771

82.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.60 AWG 54.8

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-60.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$16.76 AWG 30.00

$1.27 COP 4,094

1219.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.90 AWG 6.98

$2.05 COP 6,612

90.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.70 AWG 44.20

$8.55 COP 27.6K

188.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 AWG 3.67

$1.35 COP 4,349

51.85%

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

$26.3K AWG 47.1K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-22.68%

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

$34.9K AWG 62.5K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

0.75%

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

$256 AWG 458

$170 COP 547.8K

50.83%

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

$48.94 AWG 87.6

$13.55 COP 43.8K

261.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$107 AWG 191

$28.07 COP 90.6K

280.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.3 AWG 113

$43.70 COP 141.1K

44.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.89 AWG 46.32

$17.19 COP 55.5K

50.61%

Cinema Ticket

$11.75 AWG 21.02

$6.91 COP 22.3K

70.04%

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

$252 AWG 451

$797 COP 2.6M

-68.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,767 AWG 15.7K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-3.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 AWG 105

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-30.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 AWG 92.0

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-11.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 AWG 191

$135 COP 435.8K

-20.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 AWG 188

$97.9 COP 316.0K

7.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 AWG 1,668

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-22.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$967 AWG 1,731

$642 COP 2.1M

50.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,676 AWG 4,790

$2,028 COP 6.5M

32.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 AWG 5,408

$1,012 COP 3.3M

198.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,284 AWG 4,087

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-45.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 AWG 3,059

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-10.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,690 AWG 3,024

$657 COP 2.1M

157.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.25

10.94

-42.87%

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

Last update for Oranjestad: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oranjestad

$967 41.3%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 33.7% $326

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oranjestad

$412 17.5%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 48.7% $200

Groceries & Markets

Oranjestad

$366 15.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 18.9% $69

Eating Out

Oranjestad

$294 12.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 42.3% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Oranjestad

$145 6.2%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 16.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Oranjestad

$87 3.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 33.7% $29

Getting Around

Oranjestad

$75 3.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 24% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $932 in Oranjestad 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 Oranjestad are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Oranjestad versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $366 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Oranjestad

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:12 2:12 AM

01:12 1:12 AM

1 h behind Oranjestad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,000 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.5 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to AWG – Aruban Florin Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇼 Aruban Florin (ƒ)

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2 AWG (1 AWG = 0.5 EUR).

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).

USD to AWG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Oranjestad Medellin 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Oranjestad
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

Oranjestad vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Oranjestad is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,519 per month in Oranjestad and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Oranjestad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $932 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Oranjestad and $47 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 $2,346 in Oranjestad and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 30% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,346 in Oranjestad. 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, Oranjestad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.