Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oshawa and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,370 in Oshawa, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Oshawa, Canada
Medellin, Colombia
Oshawa
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,370
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,370 per month in Oshawa vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Oshawa $2,370
  • Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $3,414 per month in Oshawa vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Oshawa $3,414
  • Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $4,457 per month in Oshawa vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Oshawa $4,457
  • Medellin $3,249

Oshawa costs about 40% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Oshawa and Medellin sit above the global median – Oshawa by 75%, Medellin by 25%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Oshawa
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.25 CA$19.90
$8.34 COP 26.8K
70.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.6 CA$88.7
$46.53 COP 149.7K
36.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.33 CA$11.63
$9.47 COP 30.5K
-12.04%
Cappuccino
$3.54 CA$4.95
$3.13 COP 10.1K
13.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 CA$2.47
$1.77 COP 5,681
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.36 CA$1.90
$1.42 COP 4,582
-4.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.86 CA$6.79
$3.15 COP 10.1K
54.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.04 CA$8.43
$5.70 COP 18.3K
5.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Oshawa
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.91 CA$4.06
$1.53 COP 4,930
90.20%
White Bread (500g)
$2.91 CA$4.06
$2.29 COP 7,370
27.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.12 CA$5.75
$1.94 COP 6,257
112.37%
Eggs
$2.97 CA$4.14
$3.07 COP 9,864
-3.26%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.14 CA$14.15
$9.99 COP 32.1K
1.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.74 CA$19.19
$10.45 COP 33.6K
31.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.60 CA$23.17
$13.96 COP 44.9K
18.91%
Apples (1kg)
$4.20 CA$5.87
$4.05 COP 13.0K
3.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 CA$1.70
$1.53 COP 4,916
-20.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.94 CA$4.10
$2.10 COP 6,769
40.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.84 CA$5.36
$2.29 COP 7,378
67.69%
Potato (1kg)
$3.36 CA$4.69
$2.11 COP 6,785
59.24%
Onion (1kg)
$2.57 CA$3.59
$1.71 COP 5,498
50.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.35 CA$3.28
$1.17 COP 3,764
100.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.73 CA$2.41
$1.58 COP 5,083
9.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.29 CA$19.95
$3.91 COP 12.6K
265.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.63 CA$17.63
$14.04 COP 45.2K
-10.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.53 CA$4.92
$1.76 COP 5,667
100.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.49 CA$4.87
$2.71 COP 8,724
28.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Oshawa
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.82 CA$3.94
$1.18 COP 3,795
138.98%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$87.1 CA$122
$76.3 COP 245.4K
14.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.74 CA$3.82
$1.81 COP 5,812
51.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 CA$2.00
$2.13 COP 6,849
-32.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.58 CA$27.33
$8.13 COP 26.2K
140.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 CA$1.74
$1.28 COP 4,102
-3.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.8K CA$40.2K
$34.4K COP 110.8M
-16.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.9K CA$32.0K
$34.1K COP 109.8M
-32.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Oshawa
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$139 CA$194
$178 COP 571.7K
-21.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.94 CA$53.0
$13.89 COP 44.7K
173.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.3 CA$75.9
$30.74 COP 98.9K
76.77%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Oshawa
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.91 CA$31.98
$41.94 COP 134.9K
-45.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.28 CA$40.87
$16.80 COP 54.0K
74.29%
Cinema Ticket
$10.86 CA$15.17
$7.47 COP 24.0K
45.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Oshawa
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$922 CA$1,287
$790 COP 2.5M
16.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,083 CA$11.3K
$12.3K COP 39.6M
-34.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Oshawa
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.3 CA$81.4
$86.3 COP 277.7K
-32.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.7 CA$80.5
$59.3 COP 190.6K
-2.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 CA$150
$138 COP 445.0K
-22.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$129 CA$180
$98.8 COP 317.8K
30.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Oshawa
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,400 CA$1,954
$1,341 COP 4.3M
4.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,207 CA$1,685
$667 COP 2.1M
80.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,003 CA$2,795
$1,976 COP 6.4M
1.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,824 CA$2,546
$1,033 COP 3.3M
76.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,158 CA$7,200
$4,098 COP 13.2M
25.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$10.3K CA$14.4K
$1,940 COP 6.2M
432.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Oshawa
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,049 CA$4,256
$646 COP 2.1M
371.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.53
10.94
-58.59%

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

Last update for Oshawa: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Oshawa
$1.2K
Medellin
$667 44.7% $540
Groceries & Markets
Oshawa
$390
Medellin
$307 21.2% $83
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Oshawa
$231
Medellin
$222 3.8% $8.9
Eating Out
Oshawa
$230
Medellin
$173 25.1% $58
Clothing & Footwear
Oshawa
$158
Medellin
$172 8.7% $14
Getting Around
Oshawa
$108
Medellin
$93 13.7% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Oshawa
$45
Medellin
$57 27.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,400 in Oshawa 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 Oshawa are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Oshawa versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $390 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Oshawa
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
18:42 6:42 PM
18:42 6:42 PM
Same time as Oshawa
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
159,458
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Oshawa Medellin 4,200 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Oshawa
  • 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
Oshawa vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Oshawa?
Yes – Oshawa is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,555 per month in Oshawa and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What is the rent difference between Oshawa and Medellin?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,400 in Oshawa and $1,341 in Medellin. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
Is eating out cheaper in Oshawa or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Oshawa and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Oshawa and in Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,370 in Oshawa and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 29% cheaper.
Is Oshawa or Medellin more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Oshawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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