Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ottawa and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,416 in Ottawa, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ottawa
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Ottawa Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Ottawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,416 per month in Ottawa vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Ottawa $2,416
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $3,537 per month in Ottawa vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Ottawa $3,537
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $4,658 per month in Ottawa vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Ottawa $4,658
Medellin $3,199

Ottawa costs about 49% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ottawa and Medellin sit above the global median – Ottawa by 78%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.62 CA$24.91

$8.30 COP 26.3K

112.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 CA$111

$46.91 COP 148.7K

67.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 CA$15.00

$9.24 COP 29.3K

14.83%

Cappuccino

$4.04 CA$5.71

$3.05 COP 9,676

32.46%

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

$2.08 CA$2.94

$1.80 COP 5,707

15.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$1.38 COP 4,382

26.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 CA$8.08

$3.24 COP 10.3K

76.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 CA$9.14

$5.56 COP 17.6K

16.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 CA$3.39

$1.50 COP 4,760

60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 CA$4.19

$2.37 COP 7,508

24.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.07

$1.70 COP 5,377

69.41%

Eggs

$3.23 CA$4.57

$2.96 COP 9,379

9.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.51 CA$16.27

$10.22 COP 32.4K

12.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.61 CA$16.41

$9.74 COP 30.9K

19.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.02 CA$26.90

$13.90 COP 44.1K

36.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.29

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-9.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 CA$1.79

$1.53 COP 4,839

-16.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.90 CA$5.52

$2.22 COP 7,052

75.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 CA$5.10

$2.27 COP 7,194

59.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.64

$1.99 COP 6,311

29.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$1.67 COP 5,285

43.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$1.18 COP 3,742

121.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$1.24 COP 3,919

18.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.45 CA$20.43

$3.87 COP 12.3K

273.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.47 CA$17.63

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-9.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.68

$1.66 COP 5,256

57.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CA$4.50

$2.40 COP 7,615

32.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.14

$1.24 COP 3,944

136.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 CA$134

$78.2 COP 248.0K

20.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 CA$3.79

$1.28 COP 4,044

109.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 CA$2.16

$2.15 COP 6,803

-28.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.08 CA$26.98

$8.37 COP 26.5K

127.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 CA$1.74

$1.35 COP 4,288

-8.89%

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

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-20.68%

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

$22.3K CA$31.5K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-35.78%

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

$139 CA$196

$167 COP 528.4K

-16.60%

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

$37.37 CA$52.8

$13.62 COP 43.2K

174.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 CA$72.3

$29.12 COP 92.3K

75.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.10 CA$68.0

$45.09 COP 143.0K

6.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.89 CA$39.43

$17.18 COP 54.5K

62.34%

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 CA$17.93

$6.97 COP 22.1K

81.92%

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

$928 CA$1,311

$790 COP 2.5M

17.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

77.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-34.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.28 CA$52.7

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-35.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$146

$139 COP 440.7K

-25.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.5 CA$138

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-1.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,437 CA$2,031

$1,028 COP 3.3M

39.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 CA$1,717

$620 COP 2.0M

96.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,310 CA$3,266

$1,881 COP 6.0M

22.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,871 CA$2,645

$1,008 COP 3.2M

85.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,326 CA$6,115

$3,988 COP 12.6M

8.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,547 CA$6,428

$1,702 COP 5.4M

167.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,730 CA$5,274

$663 COP 2.1M

462.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

10.94

-61.97%

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

Last update for Ottawa: 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

Ottawa

$1.2K 50.3%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 49% $595

Groceries & Markets

Ottawa

$373 15.4%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 20% $75

Eating Out

Ottawa

$278 11.5%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 38.6% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ottawa

$227 9.4%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Ottawa

$133 5.5%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 30% $40

Getting Around

Ottawa

$117 4.8%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 18.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Ottawa

$73 3%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 19.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,437 in Ottawa 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 462% higher in Ottawa, 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 Ottawa versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $373 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Ottawa

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:51 6:51 PM

17:51 5:51 PM

1 h behind Ottawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,000,000 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Ottawa Medellin 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ottawa
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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

Ottawa vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ottawa is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,623 per month in Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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 $2,416 in Ottawa and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 49%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Ottawa at $2,416. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ottawa 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, Ottawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.