Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panajachel and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Panajachel: $745 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Panajachel

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$745

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $745 per month in Panajachel vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Panajachel $745
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,242 per month in Panajachel vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Panajachel $1,242
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $1,739 per month in Panajachel vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Panajachel $1,739
Medellin $3,249

Panajachel is about 56% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Panajachel sits 45% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.89 Q 52.6

$8.34 COP 27.0K

-17.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 Q 378

$46.53 COP 150.9K

6.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.91 Q 60.4

$9.47 COP 30.7K

-16.47%

Cappuccino

$3.42 Q 26.11

$3.13 COP 10.2K

9.27%

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

$1.16 Q 8.83

$1.77 COP 5,728

-34.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 Q 7.08

$1.42 COP 4,620

-34.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 Q 24.29

$3.15 COP 10.2K

0.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.72 Q 36.01

$5.70 COP 18.5K

-17.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 Q 16.00

$1.53 COP 4,971

37.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 Q 23.54

$2.29 COP 7,431

34.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 Q 16.27

$1.94 COP 6,308

9.79%

Eggs

$2.35 Q 17.92

$3.07 COP 9,945

-23.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.33 Q 48.32

$9.99 COP 32.4K

-36.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 Q 72.9

$10.45 COP 33.9K

-8.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 Q 103

$13.96 COP 45.3K

-3.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 Q 28.90

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-6.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 Q 12.63

$1.53 COP 4,957

7.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 Q 21.66

$2.10 COP 6,825

35.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 Q 12.45

$2.29 COP 7,439

-28.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 Q 11.70

$2.11 COP 6,841

-27.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 Q 15.89

$1.71 COP 5,543

21.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 Q 5.18

$1.17 COP 3,795

-41.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 Q 8.90

$1.58 COP 5,125

-25.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 Q 30.73

$3.91 COP 12.7K

2.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.24 Q 62.9

$14.04 COP 45.6K

-41.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 Q 13.06

$1.76 COP 5,714

-2.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 Q 20.78

$2.71 COP 8,796

0.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 Q 39.57

$1.81 COP 5,860

186.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.60 Q 81.0

$8.13 COP 26.4K

30.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 Q 10.24

$1.28 COP 4,136

4.69%

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

$27.1K Q 206.6K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

-21.44%

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

$25.2K Q 192.7K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-26.06%

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

$72.7 Q 555

$178 COP 576.4K

-59.12%

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

$29.08 Q 222

$13.89 COP 45.0K

109.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.40 Q 347

$30.74 COP 99.7K

47.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 Q 48.84

$7.47 COP 24.2K

-14.32%

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

$338 Q 2,582

$790 COP 2.6M

-57.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,571 Q 50.2K

$12.3K COP 39.9M

-46.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.15 Q 375

$86.3 COP 280.0K

-43.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.06 Q 359

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-20.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 Q 880

$138 COP 448.7K

-16.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 Q 845

$98.8 COP 320.5K

12.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

10.94

6.22%

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

Last update for Panajachel: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panajachel

–

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Groceries & Markets

Panajachel

–

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panajachel

–

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Eating Out

Panajachel

–

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Panajachel

–

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Getting Around

Panajachel

–

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Panajachel

–

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Panajachel versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $281 in Panajachel vs $307 in Medellin – so Panajachel wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Panajachel

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

01:29 1:29 AM

1 h ahead of Panajachel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,142

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.54 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Panajachel Medellin 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Panajachel
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

Panajachel vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 127%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,117 per month in Panajachel and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Panajachel and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Panajachel costs $745 versus $1,692 in Medellin. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.