Cost of Living Comparison Between Popayan and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Popayan and Medellin

🙂 Solo nomad: Popayan is 23.3% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 23.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Popayan is 16.7% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 26.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Popayan
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.95 COP 14.2K
$6.14 COP 22.1K
-35.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.78 COP 85.6K
$33.05 COP 119.0K
-28.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.16 COP 25.8K
$7.32 COP 26.4K
-2.19%
Cappuccino
$1.54 COP 5,546
$1.66 COP 5,971
-7.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 COP 3,116
$1.10 COP 3,977
-20.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.61 COP 2,199
$0.78 COP 2,815
-21.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.20 COP 4,306
$1.71 COP 6,172
-29.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 COP 7,646
$3.17 COP 11.4K
-33.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Popayan
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.10 COP 3,953
$1.11 COP 4,002
-0.90%
White Bread (500g)
$1.29 COP 4,648
$1.31 COP 4,707
-1.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.14 COP 4,115
$1.38 COP 4,967
-17.39%
Eggs
$2.14 COP 7,697
$2.22 COP 7,989
-3.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.52 COP 16.3K
$4.34 COP 15.6K
4.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.12 COP 18.5K
$5.80 COP 20.9K
-11.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.37 COP 26.5K
$8.98 COP 32.3K
-17.93%
Apples (1kg)
$2.56 COP 9,231
$2.26 COP 8,143
13.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.12 COP 4,042
$1.11 COP 4,013
0.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.31 COP 4,732
$1.46 COP 5,271
-10.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.85 COP 3,058
$1.37 COP 4,916
-37.96%
Potato (1kg)
$1.17 COP 4,212
$1.11 COP 3,999
5.41%
Onion (1kg)
$1.14 COP 4,100
$1.16 COP 4,188
-1.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.86 COP 3,079
$0.89 COP 3,202
-3.37%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 COP 2,368
$0.87 COP 3,116
-24.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.31 COP 8,312
$2.35 COP 8,473
-1.70%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$10.86 COP 39.1K
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 COP 3,881
$1.20 COP 4,319
-10.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 COP 6,264
$2.48 COP 8,923
-29.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Popayan
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.72 COP 2,603
$0.79 COP 2,835
-8.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.24 COP 108.9K
$40.77 COP 146.8K
-25.83%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 COP 5,129
$1.42 COP 5,124
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.64 COP 5,906
$1.91 COP 6,882
-14.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.89 COP 21.2K
$7.65 COP 27.5K
-23.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.01 COP 3,654
$0.97 COP 3,481
4.12%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.9K COP 64.5M
$18.1K COP 65.2M
-1.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.9K COP 93.1M
$26.3K COP 94.7M
-1.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Popayan
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.9 COP 302.1K
$81.3 COP 292.8K
3.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.26 COP 33.3K
$9.63 COP 34.7K
-3.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.63 COP 81.5K
$24.36 COP 87.7K
-7.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Popayan
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$23.49 COP 84.6K
$26.02 COP 93.7K
-9.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.92 COP 68.1K
-
Cinema Ticket
$3.97 COP 14.3K
$3.89 COP 14.0K
2.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Popayan
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$239 COP 860.5K
$304 COP 1.1M
-21.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,989 COP 21.6M
$5,902 COP 21.3M
1.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Popayan
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.7 COP 215.0K
$58.7 COP 211.3K
1.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.40 COP 116.7K
$32.48 COP 116.9K
-0.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.1 COP 303.0K
$102 COP 366.3K
-17.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.1 COP 259.4K
$108 COP 389.4K
-33.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Popayan
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$278 COP 1.0M
$474 COP 1.7M
-41.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$238 COP 855.2K
$371 COP 1.3M
-35.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$521 COP 1.9M
$848 COP 3.1M
-38.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$429 COP 1.5M
$716 COP 2.6M
-40.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,871 COP 10.3M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,375 COP 5.0M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Popayan
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$542 COP 1.9M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.18
13.43
-1.86%

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

Last update for Popayan: April 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: April 13, 2026

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

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