Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Varas and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Varas: $1,133 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Varas
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Puerto Varas Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Puerto Varas

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,133

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,133 per month in Puerto Varas vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Puerto Varas $1,133
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $1,620 per month in Puerto Varas vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Puerto Varas $1,620
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $2,107 per month in Puerto Varas vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Puerto Varas $2,107
Medellin $3,199

Puerto Varas is about 30% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Puerto Varas sits 16% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.04 CLP 11.9K

$8.30 COP 26.3K

45.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.38 CLP 39.7K

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-13.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.80 CLP 7,676

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-15.58%

Cappuccino

$3.25 CLP 3,195

$3.05 COP 9,676

6.56%

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

$0.99 CLP 975

$1.80 COP 5,707

-45.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 CLP 817

$1.38 COP 4,382

-39.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 CLP 1,082

$1.50 COP 4,760

-26.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 CLP 1,850

$2.37 COP 7,508

-20.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 CLP 1,533

$1.70 COP 5,377

-8.24%

Eggs

$3.06 CLP 3,007

$2.96 COP 9,379

3.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 CLP 8,384

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-16.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.70 CLP 4,623

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-51.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.94 CLP 8,798

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-35.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,667

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-59.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 CLP 1,954

$1.53 COP 4,839

29.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 CLP 2,461

$2.22 COP 7,052

12.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 CLP 1,873

$2.27 COP 7,194

-16.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 CLP 1,532

$1.99 COP 6,311

-21.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 CLP 1,186

$1.67 COP 5,285

-27.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 CLP 1,295

$1.18 COP 3,742

11.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 CLP 1,117

$1.24 COP 3,919

-8.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.16 CLP 5,077

$3.87 COP 12.3K

33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.50 CLP 4,434

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-67.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 CLP 1,403

$1.66 COP 5,256

-13.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 CLP 1,200

$2.40 COP 7,615

-49.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 CLP 1,081

$1.24 COP 3,944

-11.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

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

$251 CLP 246.9K

$167 COP 528.4K

50.51%

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

$16.43 CLP 16.2K

$13.62 COP 43.2K

20.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.04 CLP 30.6K

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-31.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

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

$504 CLP 496.0K

$790 COP 2.5M

-36.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,079 CLP 6.0M

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-32.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.68 CLP 20.4K

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-76.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.05 CLP 14.8K

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-74.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.7 CLP 59.7K

$139 COP 440.7K

-56.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$603 CLP 593.5K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-41.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$413 CLP 406.4K

$620 COP 2.0M

-33.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 CLP 797.9K

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-56.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$621 CLP 611.8K

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-38.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$528 CLP 519.4K

$663 COP 2.1M

-20.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Puerto Varas: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Varas

$413 36.4%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 50% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Varas

$267 * 23.6%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 21.6% $58

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Varas

$209 18.4%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 42.9% $89

Eating Out

Puerto Varas

$166 * 14.6%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 2.9% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Varas

$43 * 3.8%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 298% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Varas

$31 * 2.7%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 90.2% $28

Getting Around

Puerto Varas

$4.4 * 0.4%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 2068% $91

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $603 in Puerto Varas 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 26% higher in Medellin, 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 $40.00 in Puerto Varas versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $298 – making Puerto Varas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Puerto Varas

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:24 10:24 AM

08:24 8:24 AM

2 h behind Puerto Varas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,255

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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 CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Puerto Varas Medellin 5,300 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Varas
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

Puerto Varas vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,700 per month in Puerto Varas 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 Puerto Varas, 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 $40.00 in Puerto Varas and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 43% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Puerto Varas, where all-in costs run around $1,133, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Puerto Varas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Puerto Varas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Puerto Varas. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.