Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Punta Arenas and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Punta Arenas: $1,303 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Punta Arenas
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Punta Arenas Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Punta Arenas

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,303

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,303 per month in Punta Arenas vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Punta Arenas $1,303
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,026 per month in Punta Arenas vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Punta Arenas $2,026
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $2,750 per month in Punta Arenas vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Punta Arenas $2,750
Medellin $3,190

Punta Arenas is about 19% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Punta Arenas sits 4% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 CLP 10.6K

$7.93 COP 25.2K

35.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.5 CLP 49.7K

$46.13 COP 146.3K

9.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.05 CLP 7,927

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-15.26%

Cappuccino

$3.87 CLP 3,810

$3.11 COP 9,866

24.44%

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

$2.05 CLP 2,023

$1.83 COP 5,800

12.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 CLP 1,334

$1.38 COP 4,360

-1.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 CLP 3,397

$3.05 COP 9,672

13.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.97 CLP 4,892

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-9.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 CLP 1,250

$1.45 COP 4,600

-12.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 CLP 1,514

$2.36 COP 7,496

-34.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 CLP 1,537

$1.68 COP 5,328

-7.14%

Eggs

$4.05 CLP 3,982

$2.86 COP 9,077

41.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.23 CLP 14.0K

$10.19 COP 32.3K

39.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.14 CLP 9,002

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-4.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 CLP 12.9K

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-6.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 CLP 2,432

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-39.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 CLP 2,143

$1.50 COP 4,742

45.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 CLP 2,119

$2.17 COP 6,891

-0.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.25 CLP 3,196

$2.31 COP 7,310

40.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 CLP 1,385

$1.93 COP 6,113

-26.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 CLP 2,231

$1.64 COP 5,196

38.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 CLP 1,636

$1.13 COP 3,571

46.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 CLP 1,701

$1.25 COP 3,954

38.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.06 CLP 4,981

$3.99 COP 12.6K

26.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.10 CLP 9,947

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-24.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 CLP 1,956

$1.70 COP 5,384

17.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 CLP 2,685

$2.37 COP 7,525

15.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 CLP 582

$1.21 COP 3,827

-51.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.09 CLP 19.8K

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-73.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 CLP 492

$1.32 COP 4,179

-62.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 CLP 1,953

$2.14 COP 6,774

-7.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.19 CLP 12.0K

$8.47 COP 26.8K

43.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 CLP 1,369

$1.30 COP 4,114

6.92%

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

$17.2K CLP 16.9M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-38.53%

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

$23.9K CLP 23.5M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-32.62%

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

$150 CLP 147.6K

$172 COP 545.6K

-12.89%

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

$10.23 CLP 10.1K

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-23.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.84 CLP 20.5K

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-27.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.49 CLP 45.8K

$45.24 COP 143.5K

2.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.32 CLP 44.6K

$17.04 COP 54.0K

165.96%

Cinema Ticket

$6.52 CLP 6,415

$6.28 COP 19.9K

3.82%

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

$406 CLP 399.7K

$770 COP 2.4M

-47.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,212 CLP 6.1M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-31.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CLP 57.1K

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-32.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.53 CLP 39.9K

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-29.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 CLP 94.6K

$137 COP 432.9K

-29.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 CLP 124.8K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

29.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 CLP 568.0K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-45.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 CLP 381.1K

$616 COP 2.0M

-37.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$968 CLP 953.2K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-48.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 CLP 653.3K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-35.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$384 CLP 378.4K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-90.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$803 CLP 790.7K

$652 COP 2.1M

23.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

10.94

-68.92%

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

Last update for Punta Arenas: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Punta Arenas

$387 29.7%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 59.1% $229

Groceries & Markets

Punta Arenas

$300 23%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 1.8% $5.5

Eating Out

Punta Arenas

$197 15.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 14.7% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Punta Arenas

$181 13.9%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 18.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Punta Arenas

$145 11.1%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 17.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Punta Arenas

$60 4.6%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 2.9% $1.7

Getting Around

Punta Arenas

$33 2.5%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 184% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $577 in Punta Arenas versus $1,055 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 23% higher in Punta Arenas, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Punta Arenas versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Punta Arenas

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

2 h behind Punta Arenas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,403

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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Punta Arenas Medellin 6,620 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Punta Arenas
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

Punta Arenas vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,954 per month in Punta Arenas and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Punta Arenas, 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 $51.0 in Punta Arenas and $46.00 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 $1,303 in Punta Arenas and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 24%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Punta Arenas, where all-in costs run around $1,303, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Punta Arenas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Punta Arenas – 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 Punta Arenas. 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.