Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quilmes and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Quilmes: $965 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Quilmes
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Quilmes Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Quilmes

🇦🇷 Argentina

$965

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $965 per month in Quilmes vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Quilmes $965
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,625 per month in Quilmes vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Quilmes $1,625
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $2,285 per month in Quilmes vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Quilmes $2,285
Medellin $3,249

Quilmes is about 43% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Quilmes sits 29% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.65 ARS 8,727

$8.34 COP 26.9K

-32.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.35 ARS 53.1K

$46.53 COP 150.1K

-26.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.09 ARS 14.0K

$9.47 COP 30.6K

-4.01%

Cappuccino

$2.92 ARS 4,518

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-6.71%

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

$1.71 ARS 2,641

$1.77 COP 5,700

-3.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ARS 2,637

$1.42 COP 4,597

20.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.91 ARS 6,046

$3.15 COP 10.2K

24.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ARS 3,507

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-60.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 ARS 1,579

$1.53 COP 4,946

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 ARS 2,421

$2.29 COP 7,394

-31.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 ARS 2,572

$1.94 COP 6,276

-14.43%

Eggs

$2.28 ARS 3,526

$3.07 COP 9,895

-25.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.23 ARS 20.4K

$9.99 COP 32.2K

32.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.91 ARS 9,131

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-43.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 ARS 15.2K

$13.96 COP 45.0K

-29.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 ARS 3,100

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-50.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 ARS 2,358

$1.53 COP 4,932

Oranges (1kg)

$1.05 ARS 1,627

$2.10 COP 6,791

-50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 ARS 4,608

$2.29 COP 7,402

30.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 ARS 1,541

$2.11 COP 6,807

-52.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ARS 979

$1.71 COP 5,515

-63.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ARS 1,104

$1.17 COP 3,776

-39.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ARS 1,133

$1.58 COP 5,099

-53.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ARS 7,651

$3.91 COP 12.6K

26.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.15 ARS 6,416

$14.04 COP 45.3K

-70.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 ARS 1,911

$1.76 COP 5,685

-29.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ARS 3,019

$2.71 COP 8,752

-28.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ARS 1,522

$1.18 COP 3,807

-16.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ARS 2,361

$1.81 COP 5,831

-15.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,587

$2.13 COP 6,871

-51.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ARS 1,695

$1.28 COP 4,115

-14.06%

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

$49.8K ARS 76.9M

$34.4K COP 111.1M

44.49%

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

$38.9K ARS 60.0M

$34.1K COP 110.1M

13.82%

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

$59.9 ARS 92.5K

$178 COP 573.5K

-66.31%

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

$14.37 ARS 22.2K

$13.89 COP 44.8K

3.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.27 ARS 34.4K

$30.74 COP 99.2K

-27.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.86 ARS 49.2K

$41.94 COP 135.4K

-24.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.27 ARS 31.3K

$16.80 COP 54.2K

20.65%

Cinema Ticket

$9.99 ARS 15.4K

$7.47 COP 24.1K

33.73%

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

$233 ARS 359.4K

$790 COP 2.5M

-70.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,175 ARS 6.5M

$12.3K COP 39.7M

-66.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 ARS 147.2K

$86.3 COP 278.6K

10.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.60 ARS 53.5K

$59.3 COP 191.2K

-41.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.1 ARS 99.0K

$138 COP 446.4K

-53.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 ARS 110.3K

$98.8 COP 318.9K

-27.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$516 ARS 797.2K

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-61.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ARS 506.6K

$667 COP 2.2M

-50.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ARS 1.7M

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-45.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$814 ARS 1.3M

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-21.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,356 ARS 3.6M

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-42.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,275 ARS 2.0M

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-34.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,115 ARS 1.7M

$646 COP 2.1M

72.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

100

10.94

814.08%

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

Last update for Quilmes: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quilmes

$328 34%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 104% $339

Groceries & Markets

Quilmes

$213 22.1%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 44.2% $94

Eating Out

Quilmes

$145 15.1%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 18.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Quilmes

$119 12.4%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 44.2% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quilmes

$97 10%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 130% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Quilmes

$52 5.4%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 9.7% $5

Getting Around

Quilmes

$11 * 1.1%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 782% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $516 in Quilmes versus $1,341 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 73% higher in Quilmes, 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 $34 in Quilmes versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $213 vs $307 – making Quilmes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Quilmes

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:12 3:12 PM

13:12 1:12 PM

2 h behind Quilmes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

230,810

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,545 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,730 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Quilmes Medellin 4,910 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Quilmes
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

Quilmes vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 75%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,447 per month in Quilmes and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quilmes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $516 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Quilmes and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 44% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $965 in Quilmes and $1,692 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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