Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rancho Cucamonga, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $3,385 in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, rent and utilities included – about $21,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

164

Cost of Living Index in Rancho Cucamonga, CA
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Rancho Cucamonga, CA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Rancho Cucamonga, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,385

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,385 per month in Rancho Cucamonga, CA vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Rancho Cucamonga, CA $3,385
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $4,782 per month in Rancho Cucamonga, CA vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Rancho Cucamonga, CA $4,782
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $6,179 per month in Rancho Cucamonga, CA vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Rancho Cucamonga, CA $6,179
Medellin $3,190

Rancho Cucamonga, CA costs about 110% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rancho Cucamonga, CA and Medellin sit above the global median – Rancho Cucamonga, CA by 151%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.89 $24.89

$7.93 COP 25.2K

213.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.9 $80.9

$46.13 COP 146.3K

75.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.87 $15.87

$9.50 COP 30.1K

67.05%

Cappuccino

$5.64 $5.64

$3.11 COP 9,866

81.35%

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

$3.15 $3.15

$1.83 COP 5,800

72.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.38 COP 4,360

68.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.54 $7.54

$3.05 COP 9,672

147.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.24 $9.24

$5.50 COP 17.4K

68.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.45 COP 4,600

-15.17%

White Bread (500g)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.36 COP 7,496

78.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$1.68 COP 5,328

185.71%

Eggs

$4.82 $4.82

$2.86 COP 9,077

68.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$10.19 COP 32.3K

28.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.92 $10.92

$9.53 COP 30.2K

14.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.14 $15.14

$14.04 COP 44.5K

7.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$4.07 COP 12.9K

19.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.50 COP 4,742

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.43 $5.43

$2.17 COP 6,891

150.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.70 $5.70

$2.31 COP 7,310

146.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$1.93 COP 6,113

93.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.64 COP 5,196

85.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.13 COP 3,571

91.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.25 COP 3,954

103.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.78 $11.78

$3.99 COP 12.6K

195.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.97 $14.97

$13.35 COP 42.3K

12.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.70 COP 5,384

45.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.37 COP 7,525

73.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.21 COP 3,827

62.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 $59.4

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-22.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.32 COP 4,179

89.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.30 COP 4,114

13.85%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

33.75%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-25.74%

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

$220 $220

$172 COP 545.6K

27.79%

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

$72.4 $72.4

$13.37 COP 42.4K

441.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.9 $72.9

$28.73 COP 91.1K

153.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.28 $23.28

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-48.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.85 $9.85

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-42.19%

Cinema Ticket

$17.30 $17.30

$6.28 COP 19.9K

175.48%

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

$1,005 $1,005

$770 COP 2.4M

30.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 $58.1

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-32.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.54 $39.54

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-30.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$137 COP 432.9K

-21.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$97.9 COP 310.4K

47.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,467 $2,467

$1,055 COP 3.3M

133.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,914 $1,914

$616 COP 2.0M

210.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,828 $3,828

$1,892 COP 6.0M

102.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,947 $2,947

$1,023 COP 3.2M

188.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,140 $5,140

$652 COP 2.1M

687.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

10.94

-42.32%

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

Last update for Rancho Cucamonga, CA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

$1.9K 56.5%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 67.8% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

$429 12.7%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 31.3% $134

Eating Out

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

$393 11.6%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 57.1% $224

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

$365 10.8%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 41.4% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

$157 4.6%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 8.3% $13

Getting Around

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

$70 * 2.1%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 33.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

$58 1.7%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 0.1% $0.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,467 in Rancho Cucamonga, CA 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 688% higher in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, 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 $81.0 in Rancho Cucamonga, CA versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $429 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rancho Cucamonga, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:55 10:55 AM

12:55 12:55 PM

2 h ahead of Rancho Cucamonga, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,714

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rancho Cucamonga, CA Medellin 5,300 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rancho Cucamonga, CA
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

Rancho Cucamonga, CA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rancho Cucamonga, CA is pricier by about 110%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,078 per month in Rancho Cucamonga, CA 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 Medellin, 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 $81.0 in Rancho Cucamonga, CA 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 $3,385 in Rancho Cucamonga, CA and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 110%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Rancho Cucamonga, CA at $3,385. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rancho Cucamonga, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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