Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rosario and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Rosario: $947 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Rosario
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Rosario Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Rosario

🇦🇷 Argentina

$947

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $947 per month in Rosario vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Rosario $947
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,653 per month in Rosario vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Rosario $1,653
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $2,358 per month in Rosario vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Rosario $2,358
Medellin $3,190

Rosario is about 41% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Rosario sits 30% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.10 ARS 15.3K

$7.93 COP 25.3K

27.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.96 ARS 57.6K

$46.13 COP 147.4K

-17.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 ARS 17.8K

$9.50 COP 30.4K

23.37%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ARS 4,635

$3.11 COP 9,940

-1.61%

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

$1.76 ARS 2,670

$1.83 COP 5,843

-3.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ARS 2,359

$1.38 COP 4,393

13.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.86 ARS 5,857

$3.05 COP 9,744

26.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ARS 3,324

$5.50 COP 17.6K

-60.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 ARS 1,993

$1.45 COP 4,634

-9.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ARS 2,498

$2.36 COP 7,552

-30.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 ARS 2,405

$1.68 COP 5,368

-5.36%

Eggs

$2.26 ARS 3,420

$2.86 COP 9,145

-20.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.49 ARS 12.9K

$10.19 COP 32.5K

-16.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.10 ARS 9,257

$9.53 COP 30.4K

-35.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 ARS 16.0K

$14.04 COP 44.8K

-24.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,035

$4.07 COP 13.0K

-50.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 ARS 2,316

$1.50 COP 4,778

2.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 ARS 1,605

$2.17 COP 6,943

-51.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ARS 3,112

$2.31 COP 7,365

-11.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 ARS 1,493

$1.93 COP 6,159

-49.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 ARS 984

$1.64 COP 5,235

-60.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 ARS 2,225

$1.13 COP 3,597

30.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ARS 2,692

$1.25 COP 3,984

42.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.36 ARS 5,090

$3.99 COP 12.7K

-15.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.69 ARS 7,113

$13.35 COP 42.6K

-64.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ARS 1,926

$1.70 COP 5,424

-25.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 ARS 4,127

$2.37 COP 7,581

14.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ARS 1,545

$1.21 COP 3,856

-15.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 244.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,468

$1.32 COP 4,211

23.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ARS 1,547

$2.14 COP 6,825

-52.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.07 ARS 12.2K

$8.47 COP 27.0K

-4.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ARS 1,656

$1.30 COP 4,145

-16.15%

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

$28.5K ARS 43.2M

$28.0K COP 89.4M

1.71%

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

$29.5K ARS 44.8M

$35.4K COP 113.1M

-16.58%

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

$59.4 ARS 90.1K

$172 COP 549.7K

-65.49%

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

$20.33 ARS 30.8K

$13.37 COP 42.7K

52.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.78 ARS 42.1K

$28.73 COP 91.8K

-3.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.22 ARS 44.3K

$45.24 COP 144.5K

-35.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$4.88 ARS 7,394

$6.28 COP 20.1K

-22.29%

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

$471 ARS 714.7K

$770 COP 2.5M

-38.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,757 ARS 13.3M

$9,011 COP 28.8M

-2.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 ARS 136.8K

$86.4 COP 276.0K

4.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.7 ARS 92.1K

$57.1 COP 182.5K

6.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 175.8K

$137 COP 436.2K

-15.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 212.7K

$97.9 COP 312.8K

43.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$254 ARS 385.9K

$1,055 COP 3.4M

-75.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$199 ARS 301.1K

$616 COP 2.0M

-67.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 ARS 1.1M

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-62.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 ARS 993.1K

$1,023 COP 3.3M

-35.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,031 ARS 3.1M

$4,059 COP 13.0M

-49.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$702 ARS 1.1M

$652 COP 2.1M

7.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

10.94

423.31%

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

Last update for Rosario: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Rosario

$219 23.1%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 34.6% $76

Accommodation & Living

Rosario

$199 21%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 210% $417

Eating Out

Rosario

$190 20%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 11.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Rosario

$183 19.3%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 7.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rosario

$107 11.4%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 99.3% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Rosario

$39 4.1%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 48.3% $19

Getting Around

Rosario

$11 * 1.1%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 764% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $254 in Rosario 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 8% higher in Rosario, 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 $38.00 in Rosario versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $219 vs $295 – making Rosario the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Rosario

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:47 8:47 AM

06:47 6:47 AM

2 h behind Rosario

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,029,619

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.13 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 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 October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 3,194 COP (10,000 COP = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 3,566 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rosario Medellin 4,640 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rosario
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

Rosario vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 70%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,421 per month in Rosario 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 Rosario, 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 $38.00 in Rosario and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rosario, where all-in costs run around $947, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Rosario it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rosario – 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 Rosario. 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.