Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough, Canada and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,561 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,561 per month in Scarborough vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Scarborough $2,561
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,474 per month in Scarborough vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Scarborough $3,474
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,388 per month in Scarborough vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Scarborough $4,388
Medellin $3,186

Scarborough costs about 56% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Scarborough and Medellin sit above the global median – Scarborough by 88%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.32 CA$24.21

$8.09 COP 26.1K

114.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$98.3

$47.05 COP 151.9K

49.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.89 CA$15.22

$9.50 COP 30.7K

14.63%

Cappuccino

$3.99 CA$5.57

$3.01 COP 9,734

32.56%

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

$2.03 CA$2.84

$1.80 COP 5,809

12.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.05

$1.41 COP 4,560

4.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.55 CA$9.15

$3.18 COP 10.3K

105.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 CA$10.18

$5.75 COP 18.6K

26.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.51 CA$3.51

$1.51 COP 4,875

66.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 CA$3.68

$2.38 COP 7,677

10.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 CA$3.19

$1.77 COP 5,719

28.81%

Eggs

$3.64 CA$5.09

$2.89 COP 9,332

25.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.14 CA$12.78

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-10.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 CA$15.99

$9.87 COP 31.9K

15.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 CA$18.12

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-7.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 CA$4.79

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-13.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.69

$1.55 COP 5,011

-21.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 CA$4.67

$2.18 COP 7,047

53.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 CA$5.82

$2.18 COP 7,050

91.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.37

$1.96 COP 6,336

-13.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 CA$2.35

$1.59 COP 5,131

5.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CA$3.08

$1.15 COP 3,698

91.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.76

$1.24 COP 4,014

1.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.56

$3.96 COP 12.8K

253.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.58 CA$17.59

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-8.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 CA$3.06

$1.66 COP 5,359

31.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 CA$3.57

$2.26 COP 7,290

12.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 CA$3.35

$1.17 COP 3,770

105.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CA$147

$77.4 COP 249.8K

35.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.28

$1.27 COP 4,094

140.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 CA$1.79

$2.05 COP 6,611

-37.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.52 CA$31.47

$8.55 COP 27.6K

163.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.75

$1.35 COP 4,348

-7.41%

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

$26.1K CA$36.5K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-23.26%

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

$21.7K CA$30.4K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-37.34%

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

$137 CA$192

$170 COP 547.7K

-19.04%

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

$35.21 CA$49.21

$13.55 COP 43.7K

159.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.56 CA$67.9

$28.07 COP 90.6K

73.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 CA$50.1

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-17.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.96 CA$50.3

$17.19 COP 55.5K

109.19%

Cinema Ticket

$12.95 CA$18.11

$6.91 COP 22.3K

87.41%

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

$749 CA$1,047

$797 COP 2.6M

-5.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CA$15.1K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

18.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 CA$74.7

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-36.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.94 CA$57.2

$58.0 COP 187.1K

-29.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 CA$119

$135 COP 435.7K

-36.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$147

$97.9 COP 316.0K

7.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,744 CA$2,438

$1,208 COP 3.9M

44.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,415 CA$1,978

$642 COP 2.1M

120.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,122 CA$2,966

$2,028 COP 6.5M

4.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,758 CA$2,457

$1,012 COP 3.3M

73.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,770 CA$10.9K

$4,170 COP 13.5M

86.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,085 CA$8,504

$1,910 COP 6.2M

218.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,980 CA$4,164

$657 COP 2.1M

353.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

10.94

-58.41%

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

Last update for Scarborough: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scarborough

$1.4K 55.3%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 54.7% $773

Groceries & Markets

Scarborough

$331 12.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 10.2% $34

Eating Out

Scarborough

$280 11%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 39.5% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scarborough

$221 8.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 4.5% $9.8

Clothing & Footwear

Scarborough

$128 5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 32% $41

Getting Around

Scarborough

$124 4.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 24.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Scarborough

$62 2.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 6.9% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,744 in Scarborough versus $1,208 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 in Scarborough are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Scarborough versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $331 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:16 10:16 AM

Same time as Scarborough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,960

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Scarborough Medellin 4,190 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Scarborough
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

Scarborough vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Scarborough is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,841 per month in Scarborough and $2,459 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,744 in Scarborough.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Scarborough and $47 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 $2,561 in Scarborough and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 36% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Scarborough at $2,561. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Scarborough it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,561 in Scarborough. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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