Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Rico and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,716 in Puerto Rico, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. The total is higher in Puerto Rico despite lower rent and utilities.

83

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Rico
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Puerto Rico Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Puerto Rico

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,716

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,716 per month in Puerto Rico vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Puerto Rico $1,716
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,564 per month in Puerto Rico vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Puerto Rico $2,564
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,412 per month in Puerto Rico vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Puerto Rico $3,412
Medellin $3,186

Puerto Rico costs about 5% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Puerto Rico and Medellin sit above the global median – Puerto Rico by 26%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.45 €18.32

$8.09 COP 26.1K

152.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.7

$47.05 COP 151.7K

29.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 €10.12

$9.50 COP 30.6K

18.95%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.83

$3.01 COP 9,722

-32.23%

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

$1.89 €1.70

$1.80 COP 5,801

5.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.16

$1.41 COP 4,554

-8.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 €2.43

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-14.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 €3.06

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-40.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.51 COP 4,869

-8.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 €2.15

$2.38 COP 7,667

0.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.77 COP 5,712

-13.56%

Eggs

$4.25 €3.81

$2.89 COP 9,320

47.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.32 €17.30

$10.19 COP 32.9K

89.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 €8.97

$9.87 COP 31.8K

1.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.41 €15.59

$13.99 COP 45.1K

24.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.39

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-32.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 €2.08

$1.55 COP 5,005

49.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 €1.93

$2.18 COP 7,039

-1.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 €2.23

$2.18 COP 7,041

14.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.96 COP 6,328

10.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.59 COP 5,125

27.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 €1.45

$1.15 COP 3,694

40.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$1.24 COP 4,009

-21.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.63 €4.15

$3.96 COP 12.8K

16.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 €7.05

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-42.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.53

$1.66 COP 5,352

2.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$2.26 COP 7,281

-25.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.17 COP 3,766

41.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.24 €28.88

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-58.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 €3.88

$1.27 COP 4,089

240.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 €1.49

$2.05 COP 6,603

-18.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.83 €15.08

$8.55 COP 27.6K

96.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.35 COP 4,343

28.89%

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

$34.9K €31.2K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

2.38%

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

$31.9K €28.6K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-7.86%

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

$129 €116

$170 COP 547.0K

-23.94%

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

$22.38 €20.04

$13.55 COP 43.7K

65.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.85 €32.11

$28.07 COP 90.5K

27.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.45 €39.81

$43.70 COP 140.9K

1.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.59 €13.97

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-9.31%

Cinema Ticket

$9.91 €8.87

$6.91 COP 22.3K

43.42%

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

$403 €361

$797 COP 2.6M

-49.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,970 €4,452

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-45.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.8 €82.2

$84.7 COP 273.2K

8.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.61 €38.16

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-26.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 €81.1

$135 COP 435.2K

-32.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$97.9 COP 315.6K

16.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$874 €783

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-27.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$679 €608

$642 COP 2.1M

5.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,331 €1,192

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-34.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 €905

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-0.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,233 €2,896

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-22.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,186 €1,958

$1,910 COP 6.2M

14.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

10.94

-67.46%

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

Last update for Puerto Rico: 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

Puerto Rico

$679 39.6%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 5.6% $38

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Rico

$326 19%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 8.9% $29

Eating Out

Puerto Rico

$255 14.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 33.5% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Rico

$187 10.9%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 12.8% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Rico

$152 8.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 10.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Rico

$64 3.8%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 10.5% $6.7

Getting Around

Puerto Rico

$52 3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 81.5% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $874 in Puerto Rico 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Puerto Rico versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Puerto Rico

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:08 1:08 AM

20:08 8:08 PM

5 h behind Puerto Rico

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,500

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Puerto Rico Medellin 6,730 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Rico
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

Puerto Rico vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Puerto Rico is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,574 per month in Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $874 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Puerto Rico 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 $1,716 in Puerto Rico and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 4% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,716 in Puerto Rico and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $1,716 in Puerto Rico. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.