Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tena and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Tena: $891 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Tena
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Tena Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Tena

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$891

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $891 per month in Tena vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Tena $891
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,475 per month in Tena vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Tena $1,475
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $2,060 per month in Tena vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Tena $2,060
Medellin $3,249

Tena is about 47% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tena sits 34% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.63 $5.63

$8.34 COP 26.9K

-32.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 $54.8

$46.53 COP 150.2K

17.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.58 $7.58

$9.47 COP 30.6K

-19.96%

Cappuccino

$3.34 $3.34

$3.13 COP 10.1K

6.71%

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

$1.43 $1.43

$1.77 COP 5,702

-19.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.42 COP 4,599

-26.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.15 COP 10.2K

8.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 $6.12

$5.70 COP 18.4K

7.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.53 COP 4,948

-25.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.29 COP 7,397

-30.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.94 COP 6,279

-22.16%

Eggs

$2.08 $2.08

$3.07 COP 9,900

-32.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.51 $6.51

$9.99 COP 32.3K

-34.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-48.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 $7.67

$13.96 COP 45.1K

-45.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-42.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.53 COP 4,934

-20.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.10 COP 6,794

-39.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.29 COP 7,405

-50.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$2.11 COP 6,810

-43.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.71 COP 5,518

-36.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.17 COP 3,778

-25.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.58 COP 5,101

-36.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.93 $5.93

$3.91 COP 12.6K

51.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.27 $8.27

$14.04 COP 45.3K

-41.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.76 COP 5,688

-10.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.71 COP 8,756

14.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$1.18 COP 3,809

-72.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.81 COP 5,833

-15.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 $0.75

$2.13 COP 6,874

-64.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.91 $9.91

$8.13 COP 26.3K

21.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.28 COP 4,117

-32.81%

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

$23.4K $23.4K

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-32.10%

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

$30.1K $30.1K

$34.1K COP 110.2M

-11.82%

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

$28.50 $28.50

$178 COP 573.8K

-83.96%

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

$17.84 $17.84

$13.89 COP 44.8K

28.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.34 $28.34

$30.74 COP 99.2K

-7.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.89 $29.89

$41.94 COP 135.4K

-28.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.69 $16.69

$16.80 COP 54.2K

-0.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 $6.50

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-12.99%

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

$729 $729

$790 COP 2.6M

-7.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,064 $9,064

$12.3K COP 39.7M

-26.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.3 $71.3

$86.3 COP 278.7K

-17.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$59.3 COP 191.3K

-14.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$138 COP 446.6K

-16.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$98.8 COP 319.0K

10.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 $422

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-68.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$270 $270

$667 COP 2.2M

-59.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 $802

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-59.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$507 $507

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-50.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

10.94

-7.50%

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

Last update for Tena: November 3, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tena

$270 30.4%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 147% $397

Groceries & Markets

Tena

$193 21.7%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 59.3% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Tena

$156 17.5%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 10.4% $16

Eating Out

Tena

$147 16.5%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 17.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tena

$75 8.4%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 198% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Tena

$43 4.8%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 32.6% $14

Getting Around

Tena

$6.6 * 0.7%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 1310% $87

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $422 in Tena 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Tena versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Tena vs $307 in Medellin – so Tena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Tena

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:42 3:42 PM

Same time as Tena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,669

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tena Medellin 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tena
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

Tena vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 90%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,336 per month in Tena 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 Tena, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $422 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Tena and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 59% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tena, where all-in costs run around $891, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Tena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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