Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Trujillo and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Trujillo: $865 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Trujillo
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Trujillo Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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Trujillo

🇵🇪 Peru

$865

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $865 per month in Trujillo vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Trujillo $865
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,339 per month in Trujillo vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Trujillo $1,339
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,813 per month in Trujillo vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Trujillo $1,813
Medellin $3,186

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

Trujillo sits 36% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 PEN 11.93

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-57.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.58 PEN 81.3

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-49.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.20 PEN 24.82

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-24.21%

Cappuccino

$3.24 PEN 11.17

$3.01 COP 9,485

7.64%

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

$0.97 PEN 3.33

$1.80 COP 5,660

-46.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.25

$1.41 COP 4,443

-53.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 PEN 7.10

$3.18 COP 9,990

-35.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 PEN 11.94

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-39.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 PEN 4.75

$1.51 COP 4,751

-8.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 PEN 7.01

$2.38 COP 7,480

-14.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 PEN 3.94

$1.77 COP 5,573

-35.59%

Eggs

$3.97 PEN 13.69

$2.89 COP 9,093

37.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.73 PEN 26.66

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-24.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.63 PEN 22.86

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-32.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 PEN 31.72

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-34.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 PEN 5.74

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-58.19%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 PEN 1.96

$1.55 COP 4,883

-63.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.56 PEN 1.95

$2.18 COP 6,867

-74.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.83 PEN 2.87

$2.18 COP 6,870

-61.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 PEN 3.21

$1.96 COP 6,174

-52.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 PEN 4.05

$1.59 COP 5,000

-26.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 PEN 4.28

$1.15 COP 3,604

7.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 PEN 3.89

$1.24 COP 3,911

-8.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 PEN 15.38

$3.96 COP 12.5K

12.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.81 PEN 20.04

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-57.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 PEN 5.92

$1.66 COP 5,221

3.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 PEN 5.63

$2.26 COP 7,103

-27.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 PEN 1.91

$1.17 COP 3,674

-52.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.35 PEN 59.8

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-77.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 PEN 8.34

$1.27 COP 3,989

90.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 PEN 7.39

$2.05 COP 6,442

4.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.94 PEN 20.49

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-30.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 PEN 5.76

$1.35 COP 4,237

23.70%

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

$17.2K PEN 59.4K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-49.40%

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

$27.9K PEN 96.3K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-19.46%

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

$98.2 PEN 338

$170 COP 533.7K

-42.13%

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

$13.20 PEN 45.50

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-2.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.11 PEN 93.4

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-3.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.89 PEN 134

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-11.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.73 PEN 19.77

$17.19 COP 54.1K

-66.67%

Cinema Ticket

$4.32 PEN 14.88

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-37.48%

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

$108 PEN 374

$797 COP 2.5M

-86.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,063 PEN 7,113

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-77.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.8 PEN 251

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-14.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.34 PEN 49.42

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-75.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.05 PEN 162

$135 COP 424.6K

-65.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.87 PEN 148

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-56.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$376 PEN 1,297

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-68.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 PEN 866

$642 COP 2.0M

-60.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 PEN 2,531

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-63.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$511 PEN 1,763

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-49.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,142 PEN 3,936

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-72.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$558 PEN 1,923

$657 COP 2.1M

-15.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.7

10.94

6.95%

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

Last update for Trujillo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Trujillo

$251 29%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 155% $390

Groceries & Markets

Trujillo

$204 23.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 45.7% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Trujillo

$138 16%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 52.6% $73

Eating Out

Trujillo

$112 12.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 51.6% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Trujillo

$80 9.2%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 112% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Trujillo

$48 5.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 21.1% $10

Getting Around

Trujillo

$33 3.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 186% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $376 in Trujillo 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 run about 18% higher in Medellin, 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 $24 in Trujillo versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $297 – making Trujillo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Trujillo

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

Same time as Trujillo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

314,939

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.261 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.261 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Trujillo Medellin 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Trujillo
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

Trujillo vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,298 per month in Trujillo 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 Trujillo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $376 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Trujillo 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 $865 in Trujillo and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Trujillo about 47% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Trujillo, where all-in costs run around $865, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Trujillo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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