Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tulcán and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulcán: $920 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Tulcán
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Tulcán Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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Tulcán

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$920

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $920 per month in Tulcán vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Tulcán $920
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,503 per month in Tulcán vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Tulcán $1,503
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,086 per month in Tulcán vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Tulcán $2,086
Medellin $3,186

Tulcán is about 44% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tulcán sits 32% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.41 $5.41

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-33.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.1 $54.1

$47.05 COP 151.8K

15.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.44 $7.44

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-21.68%

Cappuccino

$3.29 $3.29

$3.01 COP 9,729

9.30%

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

$1.44 $1.44

$1.80 COP 5,806

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.41 COP 4,558

-26.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.18 COP 10.2K

6.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 $6.14

$5.75 COP 18.6K

6.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.51 COP 4,873

-27.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 $1.56

$2.38 COP 7,673

-34.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.77 COP 5,716

-14.69%

Eggs

$2.07 $2.07

$2.89 COP 9,327

-28.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.24 $6.24

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-38.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-47.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.61 $7.61

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-45.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-43.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.55 COP 5,009

-20.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 $1.26

$2.18 COP 7,044

-42.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.18 COP 7,047

-49.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.96 COP 6,333

-36.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.59 COP 5,129

-35.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.15 COP 3,696

-24.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.24 COP 4,012

-20.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.09 $6.09

$3.96 COP 12.8K

53.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.41 $8.41

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-38.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.66 COP 5,356

-8.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 $3.18

$2.26 COP 7,286

40.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 $0.39

$1.17 COP 3,769

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.27 COP 4,092

21.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.05 COP 6,608

-24.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.05 $10.05

$8.55 COP 27.6K

17.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.35 COP 4,346

-35.56%

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

$23.1K $23.1K

$34.1K COP 109.9M

-32.06%

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

$29.5K $29.5K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-14.99%

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

$28.27 $28.27

$170 COP 547.5K

-83.34%

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

$17.94 $17.94

$13.55 COP 43.7K

32.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.72 $28.72

$28.07 COP 90.6K

2.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.61 $31.61

$43.70 COP 141.0K

-27.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.41 $14.41

$17.19 COP 55.5K

-16.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 $6.56

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-5.07%

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

$750 $750

$797 COP 2.6M

-5.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,960 $8,960

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-1.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 $70.7

$84.7 COP 273.4K

-16.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.23 $49.23

$58.0 COP 187.0K

-15.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$135 COP 435.5K

-15.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$97.9 COP 315.8K

9.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$483 $483

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-60.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 $302

$642 COP 2.1M

-52.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 $786

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-61.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 $545

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-46.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 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 Tulcán: 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

Tulcán

$302 32.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 112% $339

Groceries & Markets

Tulcán

$189 20.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 56.8% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Tulcán

$153 16.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 10.2% $16

Eating Out

Tulcán

$144 15.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 17.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tulcán

$75 8.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 182% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Tulcán

$45 4.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 28.6% $13

Getting Around

Tulcán

$11 * 1.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 768% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $483 in Tulcán 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 $54 in Tulcán versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $189 in Tulcán vs $297 in Medellin – so Tulcán wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Tulcán

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

00:01 12:01 AM

Same time as Tulcán

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,734

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 = 0.892 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,617 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tulcán Medellin 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tulcán
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

Tulcán vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,380 per month in Tulcán 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 Tulcán, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $483 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Tulcán and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Tulcán, where all-in costs run around $920, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Tulcán it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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