Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valdivia and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Valdivia: $1,001 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Valdivia
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Valdivia Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Valdivia

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,001

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,001 per month in Valdivia vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Valdivia $1,001
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,518 per month in Valdivia vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Valdivia $1,518
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,036 per month in Valdivia vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Valdivia $2,036
Medellin $3,186

Valdivia is about 39% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Valdivia sits 26% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.15 CLP 6,010

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-23.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 CLP 44.3K

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-3.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.66 CLP 6,504

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-29.89%

Cappuccino

$2.01 CLP 1,966

$3.01 COP 9,485

-33.22%

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

$1.98 CLP 1,937

$1.80 COP 5,660

10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 CLP 1,242

$1.41 COP 4,443

-9.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 CLP 3,495

$3.18 COP 9,990

12.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 CLP 3,403

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-39.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 CLP 1,137

$1.51 COP 4,751

-23.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 CLP 1,296

$2.38 COP 7,480

-44.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 CLP 1,471

$1.77 COP 5,573

-14.69%

Eggs

$2.98 CLP 2,908

$2.89 COP 9,093

3.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 CLP 8,670

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-12.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 CLP 6,377

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-33.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.32 CLP 12.0K

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-11.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 CLP 2,017

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-48.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 CLP 1,819

$1.55 COP 4,883

20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 CLP 1,750

$2.18 COP 6,867

-17.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 CLP 1,800

$2.18 COP 6,870

-15.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 CLP 2,228

$1.96 COP 6,174

16.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 CLP 1,461

$1.59 COP 5,000

-6.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 CLP 1,446

$1.15 COP 3,604

28.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 CLP 1,098

$1.24 COP 3,911

-9.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 CLP 5,023

$3.96 COP 12.5K

29.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.68 CLP 4,572

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-65.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CLP 1,462

$1.66 COP 5,221

-9.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 CLP 2,047

$2.26 COP 7,103

-7.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 CLP 581

$1.17 COP 3,674

-49.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 CLP 894

$1.27 COP 3,989

-27.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 CLP 1,428

$1.35 COP 4,237

8.15%

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

$14.5K CLP 14.2M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-57.38%

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

$17.0K CLP 16.6M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-51.09%

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

$88.6 CLP 86.5K

$170 COP 533.7K

-47.80%

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

$13.62 CLP 13.3K

$13.55 COP 42.6K

0.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.40 CLP 29.7K

$28.07 COP 88.3K

8.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.14 CLP 40.2K

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-5.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.51 CLP 23.0K

$17.19 COP 54.1K

36.77%

Cinema Ticket

$4.58 CLP 4,476

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-33.72%

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

$238 CLP 232.9K

$797 COP 2.5M

-70.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,049 CLP 3.0M

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-66.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.97 CLP 48.8K

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-41.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.41 CLP 17.0K

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-69.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.21 CLP 48.1K

$135 COP 424.6K

-63.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.8 CLP 75.1K

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-21.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$571 CLP 558.4K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-52.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 CLP 360.5K

$642 COP 2.0M

-42.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$991 CLP 968.0K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-51.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 CLP 537.4K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-45.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,449 CLP 4.3M

$4,170 COP 13.1M

6.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$611 CLP 596.7K

$657 COP 2.1M

-7.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

10.94

-58.87%

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

Last update for Valdivia: 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

Valdivia

$369 36.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 73.9% $273

Groceries & Markets

Valdivia

$227 22.7%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 30.7% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valdivia

$133 13.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 59.3% $79

Eating Out

Valdivia

$131 13.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 29.3% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Valdivia

$87 8.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 94.1% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Valdivia

$50 5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 14.4% $7.2

Getting Around

Valdivia

$3.3 * 0.3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 2744% $90

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $571 in Valdivia 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 8% 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 $45 in Valdivia versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $227 vs $297 – making Valdivia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Valdivia

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

19:57 7:57 PM

17:57 5:57 PM

2 h behind Valdivia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,048

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.19 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 977 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,088 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.19 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 CLP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Valdivia Medellin 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Valdivia
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

Valdivia vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 64%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,501 per month in Valdivia 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 Valdivia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $571 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Valdivia and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Valdivia, where all-in costs run around $1,001, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Valdivia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Valdivia – 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 Valdivia. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.