Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valencia and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Valencia: $833 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Valencia
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Valencia Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Valencia

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$833

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $833 per month in Valencia vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Valencia $833
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $1,345 per month in Valencia vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Valencia $1,345
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $1,858 per month in Valencia vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Valencia $1,858
Medellin $3,199

Valencia is about 49% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Valencia sits 39% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.17 VES 5,413

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-25.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.50 VES 30.3K

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-26.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.69 VES 13.8K

$9.24 COP 29.3K

69.81%

Cappuccino

$3.31 VES 2,906

$3.05 COP 9,676

8.52%

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

$1.66 VES 1,457

$1.80 COP 5,707

-7.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 VES 1,132

$1.38 COP 4,382

-6.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 VES 1,785

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-37.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 VES 2,692

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-44.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 VES 1,810

$1.50 COP 4,760

37.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 VES 1,134

$2.37 COP 7,508

-45.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 VES 1,230

$1.70 COP 5,377

-17.65%

Eggs

$2.21 VES 1,940

$2.96 COP 9,379

-25.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.48 VES 5,688

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-36.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 VES 6,019

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-29.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.21 VES 6,328

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-48.13%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 VES 4,507

$4.13 COP 13.1K

24.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 VES 1,323

$1.53 COP 4,839

-1.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 VES 1,703

$2.22 COP 7,052

-12.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 VES 2,087

$2.27 COP 7,194

4.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 VES 2,360

$1.99 COP 6,311

35.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 VES 1,770

$1.67 COP 5,285

20.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 VES 1,618

$1.18 COP 3,742

55.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 VES 1,611

$1.24 COP 3,919

48.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 VES 2,227

$3.87 COP 12.3K

-34.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.90 VES 8,690

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-28.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 VES 1,236

$1.66 COP 5,256

-15.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 VES 1,934

$2.40 COP 7,615

-8.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 VES 252

$1.24 COP 3,944

-76.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.5 VES 44.3K

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-35.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 VES 2,781

$1.28 COP 4,044

147.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 VES 1,720

$2.15 COP 6,803

-8.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 VES 3,477

$8.37 COP 26.5K

-52.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.78 VES 681

$1.35 COP 4,288

-42.22%

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

$30.9K VES 27.2M

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-10.99%

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

$42.2K VES 37.0M

$34.7K COP 110.0M

21.65%

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

$20.04 VES 17.6K

$167 COP 528.4K

-87.97%

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

$8.62 VES 7,566

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-36.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.81 VES 31.4K

$29.12 COP 92.3K

22.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.12 VES 31.7K

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-19.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.52 VES 26.8K

$17.18 COP 54.5K

77.65%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 VES 4,367

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-28.69%

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

$81.3 VES 71.4K

$790 COP 2.5M

-89.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,951 VES 2.6M

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-67.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.65 VES 38.3K

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-50.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.15 VES 41.4K

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-18.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 VES 82.1K

$139 COP 440.7K

-32.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.93 VES 40.3K

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-53.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$205 VES 180.2K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-80.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$140 VES 122.7K

$620 COP 2.0M

-77.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$281 VES 246.9K

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-85.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 VES 211.4K

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-76.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$557 VES 488.7K

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-86.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$386 VES 338.7K

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-77.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$211 VES 185.5K

$663 COP 2.1M

-68.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Valencia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Valencia

$250 30.1%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 19% $48

Eating Out

Valencia

$164 19.7%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 4% $6.6

Accommodation & Living

Valencia

$140 16.8%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 343% $480

Clothing & Footwear

Valencia

$104 12.4%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 66.7% $69

Getting Around

Valencia

$65 7.8%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 47.3% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valencia

$64 7.7%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 225% $145

Sport & Entertainment

Valencia

$46 5.5%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 28.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $205 in Valencia versus $1,028 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 214% 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 $34.00 in Valencia versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $298 – making Valencia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Valencia

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

17:45 5:45 PM

1 h behind Valencia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,299,026

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to VES – Venezuelan Bolívar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Bolívar (Bs.S)

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to VES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Valencia Medellin 940 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Valencia
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

Valencia vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 95%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,250 per month in Valencia and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Valencia, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Valencia and $47.00 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 $833 in Valencia and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 95%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Valencia, where all-in costs run around $833, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Valencia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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