Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,725 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,725

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,725 per month in Vancouver vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Vancouver $2,725
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $4,039 per month in Vancouver vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Vancouver $4,039
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $5,352 per month in Vancouver vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Vancouver $5,352
Medellin $3,186

Vancouver costs about 66% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Vancouver and Medellin sit above the global median – Vancouver by 100%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 CA$24.67

$8.09 COP 26.1K

118.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.4 CA$101

$47.05 COP 151.9K

53.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 CA$15.15

$9.50 COP 30.7K

14.11%

Cappuccino

$3.91 CA$5.47

$3.01 COP 9,734

29.90%

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

$2.10 CA$2.94

$1.80 COP 5,809

16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.29

$1.41 COP 4,560

16.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 CA$8.02

$3.18 COP 10.3K

80.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.36 CA$8.89

$5.75 COP 18.6K

10.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 CA$3.09

$1.51 COP 4,875

46.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 CA$3.69

$2.38 COP 7,677

10.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.68 CA$6.54

$1.77 COP 5,719

164.41%

Eggs

$4.24 CA$5.92

$2.89 COP 9,332

46.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.92 CA$16.67

$10.19 COP 32.9K

16.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.12 CA$18.34

$9.87 COP 31.9K

32.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.40 CA$28.51

$13.99 COP 45.2K

45.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 CA$5.73

$3.97 COP 12.8K

3.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.93

$1.55 COP 5,011

-10.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 CA$5.35

$2.18 COP 7,047

75.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.48

$2.18 COP 7,050

79.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 CA$3.88

$1.96 COP 6,336

41.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 CA$3.96

$1.59 COP 5,131

78.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 CA$3.64

$1.15 COP 3,698

126.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.23

$1.24 COP 4,014

28.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.87 CA$22.17

$3.96 COP 12.8K

300.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 CA$19.56

$13.68 COP 44.2K

2.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 CA$3.59

$1.66 COP 5,359

54.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CA$4.21

$2.26 COP 7,290

33.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.57

$1.17 COP 3,770

117.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 CA$118

$77.4 COP 249.8K

8.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 CA$3.73

$1.27 COP 4,094

110.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$2.05 COP 6,611

-22.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.19 CA$44.99

$8.55 COP 27.6K

276.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 CA$2.03

$1.35 COP 4,348

7.41%

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

$27.5K CA$38.4K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-19.31%

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

$21.3K CA$29.8K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-38.49%

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

$82.5 CA$115

$170 COP 547.7K

-51.39%

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

$37.46 CA$52.4

$13.55 COP 43.7K

176.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 CA$72.2

$28.07 COP 90.6K

84.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.52 CA$56.6

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-7.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.69 CA$17.73

$17.19 COP 55.5K

-26.18%

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 CA$17.70

$6.91 COP 22.3K

83.21%

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

$1,080 CA$1,509

$797 COP 2.6M

35.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K CA$28.2K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

121.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$81.7

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-31.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.10 CA$47.66

$58.0 COP 187.1K

-41.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 CA$135

$135 COP 435.7K

-28.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.4 CA$136

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-0.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,813 CA$2,534

$1,208 COP 3.9M

50.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 CA$2,202

$642 COP 2.1M

145.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,217 CA$4,496

$2,028 COP 6.5M

58.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,651 CA$3,706

$1,012 COP 3.3M

162.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,590 CA$12.0K

$4,170 COP 13.5M

105.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,649 CA$9,293

$1,910 COP 6.2M

248.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,733 CA$5,217

$657 COP 2.1M

468.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

10.94

-60.88%

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

Last update for Vancouver: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.6K 57.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 59.3% $934

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$401 14.7%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 25.9% $104

Eating Out

Vancouver

$277 10.2%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 38.8% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$172 6.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 23.1% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$129 4.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 30.9% $40

Getting Around

Vancouver

$105 3.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 10.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$66 2.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 12.6% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,813 in Vancouver 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 in Vancouver are about 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in Vancouver versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

22:00 10:00 PM

2 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Vancouver Medellin 6,520 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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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

Vancouver vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Vancouver is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,087 per month in Vancouver 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 Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,813 in Vancouver.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in Vancouver 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 $2,725 in Vancouver and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 40% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Vancouver at $2,725. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vancouver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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