Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Victoria and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $2,574 in Victoria, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Victoria
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,574
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,589
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,574 per month in Victoria vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Victoria $2,574
  • Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $3,856 per month in Victoria vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Victoria $3,856
  • Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $5,138 per month in Victoria vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Victoria $5,138
  • Medellin $3,139

Victoria costs about 62% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Victoria and Medellin sit above the global median – Victoria by 92%, Medellin by 19%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Victoria
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.98 CA$27.06
$8.01 COP 25.5K
136.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$70.0 CA$99.7
$46.55 COP 148.3K
50.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.84 CA$15.46
$9.43 COP 30.1K
14.95%
Cappuccino
$4.21 CA$6.00
$2.91 COP 9,277
44.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.21 CA$3.15
$1.75 COP 5,585
26.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 CA$2.57
$1.32 COP 4,218
36.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.69 CA$8.11
$3.13 COP 9,969
81.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.47 CA$9.23
$5.55 COP 17.7K
16.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Victoria
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.65 CA$3.78
$1.41 COP 4,495
87.94%
White Bread (500g)
$2.89 CA$4.12
$2.44 COP 7,777
18.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.96 CA$5.65
$1.63 COP 5,191
142.94%
Eggs
$4.04 CA$5.76
$2.82 COP 8,990
43.26%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$26.77 CA$38.16
$9.69 COP 30.9K
176.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.55 CA$17.89
$9.32 COP 29.7K
34.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.51 CA$20.68
$13.46 COP 42.9K
7.80%
Apples (1kg)
$3.99 CA$5.69
$4.00 COP 12.8K
-0.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 CA$2.04
$1.48 COP 4,719
-3.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.82 CA$5.45
$2.12 COP 6,768
80.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.13 CA$5.89
$2.25 COP 7,178
83.56%
Potato (1kg)
$3.54 CA$5.04
$1.91 COP 6,092
85.34%
Onion (1kg)
$2.93 CA$4.18
$1.62 COP 5,160
80.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.18 CA$4.53
$1.15 COP 3,658
176.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.55 CA$3.63
$1.26 COP 4,021
102.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$15.02 CA$21.41
$3.82 COP 12.2K
293.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.86 CA$25.46
$13.11 COP 41.8K
36.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.00 CA$5.70
$1.60 COP 5,083
150.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.43 CA$4.89
$2.26 COP 7,188
51.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Victoria
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.04 CA$2.90
$1.17 COP 3,731
74.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$58.5 CA$83.4
$75.0 COP 239.0K
-21.98%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.67 CA$3.81
$1.27 COP 4,056
110.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.52 CA$2.17
$2.05 COP 6,531
-25.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.48 CA$47.72
$8.20 COP 26.1K
308.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 CA$1.93
$1.27 COP 4,046
6.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.7K CA$39.5K
$26.8K COP 85.3M
3.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.5K CA$26.3K
$34.4K COP 109.6M
-46.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Victoria
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$105 CA$150
$162 COP 516.9K
-34.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$44.49 CA$63.4
$13.12 COP 41.8K
239.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$61.5 CA$87.6
$28.09 COP 89.5K
118.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Victoria
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.45 CA$60.5
$44.33 COP 141.2K
-4.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.27 CA$24.62
$16.33 COP 52.0K
5.76%
Cinema Ticket
$10.68 CA$15.22
$6.09 COP 19.4K
75.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Victoria
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$878 CA$1,251
$764 COP 2.4M
14.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.2K CA$33.1K
$8,904 COP 28.4M
160.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Victoria
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.2 CA$75.8
$85.0 COP 270.8K
-37.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.19 CA$63.0
$57.5 COP 183.2K
-23.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.8 CA$128
$132 COP 419.8K
-31.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$109 CA$155
$95.8 COP 305.1K
13.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Victoria
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,522 CA$2,170
$1,028 COP 3.3M
48.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,326 CA$1,890
$604 COP 1.9M
119.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,683 CA$3,825
$1,802 COP 5.7M
48.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,261 CA$3,222
$993 COP 3.2M
127.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,368 CA$7,651
$3,921 COP 12.5M
36.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,469 CA$6,370
$1,639 COP 5.2M
172.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Victoria
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,202 CA$4,564
$626 COP 2.0M
411.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.31
10.94
-60.60%

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

Last update for Victoria: October 5, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Victoria
$1.3K
Medellin
$604 54.4% $722
Groceries & Markets
Victoria
$461
Medellin
$288 37.4% $172
Eating Out
Victoria
$292
Medellin
$166 43.1% $126
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Victoria
$211
Medellin
$203 3.8% $8
Clothing & Footwear
Victoria
$133
Medellin
$166 24.9% $33
Getting Around
Victoria
$77
Medellin
$91 18.5% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Victoria
$64
Medellin
$57 11.5% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,522 in Victoria 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 411% higher in Victoria, 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 $70.0 in Victoria versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $461 vs $288 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Victoria
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
00:45 12:45 AM
02:45 2:45 AM
2 h ahead of Victoria
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
85,792
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Victoria Medellin 6,490 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Victoria
  • 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
Victoria vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Victoria?
Yes – Victoria is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,862 per month in Victoria and $2,384 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Victoria or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Victoria and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Victoria and in Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,574 in Victoria and $1,589 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 62%.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Victoria or in Medellin?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Victoria at $2,574. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Victoria it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Victoria or Medellin more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Victoria makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Victoria vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?