Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vilcabamba and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Vilcabamba: $943 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Vilcabamba
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Vilcabamba Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Vilcabamba

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$943

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $943 per month in Vilcabamba vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Vilcabamba $943
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,400 per month in Vilcabamba vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Vilcabamba $1,400
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,857 per month in Vilcabamba vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Vilcabamba $1,857
Medellin $3,186

Vilcabamba is about 42% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Vilcabamba sits 31% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.53 $3.53

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-56.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.95 $29.95

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-36.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.06 $8.06

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-15.16%

Cappuccino

$2.20 $2.20

$3.01 COP 9,722

-26.91%

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

$0.97 $0.97

$1.80 COP 5,801

-46.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.41 COP 4,554

-24.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 $2.03

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-36.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-40.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.51 COP 4,869

-31.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 $1.79

$2.38 COP 7,667

-24.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.77 COP 5,712

-16.95%

Eggs

$2.48 $2.48

$2.89 COP 9,320

-14.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.29 $8.29

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-18.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-47.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.24 $7.24

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-48.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-52.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.55 COP 5,005

-29.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.18 COP 7,039

-44.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.18 COP 7,041

-48.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.96 COP 6,328

-52.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.59 COP 5,125

-31.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.15 COP 3,694

-29.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.24 COP 4,009

-17.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 $5.22

$3.96 COP 12.8K

31.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 $11.20

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-18.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.66 COP 5,352

-1.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.26 COP 7,281

23.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 $0.34

$1.17 COP 3,766

-70.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.27 COP 4,089

10.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$2.05 COP 6,603

-40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.09 $10.09

$8.55 COP 27.6K

18.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.68 $0.68

$1.35 COP 4,343

-49.63%

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

$22.9K $22.9K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-32.86%

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

$29.8K $29.8K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-14.17%

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

$34.34 $34.34

$170 COP 547.0K

-79.76%

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

$13.49 $13.49

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-0.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.53 $36.53

$28.07 COP 90.5K

30.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.19 $30.19

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-30.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.60 $16.60

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-3.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 $6.34

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-8.25%

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

$341 $341

$797 COP 2.6M

-57.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,293 $6,293

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-30.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.1 $61.1

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-27.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.77 $44.77

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-22.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 $92.3

$135 COP 435.2K

-31.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.6 $72.6

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-25.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$383 $383

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-68.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 $381

$642 COP 2.1M

-40.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$618 $618

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-69.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 $572

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-43.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,295 $1,295

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-68.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,087 $1,087

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-43.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$448 $448

$657 COP 2.1M

-31.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.09

10.94

-7.77%

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

Last update for Vilcabamba: 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

Vilcabamba

$381 40.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 68.2% $260

Groceries & Markets

Vilcabamba

$200 21.2%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 48.8% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Vilcabamba

$122 12.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 38.7% $47

Eating Out

Vilcabamba

$104 11%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 63% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vilcabamba

$84 9%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 150% $127

Sport & Entertainment

Vilcabamba

$43 4.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 34.2% $15

Getting Around

Vilcabamba

$8.9 * 0.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 951% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $383 in Vilcabamba 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 47% 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 $30 in Vilcabamba versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $297 – making Vilcabamba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Vilcabamba

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

Same time as Vilcabamba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Vilcabamba Medellin 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Vilcabamba
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

Vilcabamba vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,414 per month in Vilcabamba 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 Vilcabamba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $383 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Vilcabamba and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $943 in Vilcabamba and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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