Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yellowknife and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,916 in Yellowknife, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

143

Cost of Living Index in Yellowknife
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Yellowknife Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Yellowknife

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,916

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,916 per month in Yellowknife vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Yellowknife $2,916
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $4,085 per month in Yellowknife vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Yellowknife $4,085
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $5,255 per month in Yellowknife vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Yellowknife $5,255
Medellin $3,190

Yellowknife costs about 81% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Yellowknife and Medellin sit above the global median – Yellowknife by 116%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.32 CA$27.31

$7.93 COP 25.2K

143.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 CA$121

$46.13 COP 146.3K

84.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.63 CA$12.19

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-9.16%

Cappuccino

$4.22 CA$5.97

$3.11 COP 9,866

35.69%

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

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.83 COP 5,800

24.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 CA$2.93

$1.38 COP 4,360

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 CA$8.65

$3.05 COP 9,672

100.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 CA$9.74

$5.50 COP 17.4K

25.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.83 CA$4.00

$1.45 COP 4,600

95.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 CA$3.74

$2.36 COP 7,496

12.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.65 CA$6.57

$1.68 COP 5,328

176.79%

Eggs

$3.26 CA$4.60

$2.86 COP 9,077

13.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.93 CA$9.80

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-31.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.17 CA$22.86

$9.53 COP 30.2K

69.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.33 CA$21.67

$14.04 COP 44.5K

9.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 CA$6.80

$4.07 COP 12.9K

18.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.04

$1.50 COP 4,742

-3.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.05 CA$7.15

$2.17 COP 6,891

132.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.14 CA$10.10

$2.31 COP 7,310

209.09%

Potato (1kg)

$4.30 CA$6.08

$1.93 COP 6,113

122.80%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.08

$1.64 COP 5,196

119.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.43 CA$4.84

$1.13 COP 3,571

203.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 CA$1.48

$1.25 COP 3,954

-16.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.03 CA$24.08

$3.99 COP 12.6K

326.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 CA$19.55

$13.35 COP 42.3K

3.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.09 CA$5.78

$1.70 COP 5,384

140.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 CA$8.68

$2.37 COP 7,525

159.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.13 CA$3.01

$1.21 COP 3,827

76.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.7 CA$73.1

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-32.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$1.32 COP 4,179

132.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$2.14 COP 6,774

-35.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 CA$1.82

$1.30 COP 4,114

-0.77%

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

$23.4K CA$33.1K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-16.29%

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

$18.7K CA$26.5K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-47.11%

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

$354 CA$501

$172 COP 545.6K

105.96%

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

$56.9 CA$80.4

$13.37 COP 42.4K

325.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$97.5 CA$138

$28.73 COP 91.1K

239.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.3 CA$102

$45.24 COP 143.5K

59.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 CA$13.70

$6.28 COP 19.9K

54.30%

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

$575 CA$813

$770 COP 2.4M

-25.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 CA$89.9

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-26.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.39 CA$48.61

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-39.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 CA$140

$137 COP 432.9K

-27.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 CA$161

$97.9 COP 310.4K

16.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 CA$1,991

$1,055 COP 3.3M

33.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,383 CA$1,955

$616 COP 2.0M

124.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,100 CA$2,969

$1,892 COP 6.0M

10.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,050 CA$2,898

$1,023 COP 3.2M

100.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,983 CA$4,217

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-26.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,765 CA$3,909

$1,678 COP 5.3M

64.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,903 CA$5,518

$652 COP 2.1M

498.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

10.94

-51.37%

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

Last update for Yellowknife: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yellowknife

$1.4K 47.4%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 55.5% $767

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yellowknife

$509 17.5%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 57.9% $295

Groceries & Markets

Yellowknife

$429 14.7%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 31.4% $135

Eating Out

Yellowknife

$293 10%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 42.5% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Yellowknife

$140 4.8%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 21.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Yellowknife

$92 3.2%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 37% $34

Getting Around

Yellowknife

$70 2.4%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 33% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,408 in Yellowknife versus $1,055 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 498% higher in Yellowknife, 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 $85.0 in Yellowknife versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $429 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Yellowknife

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:53 9:53 AM

10:53 10:53 AM

1 h ahead of Yellowknife

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,234

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 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 CAD in detail →

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Yellowknife Medellin 7,000 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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Yellowknife
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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

Yellowknife vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Yellowknife is pricier by about 81%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,373 per month in Yellowknife and $2,421 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Yellowknife and $46.00 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 $2,916 in Yellowknife and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 81%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Yellowknife at $2,916. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Yellowknife 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Yellowknife makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.