Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zaragoza, El Salvador and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaragoza: $635 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Zaragoza
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Zaragoza Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Zaragoza

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$635

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $635 per month in Zaragoza vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Zaragoza $635
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,036 per month in Zaragoza vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Zaragoza $1,036
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,437 per month in Zaragoza vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Zaragoza $1,437
Medellin $3,186

Zaragoza is about 61% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Zaragoza sits 53% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.95 $6.95

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-14.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.51 $29.51

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-37.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.96 $6.96

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-26.74%

Cappuccino

$1.54 $1.54

$3.01 COP 9,485

-48.84%

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

$1.11 $1.11

$1.80 COP 5,660

-38.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.41 COP 4,443

-42.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 $1.24

$3.18 COP 9,990

-61.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-63.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.51 COP 4,751

17.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.38 COP 7,480

-4.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.77 COP 5,573

-45.20%

Eggs

$2.50 $2.50

$2.89 COP 9,093

-13.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 $7.49

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-26.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-60.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-61.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$3.97 COP 12.5K

0.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.55 COP 4,883

-8.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.18 COP 6,867

18.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.18 COP 6,870

-1.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.96 COP 6,174

51.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.59 COP 5,000

14.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.15 COP 3,604

-16.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.24 COP 3,911

-36.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 $3.77

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-4.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-40.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.66 COP 5,222

-3.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.26 COP 7,104

-2.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.17 COP 3,674

26.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 $4.90

$1.27 COP 3,989

285.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.05 COP 6,442

42.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.10 $20.10

$8.55 COP 26.9K

135.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.35 COP 4,237

-17.04%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-27.28%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-28.95%

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

$46.09 $46.09

$170 COP 533.7K

-72.83%

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

$21.21 $21.21

$13.55 COP 42.6K

56.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.34 $35.34

$28.07 COP 88.3K

25.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.94 $34.94

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-20.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 $5.03

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-27.21%

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

$150 $150

$797 COP 2.5M

-81.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,759 $4,759

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-47.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 $67.3

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-20.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.68 $46.68

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-19.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$135 COP 424.6K

-17.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 $69.5

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-29.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

10.94

-22.30%

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

Last update for Zaragoza: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zaragoza

$217 34.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 37.1% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Zaragoza

$133 20.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 27.3% $36

Eating Out

Zaragoza

$113 17.8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 50.1% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zaragoza

$103 16.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 106% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Zaragoza

$45 7.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 27.8% $13

Getting Around

Zaragoza

$25 * 4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 267% $68

Accommodation & Living

Zaragoza

- * 0%

Medellin

$642 39.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Zaragoza versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $297 – making Zaragoza the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Zaragoza

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:08 9:08 AM

10:08 10:08 AM

1 h ahead of Zaragoza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,749

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zaragoza Medellin 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Zaragoza
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

Zaragoza vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 158%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Zaragoza and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 37% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Zaragoza, where all-in costs run around $635, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Zaragoza it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $635 in Zaragoza to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.