Buenos Aires vs Medellín Cost of Living

Buenos Aires (Argentina) · Overall index 37.3Medellín (Colombia) · Overall index 28.3

Summary

  • Overall, Medellín is 24% cheaper than Buenos Aires.
  • Rent in Medellín is 32% cheaper than in Buenos Aires.
  • Transport in Medellín is 26% cheaper than in Buenos Aires.
ItemBuenos AiresMedellínDiff
Rent-32%
1-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$1,039$723-30%
1-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$720$493-32%
3-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$1,957$1,419-27%
3-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$1,427$898-37%
Groceries-21%
Milk (1L)$0.67$0.48-28%
White bread (500g)$1.94$1.41-27%
Rice (1kg)$2.2$2.07-6%
Eggs (12)$2.15$1.65-23%
Local cheese (1kg)$6.64$5.47-18%
Chicken fillets (1kg)$6.42$5.22-19%
Beef round (1kg)$9.29$7.93-15%
Apples (1kg)$2.55$1.9-25%
Bananas (1kg)$1.03$0.7-32%
Oranges (1kg)$2.18$1.57-28%
Tomatoes (1kg)$2.51$2.14-15%
Potatoes (1kg)$1.39$1.12-19%
Onions (1kg)$1.22$0.96-21%
Lettuce (1 head)$1.13$0.91-19%
Water (1.5L bottle)$1.19$0.93-22%
Bottle of wine (mid-range)$7$6.22-11%
Transport-26%
Public transport, one-way ticket$1$0.76-24%
Public transport, monthly pass$46.7$36.9-21%
Taxi, base fare$1.79$1.15-36%
Taxi, per km$0.85$0.54-36%
Gasoline (1L)$0.37$0.31-16%
New compact car (e.g., VW Golf)$10,087$7,832-22%
Dining out-22%
Meal, inexpensive restaurant$8.77$7.07-19%
Meal for 2, mid-range restaurant (3 courses)$51.1$36.6-28%
Fast food combo meal$5.02$3.42-32%
Cappuccino$2.15$1.79-17%
Coke/Pepsi (0.33L, restaurant)$1.06$0.84-21%
Domestic beer (0.5L, restaurant)$2.96$2.24-24%
Imported beer (0.33L, restaurant)$3.3$2.76-16%
Water (0.33L, restaurant)$0.8$0.65-19%
Telecom-22%
Mobile plan, calls + 10GB+ data (monthly)$35.3$28.7-19%
Broadband internet 60Mbps+ (monthly)$39.4$26.6-32%
Prepaid mobile tariff (1 min)$0.18$0.16-11%
Video streaming subscription (monthly)$8.1$6.25-23%
Utilities & household-23%
Basic utilities, 85m² apartment (monthly)$77.6$56.8-27%
Electricity (1 kWh)$0.11$0.09-18%
Tap water (1m³)$2.47$1.6-35%
Natural gas (1m³)$0.67$0.54-19%
Waste collection (monthly)$11.9$8.16-31%
Fitness club (monthly)$40.9$29.5-28%
Cinema ticket (1 seat)$8.07$5.13-36%
Men's haircut$14.3$12.9-10%
Domestic cleaning (1 hour)$11.8$10.4-12%
Private kindergarten (monthly)$888$869-2%

2,989 total data points · Price data as of 2026-07-01 · Exchange rates as of 2026-07-15

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