Cost of Living 3 Weeks in Medellín, Colombia
The affordable cost of living is one of the most appealing factors for digital nomads or expats living in Medellín, Colombia (among many other things as mentioned in my last post). We were excited to see how it stacked up in comparison with S.E. Asia, Eastern Europe and, of course, the US. In the end, although there were definitely some things that were comparable to Thailand in price, overall it was quite a bit more expensive. For many things, we even found prices similar to where we are from in Florida.
We tracked our expenses for our 19-night/20-day stay in Medellín so you can have an idea of what to expect.
Accommodations: $1134
The apartment we rented was listed at $51.50/night, but with the service and cleaning fees, it came out to $59/night for 18 nights. This price was for a spacious and modern studio apartment, equipped with a full kitchen, 1.5 bathrooms, washing machine, huge walk-in closet and a massive balcony with gorgeous views. It was in a gated building with security in a safe location. It was definitely far nicer than any apartment we’ve had in Chiang Mai.
This price also includes $72 for 1 night in a very nice 3-star hotel. This was our last night and we wanted to be near the airport for an early morning flight.
This was the most expensive part for us, but realize this can vary drastically depending on the person, standard of living, how long you are staying, etc. We used Airbnb, which is often much more expensive than if you were to rent an apartment on the ground without the use of a third-party booking site. Additionally, if you are renting long-term and signing a lease like we usually do in Thailand, we would have probably paid quite a bit less for the same apartment. However, when visiting a new country with no contacts and only staying short-term, Airbnb is still the best way to go and I’m not sure how we ever survived without it! (get $40 in credit when signing up through our link here).
Groceries: $203 USD
We mostly frequented the Éxito or the Carulla as they both had a nice, big selection of food and were the closest to our apartment. We primarily had coffee, breakfast and lunch at home (cereal, apples, sandwiches) and dinner out.
Some examples of items we purchased and their prices converted at time of purchase, Jan 2018:
- 6 pack of Prima (cheap Colombian beer): 9,000 COP (about $3.15 USD)
- Bag of Sugar: 3,190 COP (about $1.12 USD)
- Bag of 10 apples: 7,790 COP (about $2.73 USD)
- Bottle of Salad Dressing: 10,730 COP (about $3.76 USD)
- Bag of Lettuce: 3,520 COP (about $1.23 USD)
- Box of Granola Bars: 7,340 COP (about $2.57 USD)
- Bag of Plantain Chips: 3,550 COP (about $1.23 USD)
Dining Out: $377 USD
We ate out at least once a day, and a couple of times twice in one day. I tracked 21 meals as “dining out” during our 19 days, so this breaks down to an average of about $18 USD a meal. This was split between some fast-food type places and your average sit-down restaurant or cafe – nothing fancy. We found this to be much more expensive when compared to Thailand or almost anywhere in SE Asia. And really, this isn’t much less than we typically spend at home in Florida. And to be honest, the food wasn’t all that impressive in Colombia. Although, maybe we were just eating in the wrong places. Here are a few examples:
- 2 empanadas on the street: $1.17 USD
- Meal for 2 at Mundo Verde (1 salad, 1 rice bowl and 2 drinks): $25
- Burgers and Beer restaurant (2 burgers with fries and a beer): $28
- Meal for 2 at local Columbian restaurant near airport (grilled pork with unlimited potatoes and yucca): $14 USD
- 2 fast-food style chicken and rice bowls with fried plantains, salad and drink: $9
Coffee Shops: $65 USD
We didn’t spend as much time at coffee shops as we usually do, mostly because they weren’t in walking distance so we often worked from home. We were also brewing our own coffees in the morning so this cut back big time on our coffee expenses. We did work from Cafe Velvet in Parque Lleras a few times, visited the Juan Valdez on a couple occasions, but mostly went to Starbucks because it was closest to us. On average, a medium size latte was around $2.30 USD.
Transportation: $115 USD
We used Uber nearly every day as we were quite far from everything. We found Uber to be very inexpensive and convenient. Our typical rides to the coffee shop or grocery store were often between $2-3. We also used Uber to and from the airport which was about $16 USD one-way and $24 USD on the way back (actually a bit further to a hotel).
Miscellaneous
Here are a few more examples of miscellaneous expenses that didn’t fall into one of the categories above. We planned on signing up for the gym as soon as we arrived, but the gym within walking distance to us had a 3-month minimum signup. Instead, we used the so-called “fitness center” in our building and did our own workout. The prices, however, were listed as (converted) $25 USD/month with a $42 registration fee and a $31 annual maintenance fee.
Charlie got a haircut at a barbershop in the mall for 18,000 COP or about $6 USD.
We went to a popular spot in Parque Lleras for drinks one afternoon and spent 50,000 COP ($17 USD) for 2 margaritas and 3 beers.
Overall, we spent right at $1950 for our 19 nights/20 days in Medellín. This averages out to about $100/day for two people. We definitely could have done it for much less. We found plenty of cheaper apartments, but they weren’t really what we were looking for. Also, had we been closer to town, I’m sure we wouldn’t have Uber’d as much. Additionally, we could have eaten out less and in more, but we actually ate out way less than when in Chiang Mai where we are used to eating out for every meal. Everyone has a different standard of living and this will vary for many people, but hopefully this gives you an idea of what to expect when visiting Medellín.
About the Author Charlie and Brittany
We are Brittany and Charlie - we traded the 9 to 5 and the so-called "American dream" to live our own dream and see the world. We sold all of our belongings and left the US in August 2013. For 5 years, we lived primarily in Thailand and built our online business and location independent lifestyle while we traveled to over 30 countries. We’ve had house sitting gigs on 3 different continents and we’ve even appeared on HGTV’s House Hunters International.
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