✦ Compare
Buenos Aires vs
Medellín
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Buenos Aires, AR vs Medellín, CO at a glance — Medellín, CO is 7% cheaper than Buenos Aires, AR overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $550/mo versus $500/mo. Top income tax: 39% vs 35%.
To keep the same standard of living in Medellín, CO, you'd need
$69,488 / year
Medellín, CO is 7% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Medellín, CO vs Buenos Aires, AR)
- Housing-9%
- Food & groceries-13%
- Transport0%
- Utilities-21%
- Healthcare0%
- Goods & services-3%
Median 1-bed rent
$500 /mo
Buenos Aires, AR overview →
Median 1-bed rent
$550 /mo
Medellín, CO overview →
◎ How Buenos Aires, AR and Medellín, CO compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Buenos Aires, AR | Medellín, CO | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 53 | 49 |
| Housing | 46 | 42 |
| Food | 55 | 48 |
| Transport | 40 | 40 |
| Utilities | 70 | 55 |
| Healthcare | 55 | 55 |
| Goods & services | 60 | 58 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $500/mo | $550/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $350/mo | $350/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,000/mo | $1,100/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $2,500 | $1,800 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,880 | $2,029 |
| Inexpensive meal | $8 | $5 |
| Monthly transit pass | $15 | $40 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 35% | 39% |
| VAT / sales tax | 21% | 19% |
| Corporate tax | 35% | 35% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $500/mo | $450/mo |
| Minimum wage | — | $330/mo |
| GDP per capita | $14,898✓ | $6,976✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | — | 5.2%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | Yes |
| English proficiency | Low | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 45 | 40 |
| Time zone | UTC-3 | UTC-5 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 58 | 59 |
| Safety index | 42 | 48 |
| Healthcare index | 68 | 70 |
| Pollution index | 50 | 55 |
| Internet speed | 60 Mbps | 80 Mbps |
| Walkability | 80 | 55 |
| Public transport | 72 | 68 |
| Family-friendly | 62 | 58 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | $60/mo | — |
| Life expectancy | 78 yr✓ | 74 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +25 °C | +22 °C |
| July avg | +11 °C | +22 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 180 | 200 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,150 mm | 1,600 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 3 h | 1.5 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Argentina vs Colombia. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Buenos Aires vs Medellín — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Buenos Aires
European elegance at bargain prices — steak, tango and café culture, shadowed by chronic inflation.
- Currency
- Argentine peso ($ ARS)
- Languages
- Spanish
- Time zone
- UTC-3
- Internet
- 60 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 42/100
- Climate
- ❄ 25°C · ☀ 11°C · 180 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- C/I · 220V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Palermo · Recoleta · San Telmo
Good to know before you move to Medellín
A dramatic turnaround story with a year-round spring climate and a modern metro. El Poblado and Laureles anchor a booming nomad scene; costs are low and healthcare excellent, but safety still varies sharply by neighbourhood.
- Currency
- Colombian peso ($ COP)
- Languages
- Spanish
- Time zone
- UTC-5
- Internet
- 80 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 48/100
- Climate
- ❄ 22°C · ☀ 22°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 110V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- El Poblado · Laureles · Envigado · Belén
Plan your move to Buenos Aires
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
Plan your move to Medellín
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Buenos Aires to Medellín: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Buenos Aires to Medellín, your cost of living will be roughly 7% cheaper. Medellín’s cost-of-living index is 49 versus 53 for Buenos Aires (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Buenos Aires cheaper than Medellín?
Medellín is about 7% cheaper than Buenos Aires overall — its cost-of-living index is 49 versus 53 for Buenos Aires.
Which is more expensive, Buenos Aires or Medellín?
Buenos Aires is more expensive than Medellín. Its cost-of-living index is 53 vs 49 (US = 100) — about 8% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Buenos Aires or Medellín?
Rent is cheaper in Buenos Aires — about $500/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $550 in Medellín.
How much do you need to earn in Medellín to live like in Buenos Aires?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Buenos Aires is worth about $69,488 in Medellín. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Buenos Aires or Medellín?
Argentina has the lower top income-tax rate — 35% versus 39% in Colombia.
◷ More comparisons from Buenos Aires
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.