What a three-month winter in Medellín actually costs

First, the exchange rate

Every peso figure on this page is converted at a round 4,000 pesos to the U.S. dollar, because that's roughly where the rate has traded through 2026 and because round numbers are honest about their own precision. The peso moves; in the past few years it has ranged from the mid-3,000s to over 5,000 to the dollar. A 10% swing changes every dollar figure below by 10%. Canadians, subtract a further step for the loonie. Check the day you pay.

Rent, by neighborhood and month

Rent is the biggest line and the one with real data behind it. In August 2026, Colombia Move's neighborhood survey put furnished studios and one-bedrooms in Laureles at about COP 3.5–5.5 million a month, or roughly US$875–1,375. Rooms in shared apartments were COP 1.2–2.5 million. Poblado runs higher, often 20–40% for equivalent quality; Envigado and Sabaneta run lower, often 10–25% below Laureles.

Two adjustments. First, a proper two-bedroom for a couple who wants a home office or expects visitors sits above the one-bedroom range; budget the top of the band or a little over. Second, December and January are peak, when northern visitors and returning Colombians compete for the same furnished units, and operators raise prices accordingly. The same apartment listed in May for COP 4 million can be COP 5 million or more for a January start. That is the whole argument for booking in September or October.

Furnished, per month	Pesos	≈ US$ at 4,000
Laureles studio / 1BR (survey band)	3.5–5.5M	875–1,375
Laureles / Envigado 2BR, good building (estimate)	5–7M	1,250–1,750
Poblado 1–2BR, flat pocket (estimate)	5.5–9M	1,375–2,250
Sabaneta / Envigado 1BR (estimate)	3–4.5M	750–1,125

Survey band from Colombia Move, Aug 2026. Rows marked "estimate" are my reading of listings and bookings around that survey, not a published figure.

Utilities and internet are usually included up to a cap in furnished monthly rentals. If they're not, budget COP 300,000–500,000 a month (US$75–125) for a two-person apartment in a mid-estrato building, more with a lot of hot water and a dryer.

Everything after rent

Numbeo's crowd-sourced index put a single person's monthly costs, excluding rent, at about US$620 in early 2026, and a family of four's at about US$2,250. Expat budgeting guides tend to land a comfortable couple, everything included with a good furnished apartment and private insurance, in the US$1,500–2,200 a month range. Those are self-reported and they skew toward people who cook at home and ride the metro. Here's how the lines break down for a couple who eats out a few times a week:

• Groceries: COP 1.2–1.8 million a month (US$300–450). Fruit, vegetables, eggs, chicken, and coffee are cheap; imported cheese, wine, and anything in a box from the U.S. are not.
• Eating out: a set lunch (menú del día) at a neighborhood place runs COP 15,000–25,000 (US$4–6). A nice dinner for two with wine in Laureles or Poblado, COP 150,000–300,000 (US$40–75). Three or four dinners out a week plus lunches: COP 1–2 million a month (US$250–500).
• Transport: the metro is about COP 3,000 a ride. App rides across the city run COP 12,000–35,000 (US$3–9). A couple using apps most days: COP 400,000–800,000 a month (US$100–200).
• Phone: a prepaid plan with plenty of data, COP 40,000–80,000 each (US$10–20).
• Cleaning: if your rental doesn't include it, a half-day weekly is around COP 80,000–120,000 per visit (US$20–30), paid properly, with a tip at Christmas.
• Gym, classes, Spanish: a decent gym COP 100,000–200,000 a month; group Spanish classes are a few dollars an hour.

Line items are my estimates from living here in 2026, consistent with the Numbeo index; treat them as ranges, not quotes.

The extras people forget

• Travel medical insurance for two people over 65 for three months: this is the line that varies most, from a few hundred dollars for a healthy couple with a high deductible to well over a thousand with pre-existing conditions covered. Get quotes before you set the rest of the budget.
• The extension fee, if you stay past 90 days: guides in 2026 reported the online fee in the range of COP 85,000–150,000 per person (US$20–40). Check the current amount on Migración Colombia's portal.
• Deposit: usually one month's rent, returned at the end. It's not a cost, but it's cash out the door in the first week.
• Bank and transfer fees: ATM withdrawals here typically carry a fee of COP 15,000–25,000 from the local bank on top of whatever yours charges. For the rent and deposit, most people use Wise, which converts at the real rate for a small percentage. Disclosure: this Wise link is an affiliate link; it costs you nothing extra and it's what I use.
• The day trips: Guatapé, Jardín, Santa Fe de Antioquia. A guided day with a driver for two runs somewhere between US$80 and US$200 depending on the operator. Budget two or three over a winter.
• The dentist: not a cost, an opportunity. A cleaning and checkup at a good private clinic is typically well under US$100, which is why so many visitors schedule dental work into the trip.

A worked three-month budget

A couple, a good one- or two-bedroom in Laureles with an elevator, eating out a few times a week, app rides, a weekly cleaner, two day trips, and mid-range travel insurance. Peak-season rent.

Line (3 months, couple)	Low	High
Rent, furnished, utilities included	US$3,300	US$4,800
Groceries	900	1,350
Eating out	750	1,500
Transport and phone	350	700
Cleaning, gym, classes	300	700
Day trips and extras	250	600
Travel medical insurance (two people)	400	1,400
Total, excluding flights	≈ US$6,250	≈ US$11,000

An estimate assembled from the sourced ranges above at 4,000 COP/USD. Your number depends most on the rent bracket, how often you eat out, and your insurance. A couple in Sabaneta cooking at home can come in under the low figure; a couple in a Poblado high-rise with a lot of restaurant dinners will pass the high one.

Add round-trip flights. From Florida, nonstop fares to Medellín have been available in the low hundreds of dollars each outside the holiday peak; from Canada with a connection, plan on more. Fly in early December or after the New Year rush and you'll pay less for both the flight and the apartment.

Against Florida and Arizona

I won't quote you a Florida seasonal rent, because the range is enormous and you already know what you paid. What I'll say is that the comparison most people run is a furnished Laureles two-bedroom at US$1,100–1,600 in peak season against whatever a three-month Gulf Coast or Scottsdale rental cost them last year, and then they notice that eating out, cleaning, and the dentist are a third of the price too. The things that cost more here are flights, insurance, imported groceries, and the airport ride. The things that cost less are almost everything else.

The honest counterweight: Florida has no visa clock, your Medicare works there, and your car is in the driveway. That comparison gets its own article.