Based on 2026 cost of living data, here's how much you need to earn (before tax) in Medellín, Colombia — from bare minimum to living well.
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Try Wise for Free →We start with actual monthly costs in Medellín: rent for a 1-bedroom apartment, groceries, utilities, transport, and healthcare. For the "comfortable" tier, we apply the 50/30/20 rule — your essentials should be 50% of take-home pay, leaving 30% for wants and 20% for savings.
We then reverse-calculate the gross (pre-tax) salary you'd need, using Colombia's progressive tax brackets and mandatory deductions. All figures are in COP for 2026.
How much you need varies dramatically within Medellín. Here's the breakdown for 19 neighborhoods:
| Neighborhood | Get By | Comfortable | Live Well |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Poblado | CO$46.1M | CO$108.6M | CO$141.8M |
| San Lucas | CO$43.8M | CO$102.1M | CO$133.6M |
| Provenza | CO$43.2M | CO$100.5M | CO$131.5M |
| Laureles | CO$42.7M | CO$98.8M | CO$129.5M |
| Envigado | CO$41.9M | CO$96.6M | CO$126.8M |
| Castropol | CO$41.9M | CO$96.6M | CO$126.8M |
| Manila | CO$41.3M | CO$95.0M | CO$124.7M |
| La Floresta | CO$40.8M | CO$93.4M | CO$122.7M |
| Sabaneta | CO$39.4M | CO$89.5M | CO$117.9M |
| Belén | CO$38.1M | CO$85.7M | CO$113.1M |
| Estadio | CO$37.5M | CO$84.1M | CO$111.1M |
| La Estrella | CO$37.0M | CO$82.4M | CO$109.0M |
| Calasanz | CO$36.6M | CO$81.4M | CO$107.7M |
| Centro | CO$36.2M | CO$80.3M | CO$106.3M |
| Itagüí | CO$36.2M | CO$80.3M | CO$106.3M |
| Robledo | CO$35.6M | CO$78.6M | CO$104.3M |
| Boston | CO$35.6M | CO$78.6M | CO$104.3M |
| Aranjuez | CO$35.1M | CO$77.0M | CO$102.2M |
| Bello | CO$35.1M | CO$77.0M | CO$102.2M |
To live comfortably in Medellín in 2026, you need a gross annual salary of approximately CO$92.3M. This covers rent, groceries, utilities, transport, healthcare, and leaves 30% for wants and 20% for savings (50/30/20 rule). The minimum to get by is CO$40.4M.
Monthly rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Medellín is approximately CO$1.5M. Essential monthly expenses (groceries, utilities, transport, healthcare) add roughly CO$1.6M. The effective tax rate is 19.5%.
CO$40.4M is the bare minimum salary to get by in Medellín — it covers rent and essential expenses with very little left over. For a comfortable lifestyle with savings, you'd want at least CO$92.3M.
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