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Travel budget

How much does a trip to Medellín cost?

What a trip to Medellín costs, worked out for your days and your party, with every price traced to where it comes from. And then the part most budgets skip: how to actually pay once you are there.

Food, getting around and sights in Medellín come to COP 160,000–210,000 per person per day. Accommodation, flights and the airport transfer are on top. Prices reviewed: October 2026.

Full Medellín guide

Your trip

How much money you still need

Days, people and how you like to travel decide almost everything. Flights are left out: they depend on where you start.

6 nights

Counted at the child fares each operator publishes.

Travel style

Set meals and the odd sit-down dinner, and one paid sight a day.

Accommodation

We have no sample of hotel prices for this city yet, so we will not guess one. Type what you have seen and the lodging tax is worked out from it.

Adjust accommodation, food and the rest

In local currency. We do not estimate this: nobody knows what you will buy.

Already paid for

You still need, flights aside

COP 2,200,000–2,900,000

≈ $680 – $900 · rate of October 6, 2026

COP 160,000–210,000 per person per day · 7 days and 2 people

Expected
COP 2,200,000–2,900,000
Most trips land in here
Set aside
COP 2,900,000
With this you are unlikely to run short
Cushion, kept apart
COP 380,000
15% of the trip
  • FoodCOP 1,100,000–1,500,000
  • Getting aroundCOP 250,000–370,000
  • Sights and activitiesCOP 370,000–950,000
  • Nights outCOP 100,000–170,000
  • Lodging tax and odds and endsCOP 87,000–140,000

Of that, in cash: COP 580,000–1,100,000

The cash share is our reading of how each kind of place takes payment, not a measurement. Your own bank may charge on top; this page cannot know that.

  • Accommodation is not in this figure. Add your price per night to include it.
  • Flights are not included.
  • You probably will not spend the cushion. Having it to hand covers a night you had not planned, a taxi, or a changed ticket.
Styles

What a day in Medellín costs, by how you travel

Per person per day, two travelling, without accommodation, flights or the airport transfer. A style is not a figure: it is a way of eating, getting around and seeing things, and each one is spelled out below.

Budget

COP 130,000–160,000 per person per day

Set meals and the odd sit-down dinner, public transport and the odd paid sight.

FoodMixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner
COP 80,000–110,000
Getting aroundPublic transport
COP 18,000–26,000
Sights and activitiesThe odd paid sight
COP 13,000–34,000
Sundries: luggage storage, laundry, water
COP 5,500–8,400

Mid-range

COP 160,000–210,000 per person per day

Set meals and the odd sit-down dinner, and one paid sight a day.

FoodMixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner
COP 80,000–110,000
Getting aroundPublic transport
COP 18,000–26,000
Sights and activitiesOne paid sight a day
COP 27,000–68,000
Nights outNow and then
COP 7,300–12,000
Sundries: luggage storage, laundry, water
COP 6,200–10,000

Comfort

COP 280,000–370,000 per person per day

The best food level we can price, a taxi when it helps, two paid sights a day.

FoodRestaurants most of the time
COP 170,000–190,000
Getting aroundPublic transport, and a taxi now and then
COP 21,000–30,000
Sights and activitiesTwo paid sights a day
COP 53,000–140,000
Nights outNow and then
COP 7,300–12,000
Sundries: luggage storage, laundry, water
COP 12,000–18,000

A style's total is not the sum of the extremes of its lines: nobody has a trip where everything comes out cheap, or everything dear. “Sundries” is an assumption of ours, 5% of food, transport and sights, not a measurement.

By length of trip

How much money for 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 days in Medellín

Per person, two travelling together, without accommodation or flights.

DaysBudgetMid-rangeComfort
3COP 390,000–490,000
COP 130,000–160,000 a day		COP 470,000–630,000
COP 160,000–210,000 a day		COP 850,000–1,100,000
COP 280,000–370,000 a day
5COP 640,000–820,000
COP 130,000–160,000 a day		COP 760,000–1,000,000
COP 150,000–200,000 a day		COP 1,400,000–1,800,000
COP 280,000–370,000 a day
7COP 900,000–1,200,000
COP 130,000–160,000 a day		COP 1,100,000–1,400,000
COP 160,000–210,000 a day		COP 2,000,000–2,600,000
COP 280,000–370,000 a day
10COP 1,300,000–1,600,000
COP 130,000–160,000 a day		COP 1,600,000–2,100,000
COP 160,000–210,000 a day		COP 2,800,000–3,700,000
COP 280,000–370,000 a day
14COP 1,800,000–2,300,000
COP 130,000–160,000 a day		COP 2,200,000–2,900,000
COP 160,000–210,000 a day		COP 3,900,000–5,200,000
COP 280,000–370,000 a day

Add your accommodation in the calculator above: it is the largest line and the one we cannot source yet.

Prices

What things cost in Medellín

Eating and drinking: no official statistic measures what eating out costs here, so these are prices from the menu each place publishes on its own website, and each row says where it comes from. It is a sample, not an average: there are cheaper and dearer places, and tourist areas cost more.

WhatPriceSource
Eating and drinking
Tinto (black filter coffee), HatoviejoCOP 7,900From the source Oct 2026
Cappuccino, HatoviejoCOP 14,900From the source Oct 2026
Antioquian potato empanadas (9) with ají, HatoviejoCOP 19,900From the source Oct 2026
Sopa campesina (vegetable soup with pork and potatoes), HatoviejoCOP 20,500From the source Oct 2026
Calentado (rice and beans) with scrambled eggs, arepa and avocado, HatoviejoCOP 28,900From the source Oct 2026
Lentil cazuela with chicharrón and ground beef, Mondongo'sCOP 42,000From the source Oct 2026
Ajiaco (chicken and potato soup), Mondongo'sCOP 47,000From the source Oct 2026
Ajiaco (chicken and potato soup), HatoviejoCOP 59,500From the source Oct 2026
Mondongo (tripe soup), Mondongo'sCOP 58,500From the source Oct 2026
Sancocho antioqueño (beef and pork stew), HatoviejoCOP 56,900From the source Oct 2026
Típico antioqueño (beans, chicharrón, ground beef, egg, plantain, rice), Mondongo'sCOP 61,500From the source Oct 2026
Bandeja paisa, HatoviejoCOP 66,500From the source Oct 2026
Fresh lemonade, Mondongo'sCOP 10,000From the source Oct 2026
Fruit juice made with water, Mondongo'sCOP 12,000From the source Oct 2026
Fresh lemonade, HatoviejoCOP 12,900From the source Oct 2026
Águila beer, Mondongo'sCOP 8,500From the source Oct 2026
Club Colombia beer, Mondongo'sCOP 9,500From the source Oct 2026
Club Colombia beer, HatoviejoCOP 14,500From the source Oct 2026
Glass of wine (Las Moras), HatoviejoCOP 30,500From the source Oct 2026
Getting around
Metro, Metrocable, tram or Metroplús, one trip with a Cívica card (transfers between them included)COP 4,400From the source Oct 2026
Cívica card for visitors (eventual), to load trips onCOP 12,100From the source Oct 2026
Taxi, 4 km by day, not counting waiting timeCOP 15,500From the source Oct 2026
Taxi, José María Córdova Airport to Medellín, flat fare per car (tolls included)COP 132,000From the source Oct 2026
Sights
Cable Arví (Metrocable line L), one way, foreign visitors' fareCOP 26,700From the source Oct 2026
Museo de Antioquia, foreign visitors (under 7 free)COP 46,000From the source Oct 2026
Parque Explora (science park and aquarium), non-residentsCOP 67,950From the source Oct 2026

From the source means we read it where it is set: the operator, the bank, the city or the statistics office. Reported means a guide or the press says so and we have not seen the original. Where sources disagree we show both figures and leave the price out of every sum.

What each food level is made of

A food level is not a number we chose. It is two lists of dishes from the table above, a cheap day and a dear one, and the price is the sum.

Mixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner
From Tinto (black filter coffee), Hatoviejo + Antioquian potato empanadas (9) with ají, Hatoviejo + Lentil cazuela with chicharrón and ground beef, Mondongo's + Fresh lemonade, Mondongo's (COP 79,800) to Cappuccino, Hatoviejo + Sopa campesina (vegetable soup with pork and potatoes), Hatoviejo + Ajiaco (chicken and potato soup), Hatoviejo + Fresh lemonade, Hatoviejo (COP 107,800).
Restaurants most of the time
From Tinto (black filter coffee), Hatoviejo + Calentado (rice and beans) with scrambled eggs, arepa and avocado, Hatoviejo + Ajiaco (chicken and potato soup), Mondongo's + Típico antioqueño (beans, chicharrón, ground beef, egg, plantain, rice), Mondongo's + Fruit juice made with water, Mondongo's + Águila beer, Mondongo's (COP 165,800) to Cappuccino, Hatoviejo + Calentado (rice and beans) with scrambled eggs, arepa and avocado, Hatoviejo + Sancocho antioqueño (beef and pork stew), Hatoviejo + Bandeja paisa, Hatoviejo + Fresh lemonade, Hatoviejo + Club Colombia beer, Hatoviejo (COP 194,600).
Accommodation

What the night costs, and the tax on top

There is no open source of hotel prices, and we have not sampled this city yet. So the calculator asks you for the price you have seen instead of printing one that looks plausible.

Lodging tax

No lodging tax is charged here. From the source Oct 2026

Which area to stay in Medellín: the neighbourhood comparison

Saving

What saves money in Medellín

Each line is a subtraction done with the prices on this page. No tricks: just the sum.

What saves

  • Eating “Mixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner” instead of “Restaurants most of the time”: COP 86,000–87,000 less per person per day.
  • “Ajiaco (chicken and potato soup), Mondongo's” (COP 47,000) instead of “Ajiaco (chicken and potato soup), Hatoviejo” (COP 59,500): COP 12,500 less each time.
  • “Club Colombia beer, Mondongo's” (COP 9,500) instead of “Club Colombia beer, Hatoviejo” (COP 14,500): COP 5,000 less each time.
Questions

Questions about money in Medellín

How much money do you need for a week in Medellín?

For seven days, COP 1,100,000–1,400,000 per person on the “Mid-range” style with two travelling. Accommodation and flights are not included.

How much money do you need for 3 days in Medellín?

For 3 days, COP 470,000–630,000 per person on the “Mid-range” style with two travelling. Accommodation and flights are not included.

What is a realistic daily budget in Medellín?

Per person per day, without accommodation or flights: COP 130,000–160,000 on the “Budget” style, COP 160,000–210,000 on the “Mid-range” style, and COP 280,000–370,000 on the “Comfort” style.

Can you travel to Medellín on a budget?

The cheapest style we work out is “Budget”: COP 130,000–160,000 per person per day, without accommodation or flights. Set meals and the odd sit-down dinner, public transport and the odd paid sight.

How much does food cost in Medellín?

From COP 80,000 per person per day (“Mixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner”) to COP 190,000 (“Restaurants most of the time”). The price table has what each dish costs.

How much does transport cost in Medellín?

A ride on public transport costs COP 4,400. “Taxi, 4 km by day, not counting waiting time”: COP 15,500.

Is there a lodging tax in Medellín?

None on record as of October 2026.

How much cash should you carry in Medellín?

For a week on the “Mid-range” style, about COP 290,000–560,000 per person, two travelling. It is our reading of how each kind of place takes payment, not a measurement.

Is it better to use cash or card in Medellín?

By card: major hotels; department stores and shopping centres; restaurants in cities. In cash: small shops; markets and stalls; rural areas.

Do you tip in Medellín?

Restaurants: optional. Bars and cafés: optional.

Sources

Where every figure comes from

Each price on this page carries its source. These are all of them. Prices reviewed: October 2026.

The rest of Medellín

In the app

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