Buenos Aires vs Medellín
In short
Calculated from the figures below, with no overall “who wins” score.
Rent
✓in Buenos Aires cheaper — −46%
Family budget
✓in Medellín cheaper — −31%
Internet
✓in Buenos Aires cheaper — −37%
In numbers
Exchange rate as of the date each figure was checked.
House or apartment rent
per month✓Buenos Aires≈ $752–899ARS 1,176,184–1,406,326cheaper by 46%Medellín≈ $939–2,090COP 3.1–6.9MPiped gas
✓Buenos Aires≈ $0.2 per m³ARS 316.16 per m³cheaper by 81%Medellín≈ $1.08 per m³COP 3,559.88 per m³Utilities
per monthBuenos Aires≈ $215ARS 336,960✓Medellín≈ $103–142COP 341,566–469,835cheaper by 43%Family groceries
per monthBuenos Aires≈ $630ARS 985,617✓Medellín≈ $292COP 962,912cheaper by 54%Family budget
per monthBuenos Aires≈ $1,060ARS 1,651,798✓Medellín≈ $728COP 2,403,888cheaper by 31%Internet
per month✓Buenos Aires≈ $8.95–23ARS 13,999–35,774cheaper by 37%Medellín≈ $23–27COP 75,900–90,321Private school
per month✓Buenos Aires≈ $28–190ARS 44,300–296,700cheaper by 92%Medellín≈ $1,300COP 4,298,719Winter
averageBuenos Aires12 °C12 °CMedellín17–27 °C17–27 °CPrecipitation
per yearBuenos Aires1,260 mm1,260 mmMedellín1,673 mm1,673 mmReady-made house
purchase✓Buenos Aires$151–200k$151–200kcheaper by 21%Medellín≈ $164–279kCOP 540–920M
By topic
A quick look at each city. Details and sources are on the city page.
Daily life
Buenos Aires
Nothing yet
Medellín
A housing stratum from 1 to 6 appears in the listing and in the tariffs. In 5–6 electricity is 20% more expensive than in 4, water 1.5–1.6 times. A three-bedroom in stratum 4 is about 3.3 million pesos, in 6 - 8 million.
OfficialEPM: electricity rates, regulated market, September 2026 · checked 29 Sep 2026
Housing
Buenos Aires
A building maintenance fee: on average 337k pesos a month, on top of rent. For a three-room flat in Palermo, about 300k.
SpecialistLa Nacion: expensas in Buenos Aires, ConsorcioAbierto data on ~13,000 buildings · checked 28 Sep 2026
A flat with two bedrooms: Caballito 1.18 million pesos a month, Palermo 1.31 million, Núñez 1.41 million. Expensas on top.
OfficialIDECBA - Dynamics of the apartment rental market, Buenos Aires, Q2 2026 (Informe de resultados 2049) · checked 28 Sep 2026
A studio (monoambiente, about 30 m²) averages 565,658 pesos a month; a one-bedroom of 43 m² averages 764,485 pesos. Small flats vary little between barrios.
OfficialIDECBA - Dynamics of the apartment rental market, Buenos Aires, Q2 2026 (Informe de resultados 2049) · checked 28 Sep 2026
Three quarters of listings are homes with one bedroom at most. A family with two children can use about a quarter of the market.
OfficialIDECBA - Dynamics of the apartment rental market, Buenos Aires, Q2 2026 (Informe de resultados 2049) · checked 28 Sep 2026
Medellín
Three-bedroom apartment: Belén and Sabaneta 3.1–3.3 million pesos a month, Laureles and Envigado 4.5 million, El Poblado 6.9 million. Listing medians.
SpecialistFincaraíz: three-bedroom apartments for rent in El Poblado · checked 29 Sep 2026
Three-bedroom resale: Sabaneta about 540 million pesos, Laureles 725 million, El Poblado 873 million, Envigado 920 million. These are listing prices, not transaction prices.
SpecialistFincaraíz: three-bedroom apartments for sale in El Poblado · checked 29 Sep 2026
Money and prices
Buenos Aires
The city's basket for a family with two children is 2.08 million pesos a month, but without rent. With the rent of a three-room flat it comes to 3.3–3.5 million.
OfficialIDECBA - Poverty lines and consumer baskets of the City of Buenos Aires, August 2026 (Informe de resultados 2054) · checked 28 Sep 2026
The food basket for a family of four is 985,617 pesos a month at city prices (August 2026). Up 34.7% over the year.
OfficialIDECBA - Poverty lines and consumer baskets of the City of Buenos Aires, August 2026 (Informe de resultados 2054) · checked 28 Sep 2026
Middle class by the city's yardstick starts at 2.6 million pesos for a family of four, and that is with owned housing.
OfficialIDECBA - Poverty lines and consumer baskets of the City of Buenos Aires, August 2026 (Informe de resultados 2054) · checked 28 Sep 2026
Medellín
The DANE minimum food basket for Medellín is 240,728 pesos per person per month, about 963k for a family of four. Figures for 2025.
OfficialDANE: monetary poverty 2025, presentation of results with poverty lines by city · checked 29 Sep 2026
A family of four in Medellín is considered poor with an income below 2.4 million pesos a month, about $730 (2025). The average income is 1.93 million per person.
OfficialDANE: monetary poverty 2025, presentation of results with poverty lines by city · checked 29 Sep 2026
Family and kids
Buenos Aires
Fee ceilings in schools with state support: primary (half-day) 44–224k pesos a month, secondary 55–297k.
SpecialistiProfesional - new fee caps in CABA private schools from September 2026 · checked 28 Sep 2026
Medellín
The international The Columbus School in Envigado for 2026–27: 4.3 million pesos a month from August to May plus a 4.8 million fee in June. This is the upper bound.
SpecialistThe Columbus School: fees for the 2026-27 school year · checked 29 Sep 2026
Healthcare
Buenos Aires
A mid-level plan costs 110–280k pesos a month per person; OSDE 210 cost 285k in September 2026. For a family, multiply.
SpecialistComparison of private health insurance (prepagas) prices, September 2026 · checked 28 Sep 2026
With residency, city hospitals are free on equal terms with Argentines. Without a DNI, elective care is paid; emergency care is for everyone.
OfficialResolución 1054/MSGC/2025 - procedure for treating patients without an Argentine DNI in city hospitals · checked 28 Sep 2026
Medellín
In the Newsweek 2026 ranking for Colombia, Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe is 3rd, San Vicente Fundación 8th, and six more clinics of the metropolitan area are in the top 45. The ranking is commercial.
SpecialistNewsweek and Statista: World’s Best Hospitals 2026, Colombia · checked 29 Sep 2026
Transport
Buenos Aires
The metro is 1,753 pesos per trip, a bus from 888. Fares drop from the 21st trip in a month. A family spends about 127k a month.
OfficialRed SUBE - AMBA public transport fares, in effect from 1 September 2026 · checked 28 Sep 2026
Medellín
A ride on the metro, tram, cable car or Metroplús with a personalized Cívica card costs 3,820 pesos, 4,400 with an anonymous card, 1,600 for students.
OfficialMetro de Medellín: fares by Cívica card profile · checked 29 Sep 2026
The main airport, José María Córdova, is in Rionegro, about 35 km from the city. In 2025 it handled 14.6 million passengers, 4.2 million of them international.
SpecialistLadevi: José María Córdova airport, passenger record in 2025 · checked 29 Sep 2026
Climate
Buenos Aires
The average July temperature is 11.5 degrees: about 8 at night, about 16 by day. Snow comes once in several generations, but you need heating in winter.
SpecialistClimates to Travel - climate of Buenos Aires, 1991-2020 normals · checked 28 Sep 2026
About 1,260 mm a year and 77 rainy days – there is no dry season. It rains most in summer, winter is the driest. Downpours sometimes cause flooding.
SpecialistClimates to Travel - climate of Buenos Aires, 1991-2020 normals · checked 28 Sep 2026
Medellín
No winter: the average monthly temperature is 21–22.5 degrees all year round. Coolest in October: on average from 16.6 at night to 26.8 during the day.
OfficialIDEAM: climate table, Olaya Herrera airport (Medellín) · checked 29 Sep 2026
About 1,670 mm a year and 224 days with rain. Two wet seasons, April–May and September–November; driest in December–February.
OfficialIDEAM: climate table, Olaya Herrera airport (Medellín) · checked 29 Sep 2026
Safety
Buenos Aires
In 2025 there were 2.53 homicides per 100k residents – the lowest since 1995, below the national average (3.7).
OfficialBuenos Aires crime map, summary report for 2025 · checked 28 Sep 2026
Medellín
In 2025 there were 326 murders, about 13 per 100k residents; for the country in 2024 it was 25.4. In El Poblado and Laureles there are few murders, the most are in the center.
SpecialistQue Pasa Medallo: homicides in Medellín in 2025 according to SISC · checked 29 Sep 2026
Internet and phone
Buenos Aires
Fibre at 300 Mbps costs about 14–22k pesos a month on promotion, 500 Mbps 22–36k. The main trap: after 6–12 months the list price kicks in, and it is three to four times higher.
SpecialistMovistar Argentina - 300 Mbps fiber plan · checked 28 Sep 2026
Medellín
Tigo gives 500 Mbit/s for 75,900 pesos a month in strata 1–3 and for 90,321 in strata 4–6, VAT included. On the cable network the upload is only 15 Mbit/s.
SpecialistTigo: terms of the Full Tigo package for Medellín and the metropolitan area, January 2026 · checked 29 Sep 2026
Services
Buenos Aires
Without subsidies, electricity, gas and water cost about 142k pesos a month in spring and up to 166k in winter. Expensas (the building fee) are not included in this amount.
SpecialistTN citing the Observatorio de Tarifas y Subsidios IIEP (UBA-CONICET) - AMBA utilities basket, September 2026 · checked 28 Sep 2026
Edesur electricity without a subsidy: 157 pesos per kWh plus 3,632 a month (category 151–400 kWh). For 300 kWh about 50.8k pesos without IVA (33 dollars).
OfficialEdesur: cuadro tarifario, ENReGE resolution 535/26, in effect from 1 September 2026 · checked 30 Sep 2026
Metrogas gas without a subsidy: 316 pesos per m³ plus a fixed charge of 4.4–53.8k a month, without taxes. 100 m³ in winter (category R2 2°) – about 47.6k pesos (31 dollars).
OfficialMetrogas: cuadros tarifarios, September 2026 (tariffs for homes without SEF subsidies, excluding taxes) · checked 30 Sep 2026
Medellín
Electricity for 200 kWh and water for 15 m³ at EPM tariffs: stratum 4 about 342k pesos a month, strata 5–6 - 455–470k, stratum 3 - 306k. Gas and garbage are extra.
OfficialEPM: electricity rates, regulated market, September 2026 · checked 29 Sep 2026
EPM network gas in strata 3–4: 3,560 pesos per m³ plus a fixed charge of 4,390 a month. For 30 m³ it comes to about 111k pesos ($34). In stratum 6 the price is 4,272 per m³.
OfficialEPM: piped gas tariffs, Valle de Aburrá, September 2026 consumption (October bills) · checked 29 Sep 2026
EPM electricity for 300 kWh a month: stratum 4 about 288k pesos ($87), stratum 6 about 345k, stratum 3 about 269k. September 2026 tariff, excluding fees.
OfficialEPM: electricity tariffs, regulated market, September 2026 · checked 29 Sep 2026

