Medellín vs Cali

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

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

A three-bedroom by listings: in stratum 4 in the south the median is 1.4 million pesos a month (about 430 dollars, 65 m²), in stratum 6 it is 6.5 million (about 1,940 dollars, 210 m²).

SpecialistFincaraíz: three-bedroom apartments for rent in Cali · checked 6 Oct 2026

A resale three-bedroom by listings: from 155 million to 1.5 billion pesos, half within 430-800 million. New three-bedroom units sell from 220 million to 1.6 billion.

SpecialistFincaraíz: three-bedroom apartments for sale in Cali · checked 6 Oct 2026

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

The DANE minimum food basket for Cali is 247,372 pesos per person a month, about 989 thousand (296 dollars) for a family of four. Figures for 2025.

OfficialDANE: monetary poverty 2025, presentation of results with poverty lines by city · checked 6 Oct 2026

A family of four in Cali counts as poor with income below 2.05 million pesos a month, about 610 dollars (2025). Average income is 1.58 million per person.

OfficialDANE: monetary poverty 2025, presentation of results with poverty lines by city · checked 6 Oct 2026

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

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

Fundación Valle del Lili in Cali is Colombia's best hospital in the Newsweek ranking for the fifth year in a row; 126th in the world list of 2026 out of 2,530 assessed.

SpecialistConsultorSalud: which Colombian hospitals are in the World's Best Hospitals 2026 ranking · checked 6 Oct 2026

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

In 2025 about 6.4 million passengers passed through Cali airport, 1.2 million of them international. Since September 2025 it has been run by the state agency Aerocivil.

OfficialAerocivil, open data: commercial air traffic by origin-destination, 2020-2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026

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

There is no winter: in the coolest month, November, it averages 19 degrees at night and 28.8 during the day, in August 18.5 and 30.9. The difference between months is about 2 degrees.

OfficialWMO, World Weather Information Service: climate normals of Cali 1971-2000 · checked 6 Oct 2026

In the city about 1,485 mm a year and 166 rainy days. Two wet seasons, March-May and October-November; driest in July-August.

OfficialWMO, World Weather Information Service: climate normals of Cali 1971-2000 · checked 6 Oct 2026

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

According to Ministry of Defense open data, Cali had 1,068 homicides in 2025 against 950 in 2024. In January-August 2026 there were 766, 17% more than in the same period of 2025.

OfficialColombian Ministry of Defense, open data: homicides by municipality (HOMICIDIO) · checked 6 Oct 2026

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

Tigo sells home internet at 200-500 Mbit/s for 60,900-75,900 pesos a month (strata 1-3, VAT included). On cable the upload is only 12-15 Mbit/s, on fibre 100-250.

SpecialistTigo: terms of home plans, internet plan specifications · checked 6 Oct 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

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 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

EMCALI has one of the cheapest electricity prices in the country: 868.6 pesos per kWh for stratum 4 as of June 2026. 300 kWh a month is about 261 thousand pesos (78 dollars).

SpecialistValora Analitik: the most expensive electricity tariffs for stratum 4 in Colombia · checked 6 Oct 2026