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City comparison

Medellín vs Caracas

In short

Calculated from the figures below, with no overall “who wins” score.

  • Rent

    in Medellín cheaper — −46%

  • Family groceries

    in Medellín cheaper — −50%

  • Private school

    in Caracas cheaper — −83%

In numbers

Exchange rate as of the date each figure was checked.

  • House or apartment rent

    per month
    Medellín≈ $939–2,090COP 3.1–6.9M
    cheaper by 46%
    Caracas$750–4,900$750–4,900
  • Family groceries

    per month
    Medellín≈ $292COP 962,912
    cheaper by 50%
    Caracas$582$582
  • Private school

    per month
    Medellín≈ $1,300COP 4,298,719
    Caracas$70–360$70–360
    cheaper by 83%
  • Winter

    average
    Medellín17–27 °C17–27 °C
    Caracas13–29 °C13–29 °C
  • Precipitation

    per year
    Medellín1,673 mm1,673 mm
    Caracas912.8 mm912.8 mm
  • Ready-made house

    purchase
    Medellín≈ $164–279kCOP 540–920M
    cheaper by 67%
    Caracas$72k – 1.25M$72k – 1.25M

By topic

A quick look at each city. Details and sources are on the city page.

Daily life

Medellín

Strata: what they change

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

Everything about daily life in Medellín →

Caracas

Nothing yet

Housing

Medellín

Three-bedroom rent by neighborhood

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

Buying an apartment

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

Everything about housing in Medellín →

Caracas

Long-term rent

An apartment with three or more bedrooms by listings: 750-4900 dollars a month, median about 1600. The east is the most expensive: Campo Alegre, La Castellana, El Rosal.

SpecialistRent-A-House: apartments for rent with three or more bedrooms, Distrito Metropolitano (Caracas), pages 1-3 · checked 6 Oct 2026

Buying an apartment

An apartment with three or more bedrooms by listings: from 72k to 1.25 million dollars, median about 170k. Most often 80-200k for 76-155 m².

SpecialistRent-A-House: apartments for sale with three or more bedrooms, Distrito Metropolitano (Caracas), pages 1-2 · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about housing in Caracas →

Money and prices

Medellín

Groceries for a family

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

Family monthly budget

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

Everything about money and prices in Medellín →

Caracas

Groceries for a family

The Cendas food basket for a family of five cost 727.89 dollars a month in July 2026; pro rata for four, about 580. Plus 13.5 for drinking water.

SpecialistEl Diario: Cendas-FVM, family food basket in July 2026 at 727.89 dollars · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about money and prices in Caracas →

Family and kids

Medellín

Private school

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

Everything about family and kids in Medellín →

Caracas

Private schools: fees

Private schools in Caracas charge 70-360 dollars a month for 2026-2027, plus an enrolment fee of 225-1560 dollars. Payment in bolivars at the BCV rate is accepted.

SpecialistEl Diario: private schools of Greater Caracas, fees for the 2026-2027 school year · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about family and kids in Caracas →

Healthcare

Medellín

Hospitals in the ranking

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

Everything about healthcare in Medellín →

Caracas

Nothing yet

Transport

Medellín

Metro and fares

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

Rionegro airport

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

Everything about transport in Medellín →

Caracas

Maiquetía airport

After the earthquakes, Maiquetía airport resumed commercial flights on 1 September 2026, but with limited capacity. To the city, use only a pre-booked taxi.

OfficialUK Foreign Office: Venezuela travel advice, Warnings and insurance (updated 2 September 2026) · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about transport in Caracas →

Climate

Medellín

Temperature all year round

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

Precipitation and seasonality

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

Everything about climate in Medellín →

Caracas

Precipitation and seasons

About 910 mm a year. Dry from January to March (11-15 mm a month); the rainy season runs from May to October, with 80-135 mm a month and 13-19 rainy days.

OfficialWMO World Weather Information Service: climate normals for Caracas · checked 6 Oct 2026

Winter climate

There is no winter as a season. The coolest month is January: about 13 degrees at night, 29 by day. All year round 28-32 degrees by day, 13-18 at night.

OfficialWMO World Weather Information Service: climate normals for Caracas · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about climate in Caracas →

Safety

Medellín

Murders and thefts

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

Everything about safety in Medellín →

Caracas

Earthquakes of 24 June

On 24 June 2026 two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 badly damaged La Guaira and parts of Caracas. The risk of further tremors remains.

OfficialUK Foreign Office: Venezuela travel advice, Safety and security · checked 6 Oct 2026

Crime and districts

The Russian Foreign Ministry names Catia, Petare, Antímano, La Vega, Caricuao, El Paraíso and 23 de Enero as especially dangerous. Evening walks are risky almost everywhere.

OfficialRussian Foreign Ministry Consular Department: information about Venezuela (transport, crime) · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about safety in Caracas →

Internet and phone

Medellín

Home internet

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

Everything about internet and phone service in Medellín →

Caracas

Internet

Median fixed internet speed in Venezuela is 127 Mbit/s, mobile 28 (Speedtest, August 2026). CANTV sells fibre up to 1 Gbit/s. When power goes, so does connectivity.

SpecialistSpeedtest Global Index: Venezuela, median speeds, August 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about internet and phone service in Caracas →

Services

Medellín

Network gas

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 and water by stratum

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

Electricity for 300 kWh by stratum

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

Everything about services in Medellín →

Caracas

Power and water: outages

Outages are the main problem: the country is short of up to 4000 MW, and in half of it power is cut for 4-12 hours a day. Tap water is not drunk; drinking water costs 13.5 dollars.

SpecialistCrónica Uno: the 14,000-megawatt gap, Venezuela's electricity deficit, 3 October 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026

Everything about services in Caracas →

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