Medellín vs Puerto Varas

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

The 2024 census counted 52,942 people in the commune of Puerto Varas. Next door is Puerto Montt with 277,040 people, the airport and a large hospital.

OfficialINE: first results of the 2024 census for the Los Lagos region · checked 6 Oct 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 two-bedroom apartment is 650–750 thousand pesos a month (about 720 dollars). A three-bedroom house is mostly 620 thousand to 1.3 million, median 900 thousand.

SpecialistChilepropiedades: apartments for long-term rent in Puerto Varas, all 55 listings · checked 6 Oct 2026

A 5,000 m² plot (parcela de agrado) in listings costs 41–136 million pesos, median about 76 million (78 thousand dollars). In gated communities 100–300 million.

SpecialistChilepropiedades: plots (parcelas) for sale in the commune of Puerto Varas, first five pages (50 listings out of 260) · checked 6 Oct 2026

A three-bedroom house in listings costs 243–370 million pesos, median about 327 million (336 thousand dollars). There are few offers under 200 million.

SpecialistChilepropiedades: houses for sale in the commune of Puerto Varas, first five pages (50 listings out of 305) · 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 minimum food basket costs 92,327 pesos per person a month, about 369 thousand for four (380 dollars). The figure is national.

OfficialChile's Ministry of Social Development: cost of the basic food basket and poverty lines, August 2026 report · checked 6 Oct 2026

The poverty line for a family of four without rent is 671,031 pesos a month. With rent, food, electricity and internet it comes to about 1.1–1.4 million, without heating.

OfficialChile's Ministry of Social Development: cost of the basic food basket and poverty lines, August 2026 report · 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

The town has the German School and Colegio Puerto Varas. They do not publish tuition openly; only the application fee is visible: 1.5–2 UF.

OfficialColegio Alemán de Puerto Varas: letter to applicant families, admission for 2027 · checked 6 Oct 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

The town has the accredited private high-complexity Clínica Puerto Varas. A large public hospital is in neighbouring Puerto Montt.

OfficialSuperintendencia de Salud: register of accredited healthcare providers in the Los Lagos region · 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

Nearest airport: El Tepual near Puerto Montt, flights to Santiago by LATAM, Sky and JetSMART. By bus Santiago is 899 km, from 11 h 20 min, from 16 thousand pesos.

SpecialistCheckMyBus: buses Santiago – Puerto Varas, timetable and prices · 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

The mean temperature in July 2026 near Puerto Montt was 6.2 °C: about 11 by day, about 2–3 at night. Frosts are common; the coldest night was minus 4.5 °C.

OfficialChilean Meteorological Office: July 2026 temperature, El Tepual Puerto Montt Ap. station, code 410005 · checked 6 Oct 2026

The 1991–2020 normal is about 1,566 mm a year, with rain in every month: from 69 mm in February to 213 mm in June. 2025 had 160 days with at least 1 mm.

OfficialChilean Meteorological Office: 2025 rainfall and the 1991–2020 normal, El Tepual Puerto Montt Ap. station, code 410005 · 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

In 2025 the commune of Puerto Varas had two homicides, neighbouring Puerto Montt 16. The Los Lagos region had 4.5 per 100 thousand residents against 5.4 nationally.

OfficialReport on homicide victims in Chile for 2025, with figures by region and commune (published on the Fiscalía website) · checked 6 Oct 2026

The Calbuco and Osorno volcanoes are nearby. SENAPRED has a separate evacuation plan for Puerto Varas in case of a Calbuco eruption and a plan for the Osorno volcano.

OfficialSENAPRED: evacuation plans for the Los Lagos region, including for volcanic eruptions · 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

Fibre from 12,990 pesos a month on promotion; the median price after the promotion is 26,990 (about 28 dollars). Tariffs are national; availability is checked by address.

SpecialistRedify: catalogue of home fibre internet plans in Chile, October 2026 · 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

SAESA electricity from 1 October 2026: 264.8 pesos per kWh with IVA plus 1,242 a month. 300 kWh is about 80.7 thousand pesos (83 dollars), cheaper than Valparaíso.

OfficialSAESA: electricity tariffs for regulated customers from 1 October 2026, table by commune · checked 6 Oct 2026