Cost of Living in Colombia: How Much Cheaper Is It?

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Over my 3 years living in Medellin, Colombia I've always just assumed that the groceries in Medellin were cheaper than in the US. However, I've never actually done a side by side comparison.... until now!
In this video, I'll be using the same grocery list to buy from Walmart in Sacramento, California and Exito in Medellin, Colombia.
The results weren't what I expected at all...
G'day, my name's AK and on this channel I explore expat life in Medellin, Colombia. Whether you're considering moving to Medellin or just visiting Colombia, I've got you covered. Join me as I show you exactly what living in Medellin and Colombia as an expat is really like.
#medellin #colombia #medellincolombia #usexpat #travel #digitalnomad #expat

[@Roguefinancial]

You should compare based on the average income how many working hours it takes to someone from the US to buy X vs a Colombian buying the same thing here, it’s more expensive to live here for Colombians

[@AKJoel]

Colombians middle class and lower would shop at the local market for much cheaper prices (30% or more.)

[@Roguefinancial]

@@AKJoeltrue!

[@MariahSincere]

This was really good Joel! Not too many people on KZbin breaking it down this way.

[@AKJoel]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it 😊

[@travelescapesOFFICIAL]

I want to do this comparison here also. Great video/idea!

[@AKJoel]

You should! I'd love to see what works out cheaper.

[@JWinch]

Another reason for less difference: Walmart is about as cheap as you can get in the USA while Exito is quite expensive versus other discount alternatives like D1 and Ara.

[@SaulBaeza-du5eh]

Im in CA. No way groceries are even close to the prices here. Walmart is low quality chemical GMO food. Your body can feel and taste the difference between organic and non organic food. Most people in CA buy from expensive grocery stores. I just went last week to Safeway. I bought all organic food except the chicken. 1 pound Spinach, 1 celery stalk, 1 package of pasta, 1 container of pasta sauce, 10 bananas, 6 avocados, 3 pounds of chicken, 1 loaf of bread, 18 eggs, 2 gal milk, 1 package tortillas, 8 ozs of butter, 2 pounds of apples, 2 onions, 2 pounds of carrots, a 5 pound bag of rice, and a 5 pound bag of beans cost me $100 my friend.

[@AKJoel]

Thanks for the comment, it's good to get some real stats. It seems like the difference is even bigger than shown in this video then!

[@ObiWonGinobili]

According to my currency converter app (which gives real time updates) 136,000 COP = 35.72 in USD. So before the elimination slide its $0.99 more in MED, than in Sactown, CA. I would assume if you try to eat the standard American diet which is mostly crap, you will spend a lot more in COL, however if you eat healthy you will spend mucho less in COL.

[@AKJoel]

Exactly. If you check out all the cheap things, they're healthy. Fruits and veg, grains, legumes etc. Honestly I haven't eaten anything resembling the garbage American diet in a long time so I have no idea how much those things cost lol

[@lagronemikal]

I came looking for milk and bread lol and got salmon and tofu. I'd be curious to see a more blue collar list and a Wal-Mart not in California. Thanks all the same though.

[@AKJoel]

Yeah I could've added a lot of other things but the video would've gone on forever lol good point though

[@lagronemikal]

@@AKJoel I didn't mean to come off as a smart ass bro haha. I'm just a little lower rent than lentils and zucchini lol. I am seriously trying to figure out my way to relocating to Medellin from Alabama. My parents and kids complicate it for me so I'm likely 18-24 months away from pulling it off. I really enjoy and appreciate your channel. Your gf gives good info too man.

[@monicamesarealtor]

Excelente el ejercicio, te felicito!! Se puede bajar incluso los precios de la lista, comprando en tiendas mas pequeñas que hay en todo el pais, como Ara y D1 y mercados locales. Colombia produce mas del 85% de los productos que consume, entonces se tienen precios muy competitivos. De la lista, obviamente no somos productores de Salmon y Tofu, siempre van a ser importados, por eso los precios son altos. Como Economista, puedo decirte que con $400 mil COP, puedes hacer un excelente mercado para 8 días, ya todo depende para cuantas personas sean las compras, otra manera es identificar en que supermercado te va mejor comprando X producto, por ejemplo, me parece super conveniente los precios de los productos de aseo en el D1, Relacion precio calidad!! La alta competencia hace que haya una buena oferta de productos, con precios muy buenos que siempre benefician al consumidor final. El super mercado mas costoso de Colombia es el Carulla, pero tambien se consiguen precios buenisimos en algunos productos, tiene su area de importados y vende un pan delicioso.

[@AKJoel]

Gracias para tu comentario! 👍 Si, hay muchas opciones para bajar el precio bastante. Pero para la tema de este video, escogí la opción más conveniente y que usan muchos extranjeros (Rappi.)

[@monicamesarealtor]

@@AKJoel Buenisimo!!

[@rossi6559]

Things are cheaper but so is the quality. When you account for quality it’s not much different

[@AKJoel]

I'd argue that the quality of fruits and vegetables is far better in Colombia.

[@josephbattaglia3690]

What about gas/energy prices?

[@cheepiong]

You forgot taxes. It's 19% VAT in Colombia and mostly zero for groceries in USA. And of course, if you do currency conversion, it's going to be cheaper in Colombia. That's not an apple-to-apple comparison.

[@AKJoel]

The price you see on Rappi is the total. I'm not sure what you mean about the VAT.

[@cheepiong]

@@AKJoel VAT is the Value Added Tax. The equivalent of sales tax in the US. Even on Rappi, you still pay VAT on everything you buy in Colombia. Rappi is a convenience purchase/delivery service. It does not mean you don't pay VAT.

[@alencelic]

Everywhere in the world the prices are final except in USA where when you buy something for 10 you end up paying 12 in grocery store. 10 is 10 everywhere else in the world

[@Unknown-te6dz]

Then how do regular ppl survive in medellin with a salary of less than 600 dollars monthly?

[@AKJoel]

They don't buy stuff on Rappi haha they go to the local markets where prices are 30%-50% cheaper. They also don't eat things like tofu and salmon!

[@Unknown-te6dz]

@@AKJoel Ah ok.

[@ChineduOpara]

6 words: arroz con pollo, todos los días 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@shyamdevadas6099]

This should not be a surprise. Just as you will pay the same (or higher) for a Macbook in Colombia, you will pay a comparable amount for an online grocery service. Why? Because in both cases, the food is not the critical feature. It is the convenience and backing up the convenience in Colombia is a managed IT infrastructure that is every bit as sophisticated and expensive as anything you will use in the U.S.. The Colombian entrepreneurs who setup these services pay the same or more for the hardware, software, and talent needed to make an online store work. If the actual owners are non-Colombian, they will also be expecting significant return on investment. ALSO, consider the target market in Colombia for a fu-fu service like this. In a country where the minimum wage gets you only $200-300 a month, this isn't something the average person uses. It is most likely targeted to the Colombian professional and upper middle classs, or higher. This comparison is a bit ridiculous, to be honest. If you were in America trying to save on groceries, you wouldn't be shopping online...even at Walmart. You'd be hitting Aldi, Lidl, or whatever local grocery store has the best prices. In Colombia, the street vendors and small markets serve the same purpose.

[@mawkishdave]

The music selections when making your lists made me laugh.

[@AKJoel]

Haha that was my goal, glad to see it worked!!

[@alencelic]

If you compare prices with wages, it turns out Colombia is 5x more expensive than USA

[@AKJoel]

To really make the comparison, you'd have to see the spending budget of someone who's on minimum wage in Colombia. This video is geared towards convenience, rather than saving money.

[@ksignifica236]

What! No arepas in your shopping list!? Shocking. 😂😂

[@AKJoel]

Haha I forgot to add them, but they definitely are!

[@carlosmacmartin4205]

Suggestion. Learn to make pasta and pasta sauce. There's tons of video on YT. 😁

[@AKJoel]

I tried that once but it took too long lol

[@Ryan-ul7dy]

Thanks for the comparison, AK! I agree, you can eat a lot cheaper here if you colombianize your diet. Especially in restaurants. In my case, I've tried to maintain my normal diet including imported goods like blueberries, almonds, protein powder, etc. Needless to say, my bill comes out to almost 50% extra in Colombia compared to the states. ☠

[@AKJoel]

Yeah mate all those things can be crazy expensive here! But all good, we need to spend money on the things we enjoy or else what's the point of living? Haha

[@Ryan-ul7dy]

@@AKJoel Yeah true, I justify it with the savings on rent lol.

[@hamid1106]

The taxes are much higher in Colombia and they have wealth tax as well. If you have more than one million dollars, it will be more expensive to live in Colombia

[@yvsb0920]

Medellin esta caro para nosotros los locales, asi que muchos buscamos otras ciudades mas baratas para vivir como cali, barranquilla, bucaramanga, valledupar y cucuta.

[@CharlotteEliza]

So tired of spending 100 bucks on a small bag of groceries in canada. Colombia here I come!

[@AKJoel]

If you still to a Colombian diet, I'd think $100 could last you the whole month.

[@Seekingtruth-mx3ur]

I heard Colombia is cheaper than Nicaragua

[@JohnnieV]

You do realize rappi charges extra on many items right ?

[@AKJoel]

That's why I compared it to online shopping in US.

[@blakepriv1]

That’s not really a fair comparison. You ordered groceries on Rappi which is a delivery service like DoorDash. It’s going to cost more on there.

[@AKJoel]

I ordered from Walmart in the US, which was also delivery service.

[@don__hector7845]

bread milk butter chicken toothpaste deodarant cat food coffee sugar etc bit random your list!

[@AKJoel]

😂

[@robertmiur2388]

Great video thank you.

[@AKJoel]

Anytime 👍😊

[@Andrew-ct8fc]

I know better, it all depends on where you live and what you want to eat

[@ThatMexicoRealtor]

no "g'day legends" ?

[@AKJoel]

Hahaha that intro is taking a break.

[@kevinhobbs3543]

gah daay

[@AKJoel]

😂😂😂🦘

[@mensawer5656]

stop carulla and go D1 :)

[@JohnJohnson-m1g]

First

[@AKJoel]

🏆🏆🏆

[@FarazVisuals]

You have instagram