Medellin on a budget: how to do it well
Short answer
Yes — Medellín is great value on a budget, with cheap set lunches, an excellent metro and many free museums and parks. A realistic minimum is about COP 155,000 a day per person sharing a room: COP 50,000 for a bed, COP 60,000 for food, COP 30,000 for sights and COP 15,000 for transport.
A realistic daily budget
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing) | COP50,000 | COP140,000 | COP350,000 |
| Food & drink | COP60,000 | COP120,000 | COP250,000 |
| Sights & tickets | COP30,000 | COP80,000 | COP160,000 |
| Local transport | COP15,000 | COP40,000 | COP100,000 |
| Per person, per day | COP155,000 | COP380,000 | COP860,000 |
Approximate 2026 prices, two people sharing a room. From our Medellin day-cost table.
Free things to do
- Plaza Botero and its 23 bronze sculptures
- Pueblito Paisa on Cerro Nutibara
- The Jardín Botánico and its Orquideorama
- The Museo Casa de la Memoria
- The outdoor escalators and murals of Comuna 13 (a paid local guide is recommended)
- The Sunday Ciclovía, when main avenues close to cars
Cheap eats
- Menú del día — often about COP 15,000–25,000
- Arepas from a street stall — roughly COP 4,000–10,000
- Empanadas — roughly COP 2,000–4,000 each
- Buñuelos and pandebono — roughly COP 1,500–4,000 each
- Fresh fruit salad or juice — roughly COP 4,000–10,000
Where to sleep for less
Budget travellers stay in Laureles and Estadio, near the metro, where guesthouses cost about COP 80,000–160,000 a double, or in El Poblado's many hostels, with dorm beds often around COP 40,000–70,000. El Poblado hostels are more social but noisier.
Getting around cheaply
Use the metro, tram and Metrocable (about COP 3,500–4,000 a ride) with a Cívica card. Taxis across town cost COP 10,000–25,000. From the airport in Rionegro, shared buses to the San Diego shopping centre cost about COP 20,000, against COP 100,000–130,000 for a taxi. Buses to Guatapé cost roughly COP 20,000–25,000 each way.
A sample budget day
- Morning: arepa and tinto (about COP 8,000), metro to Plaza Botero and the Museo de Antioquia (about COP 30,000)
- Lunch: menú del día (about COP 20,000)
- Afternoon: free Casa de la Memoria and Jardín Botánico, metro rides (about COP 8,000)
- Evening: empanadas and a beer in Laureles (about COP 25,000)
- Total: about COP 155,000 including a guesthouse or hostel bed (about COP 50,000)
More ways to save
- Choose Laureles over El Poblado for cheaper food and drinks.
- Buy fruit at the Plaza Minorista market (go by taxi or app).
- Ride Metrocable Line K for views at no extra cost; Line L to Parque Arví costs extra.
- Join group tours for Comuna 13 and Guatapé to split costs.
- Avoid travelling during the Feria de las Flores and Christmas if you want lower prices.
- Carry small notes; street vendors rarely have change.
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Common questions
How much money do I need per day in Medellín?
About COP 155,000 per person on a budget, COP 380,000 mid-range and COP 860,000 for comfort, sharing a room.
What is the cheapest way from the airport to Medellín?
The shared bus to the San Diego shopping centre, about COP 20,000. A taxi is about COP 100,000–130,000.
Is the Metrocable included in the metro fare?
Line K is included. Line L to Parque Arví costs a separate fare of about COP 13,000.