Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aberdeen and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,264 in Aberdeen, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Aberdeen
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Aberdeen Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Aberdeen

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,264

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aberdeen and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Aberdeen and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,264 per month in Aberdeen vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Aberdeen $2,264
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $3,528 per month in Aberdeen vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Aberdeen $3,528
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $4,792 per month in Aberdeen vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Aberdeen $4,792
Medellin $3,190

Aberdeen costs about 40% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Aberdeen and Medellin sit above the global median – Aberdeen by 68%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.95 £14.96

$7.93 COP 25.2K

151.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.0 £70.5

$46.13 COP 146.3K

103.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$9.50 COP 30.1K

12.74%

Cappuccino

$4.59 £3.44

$3.11 COP 9,866

47.59%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 £2.03

$1.83 COP 5,800

48.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 £1.59

$1.38 COP 4,360

53.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.15 £5.37

$3.05 COP 9,672

134.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.79 £5.84

$5.50 COP 17.4K

41.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 £1.12

$1.45 COP 4,600

2.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 £1.28

$2.36 COP 7,496

-27.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.68 COP 5,328

16.67%

Eggs

$4.36 £3.27

$2.86 COP 9,077

52.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.81 £6.61

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-13.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.10 £9.08

$9.53 COP 30.2K

26.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.59 £12.44

$14.04 COP 44.5K

18.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 £2.14

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-29.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.50 COP 4,742

-8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 £2.10

$2.17 COP 6,891

29.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 £2.75

$2.31 COP 7,310

58.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 £1.28

$1.93 COP 6,113

-11.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 £1.13

$1.64 COP 5,196

-8.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.13 COP 3,571

10.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.25 COP 3,954

29.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.97 £16.48

$3.99 COP 12.6K

450.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-16.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 £1.98

$1.70 COP 5,384

55.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 £2.30

$2.37 COP 7,525

29.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 £2.02

$1.21 COP 3,827

123.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$120 £90.1

$76.5 COP 242.5K

57.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.88 £2.91

$1.32 COP 4,179

193.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.45 £1.84

$2.14 COP 6,774

14.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.17 £18.13

$8.47 COP 26.8K

185.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.30 COP 4,114

63.85%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$37.5K £28.1K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

33.82%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$40.2K £30.2K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

13.50%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$400 £300

$172 COP 545.6K

132.54%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$28.11 £21.09

$13.37 COP 42.4K

110.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.10 £31.58

$28.73 COP 91.1K

46.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.5 £40.15

$45.24 COP 143.5K

18.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.06 £16.55

$17.04 COP 54.0K

29.46%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 £8.43

$6.28 COP 19.9K

78.82%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,770 £1,328

$770 COP 2.4M

129.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K £17.4K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

157.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.3 £72.3

$86.4 COP 274.0K

11.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.95 £36.73

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-14.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.7

$137 COP 432.9K

-25.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 £84.1

$97.9 COP 310.4K

14.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$833 £625

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-21.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 £579

$616 COP 2.0M

25.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,573 £1,180

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-16.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,611 £1,208

$1,023 COP 3.2M

57.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,281 £1,712

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-43.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,390 £2,544

$1,678 COP 5.3M

102.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,625 £2,719

$652 COP 2.1M

455.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

10.94

-53.29%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Aberdeen: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Aberdeen

$771 34.1%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 20.2% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aberdeen

$470 20.8%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 54.5% $256

Groceries & Markets

Aberdeen

$320 14.1%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 8% $26

Eating Out

Aberdeen

$317 14%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 46.9% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Aberdeen

$162 7.2%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 5.1% $8.3

Getting Around

Aberdeen

$147 6.5%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 36.5% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Aberdeen

$76 3.4%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 23.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $833 in Aberdeen versus $1,055 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 456% higher in Aberdeen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $94.0 in Aberdeen versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Aberdeen

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:24 3:24 PM

09:24 9:24 AM

6 h behind Aberdeen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

229,060

2,486,723

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

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Between locations

Aberdeen Medellin 8,430 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Aberdeen
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Aberdeen vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aberdeen costs about 40% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,396 per month in Aberdeen and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,264 in Aberdeen and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 40%.

Public transport costs about 57% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Aberdeen at $2,264. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aberdeen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,614 versus $2,264 in Aberdeen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Aberdeen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.