Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acton, MA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $3,193 in Acton, MA, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Acton, MA
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Acton, MA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Acton, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,193

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Acton, MA 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 Acton, MA and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,193 per month in Acton, MA vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Acton, MA $3,193
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $4,790 per month in Acton, MA vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Acton, MA $4,790
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $6,388 per month in Acton, MA vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Acton, MA $6,388
Medellin $3,190

Acton, MA costs about 98% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Acton, MA and Medellin sit above the global median – Acton, MA by 136%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.14 $18.14

$7.93 COP 25.2K

128.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.9 $95.9

$46.13 COP 146.3K

107.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 $13.47

$9.50 COP 30.1K

41.79%

Cappuccino

$5.44 $5.44

$3.11 COP 9,866

74.92%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$1.83 COP 5,800

54.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.38 COP 4,360

95.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.08 $5.08

$3.05 COP 9,672

66.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.81 $7.81

$5.50 COP 17.4K

42.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.45 COP 4,600

-34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 $2.29

$2.36 COP 7,496

-2.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.28 $5.28

$1.68 COP 5,328

214.29%

Eggs

$4.79 $4.79

$2.86 COP 9,077

67.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.13 $11.13

$10.19 COP 32.3K

9.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.57 $14.57

$9.53 COP 30.2K

52.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.87 $17.87

$14.04 COP 44.5K

27.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$4.07 COP 12.9K

9.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.50 COP 4,742

14.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.17 COP 6,891

31.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.31 COP 7,310

76.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.93 COP 6,113

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.64 COP 5,196

72.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.13 COP 3,571

70.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.62 $13.62

$3.99 COP 12.6K

241.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.12 $9.12

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-31.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.70 COP 5,384

28.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 $4.28

$2.37 COP 7,525

80.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.30 COP 4,114

-28.46%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

31.26%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-24.93%

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

$316 $316

$172 COP 545.6K

83.69%

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

$60.8 $60.8

$13.37 COP 42.4K

354.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.4 $73.4

$28.73 COP 91.1K

155.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.68 $24.68

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-45.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.91 $12.91

$6.28 COP 19.9K

105.57%

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

$1,857 $1,857

$770 COP 2.4M

141.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.9K $29.9K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

231.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 $57.5

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-33.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.97 $38.97

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-31.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.7 $80.7

$137 COP 432.9K

-40.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$97.9 COP 310.4K

4.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,698 $2,698

$1,055 COP 3.3M

155.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,898 $1,898

$616 COP 2.0M

208.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,948 $2,948

$1,892 COP 6.0M

55.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,557 $3,557

$1,023 COP 3.2M

247.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,016 $9,016

$652 COP 2.1M

1282.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

10.94

-39.31%

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

Last update for Acton, MA: 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

Acton, MA

$1.9K 59.5%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 67.6% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acton, MA

$450 14.1%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 52.4% $236

Groceries & Markets

Acton, MA

$354 * 11.1%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 16.7% $59

Eating Out

Acton, MA

$314 9.8%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 46.3% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Acton, MA

$126 3.9%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 35.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Acton, MA

$51 1.6%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 14.5% $7.3

Getting Around

Acton, MA

- * 0%

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,698 in Acton, MA 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 1282% higher in Acton, MA, 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 $96.0 in Acton, MA versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $354 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Acton, MA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

09:05 9:05 AM

1 h behind Acton, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,596

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Acton, MA Medellin 4,050 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Acton, MA
Medellin

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

Acton, MA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Acton, MA costs about 98% 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 $4,789 per month in Acton, MA 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 $3,193 in Acton, MA and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 98%.

Kindergarten costs $1,857 per month in Acton, MA and $770 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Acton, MA at $3,193. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Acton, MA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,614 versus $3,193 in Acton, MA. 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, Acton, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.