Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aiken, SC and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,436 in Aiken, SC, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Aiken, SC
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Aiken, SC Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Aiken, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,436

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,436 in Aiken, SC versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Aiken, SC $2,436
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,384 in Aiken, SC versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Aiken, SC $3,384
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,332 in Aiken, SC versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Aiken, SC $4,332
Medellin $3,186

Living in Aiken, SC is roughly 49% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Aiken, SC 79% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.28 $15.28

$8.09 COP 25.4K

88.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.8 $58.8

$47.05 COP 148.0K

24.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.80 $10.80

$9.50 COP 29.9K

13.68%

Cappuccino

$3.69 $3.69

$3.01 COP 9,485

22.59%

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

$2.18 $2.18

$1.80 COP 5,660

21.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.41 COP 4,443

39.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.84 $5.84

$3.18 COP 9,990

83.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.53 $8.53

$5.75 COP 18.1K

48.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.51 COP 4,751

-32.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.38 COP 7,480

15.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.77 COP 5,573

30.51%

Eggs

$3.59 $3.59

$2.89 COP 9,093

24.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$10.19 COP 32.1K

38.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.28 $6.28

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-36.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.71 $18.71

$13.99 COP 44.0K

33.74%

Apples (1kg)

$8.72 $8.72

$3.97 COP 12.5K

119.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.55 COP 4,883

47.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.18 COP 6,867

34.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$2.18 COP 6,870

77.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.96 COP 6,174

-0.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.59 COP 5,000

72.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.15 COP 3,604

62.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.24 COP 3,911

65.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.16 $7.16

$3.96 COP 12.5K

80.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.05 $13.05

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-4.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.66 COP 5,221

21.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.26 COP 7,103

31.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 $4.90

$1.27 COP 3,989

285.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.02 $5.02

$2.05 COP 6,442

144.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.0 $51.0

$8.55 COP 26.9K

496.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.35 COP 4,237

-45.93%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-16.90%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-23.10%

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

$222 $222

$170 COP 533.7K

30.77%

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

$66.2 $66.2

$13.55 COP 42.6K

388.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.2 $84.2

$28.07 COP 88.3K

200.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 $56.6

$43.70 COP 137.5K

29.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$14.99 $14.99

$6.91 COP 21.7K

116.93%

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

$942 $942

$797 COP 2.5M

18.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K $18.0K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

97.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.7 $64.7

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-23.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.36 $44.36

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-23.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$135 COP 424.6K

-15.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 $64.6

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-33.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 $1,337

$1,208 COP 3.8M

10.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 $1,191

$642 COP 2.0M

85.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 $1,759

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-13.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 $1,706

$1,012 COP 3.2M

68.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,694 $1,694

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-59.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,359 $1,359

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-28.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

10.94

-39.95%

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

Last update for Aiken, SC: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aiken, SC

$1.2K 48.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 46.1% $549

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aiken, SC

$372 15.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 43.3% $161

Groceries & Markets

Aiken, SC

$365 15%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 18.7% $68

Eating Out

Aiken, SC

$262 10.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 35.2% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Aiken, SC

$130 5.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 30.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Aiken, SC

$87 3.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 33.5% $29

Getting Around

Aiken, SC

$30 * 1.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 212% $64

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,337 in Aiken, SC and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $59 in Aiken, SC vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Aiken, SC

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

17:21 5:21 PM

16:21 4:21 PM

1 h behind Aiken, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,829

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Aiken, SC Medellin 3,100 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Aiken, SC
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

Aiken, SC vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Aiken, SC. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,654 in Aiken, SC and $2,459 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,337 in Aiken, SC versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $942 in Aiken, SC versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $59 in Aiken, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.