Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandria, VA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $3,249 in Alexandria, VA, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria, VA
Learn more

Alexandria, VA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Alexandria, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,249

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,249 in Alexandria, VA versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Alexandria, VA $3,249
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,722 in Alexandria, VA versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Alexandria, VA $4,722
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,195 in Alexandria, VA versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Alexandria, VA $6,195
Medellin $3,190

Living in Alexandria, VA is roughly 101% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alexandria, VA 141% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.18 $20.18

$7.93 COP 25.2K

154.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 $103

$46.13 COP 146.3K

123.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.83 $11.83

$9.50 COP 30.1K

24.53%

Cappuccino

$4.52 $4.52

$3.11 COP 9,866

45.34%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$1.83 COP 5,800

49.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.38 COP 4,360

63.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 $6.58

$3.05 COP 9,672

115.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.86 $8.86

$5.50 COP 17.4K

61.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.45 COP 4,600

-18.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.36 COP 7,496

64.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$1.68 COP 5,328

126.19%

Eggs

$4.53 $4.53

$2.86 COP 9,077

58.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.40 $16.40

$10.19 COP 32.3K

60.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.22 $15.22

$9.53 COP 30.2K

59.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.04 $20.04

$14.04 COP 44.5K

42.74%

Apples (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$4.07 COP 12.9K

49.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.50 COP 4,742

-10.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.55 $7.55

$2.17 COP 6,891

247.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.84 $7.84

$2.31 COP 7,310

239.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.93 COP 6,113

10.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.64 COP 5,196

59.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.13 COP 3,571

141.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.25 COP 3,954

95.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.34 $9.34

$3.99 COP 12.6K

134.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.35 $14.35

$13.35 COP 42.3K

7.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.70 COP 5,384

2.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 $3.66

$2.37 COP 7,525

54.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.21 COP 3,827

153.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.5 $51.5

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-32.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 $4.08

$1.32 COP 4,179

209.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.14 COP 6,774

-7.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.13 $25.13

$8.47 COP 26.8K

196.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.30 COP 4,114

-21.54%

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

$36.8K $36.8K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

31.33%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-27.66%

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

$240 $240

$172 COP 545.6K

39.70%

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

$53.7 $53.7

$13.37 COP 42.4K

301.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.2 $77.2

$28.73 COP 91.1K

168.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.4 $72.4

$45.24 COP 143.5K

60.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 $18.33

$6.28 COP 19.9K

191.88%

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

$2,034 $2,034

$770 COP 2.4M

164.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$65.5K $65.5K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

626.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.10 $48.10

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-44.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.90 $47.90

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-16.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

$137 COP 432.9K

-10.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 $134

$97.9 COP 310.4K

37.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,315 $2,315

$1,055 COP 3.3M

119.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,737 $1,737

$616 COP 2.0M

182.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,390 $3,390

$1,892 COP 6.0M

79.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,776 $2,776

$1,023 COP 3.2M

171.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,743 $6,743

$4,059 COP 12.9M

66.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,049 $4,049

$1,678 COP 5.3M

141.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,951 $5,951

$652 COP 2.1M

812.20%

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 Alexandria, VA: 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

Alexandria, VA

$1.7K 53.5%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 64.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Alexandria, VA

$474 14.6%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 37.8% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandria, VA

$371 11.4%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 42.3% $157

Eating Out

Alexandria, VA

$322 9.9%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 47.7% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandria, VA

$158 4.9%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 7.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandria, VA

$109 3.4%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 47% $51

Getting Around

Alexandria, VA

$78 2.4%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 20.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,315 in Alexandria, VA and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alexandria, VA pays 812% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $103 in Alexandria, VA vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $474 vs $295 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alexandria, VA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:56 1:56 PM

12:56 12:56 PM

1 h behind Alexandria, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,035

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alexandria, VA Medellin 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Alexandria, VA
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

Alexandria, VA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alexandria, VA and Medellin differ by about 101% in total monthly costs ($3,249 vs $1,614 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 812% higher in Alexandria, VA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,315 in Alexandria, VA versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,249 per month in Alexandria, VA versus $1,614 in Medellin – a 101% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 49% less than in Alexandria, VA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $3,249 in Alexandria, VA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Alexandria, VA. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Alexandria, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.