Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alton and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,607 in Alton, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Alton
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Alton Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Alton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,607

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,607 per month in Alton vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Alton $2,607
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,875 per month in Alton vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Alton $3,875
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $5,143 per month in Alton vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Alton $5,143
Medellin $3,186

Alton costs about 59% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Alton and Medellin sit above the global median – Alton by 92%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.13 £20.42

$8.09 COP 25.4K

235.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.7

$47.05 COP 148.0K

122.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 £8.09

$9.50 COP 29.9K

13.16%

Cappuccino

$5.69 £4.28

$3.01 COP 9,485

89.04%

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

$3.03 £2.28

$1.80 COP 5,660

68.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.66

$1.41 COP 4,443

56.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.07 £6.83

$3.18 COP 9,990

185.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.96 £5.99

$5.75 COP 18.1K

38.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 £1.37

$1.51 COP 4,751

19.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 £1.52

$2.38 COP 7,480

-15.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 £1.89

$1.77 COP 5,573

41.81%

Eggs

$3.39 £2.55

$2.89 COP 9,093

17.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.77 £9.61

$10.19 COP 32.1K

25.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.86 £8.18

$9.87 COP 31.1K

10.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.24 £12.98

$13.99 COP 44.0K

23.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 £2.36

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-20.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 £1.07

$1.55 COP 4,883

-8.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.25

$2.18 COP 6,867

37.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 £2.56

$2.18 COP 6,870

55.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.96 COP 6,174

-14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.59 COP 5,000

13.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 £1.11

$1.15 COP 3,604

27.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 £1.39

$1.24 COP 3,911

49.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.77 £17.89

$3.96 COP 12.5K

500.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.90

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-23.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 £1.77

$1.66 COP 5,221

41.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 £2.06

$2.26 COP 7,103

21.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.49 £2.62

$1.17 COP 3,674

198.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.0 £73.8

$77.4 COP 243.4K

26.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 £4.11

$1.27 COP 3,989

329.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.39 £2.55

$2.05 COP 6,442

65.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.69 £19.33

$8.55 COP 26.9K

200.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 £1.58

$1.35 COP 4,237

55.56%

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

$38.2K £28.8K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

12.26%

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

$40.2K £30.2K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

15.84%

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

$369 £278

$170 COP 533.7K

117.77%

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

$18.30 £13.77

$13.55 COP 42.6K

35.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 £30.54

$28.07 COP 88.3K

44.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.16 £34.74

$43.70 COP 137.5K

5.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$17.88 £13.45

$6.91 COP 21.7K

158.76%

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

$2,877 £2,165

$797 COP 2.5M

261.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.7K £26.9K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

291.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$117 £87.9

$84.7 COP 266.5K

37.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £41.04

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-5.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £96.6

$135 COP 424.6K

-4.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 £124

$97.9 COP 307.9K

68.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 £938

$1,208 COP 3.8M

3.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,019 £767

$642 COP 2.0M

58.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,098 £1,579

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,683 £1,267

$1,012 COP 3.2M

66.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,091 £3,832

$4,170 COP 13.1M

22.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,807 £2,865

$1,910 COP 6.0M

99.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

10.94

-56.67%

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

Last update for Alton: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alton

$1K 39.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 37.1% $378

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alton

$428 16.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 50.7% $217

Eating Out

Alton

$400 15.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 57.6% $230

Groceries & Markets

Alton

$334 12.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 11.2% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Alton

$209 8%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 19.2% $40

Getting Around

Alton

$134 5.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 30.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Alton

$82 3.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 29.8% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,246 in Alton versus $1,208 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Alton versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Alton

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

17:46 5:46 PM

12:46 12:46 PM

5 h behind Alton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,816

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 = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alton Medellin 8,400 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Alton
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

Alton vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,607 in Alton, $1,639 in Medellin – roughly 59% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,911 per month in Alton and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,246 in Alton and $1,208 in Medellin. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 21% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,877 per month in Alton and $797 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 $1,639, than in Alton at $2,607. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alton it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Medellin is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 59% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.