Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amherst, NY and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,512 in Amherst, NY, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Amherst, NY
Learn more

Amherst, NY Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Amherst, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,512

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,512 per month in Amherst, NY vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Amherst, NY $2,512
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $3,853 per month in Amherst, NY vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Amherst, NY $3,853
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $5,195 per month in Amherst, NY vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Amherst, NY $5,195
Medellin $3,249

Amherst, NY costs about 48% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Amherst, NY and Medellin sit above the global median – Amherst, NY by 86%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.08 $18.08

$8.34 COP 27.0K

116.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.0 $78.0

$46.53 COP 150.9K

67.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 $12.17

$9.47 COP 30.7K

28.51%

Cappuccino

$5.94 $5.94

$3.13 COP 10.2K

89.78%

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

$2.75 $2.75

$1.77 COP 5,727

55.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.42 COP 4,619

45.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.93 $6.93

$3.15 COP 10.2K

120.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.58 $7.58

$5.70 COP 18.5K

32.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.53 COP 4,969

-42.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.29 COP 7,429

44.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.94 COP 6,306

122.68%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$3.07 COP 9,942

28.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 $11.06

$9.99 COP 32.4K

10.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.98 $9.98

$10.45 COP 33.9K

-4.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.86 $15.86

$13.96 COP 45.3K

13.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$4.05 COP 13.1K

21.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.53 COP 4,956

-6.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.10 COP 6,823

109.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$2.29 COP 7,437

129.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$2.11 COP 6,839

28.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.71 COP 5,542

72.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.17 COP 3,794

105.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.58 COP 5,123

56.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.03 $15.03

$3.91 COP 12.7K

284.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$14.04 COP 45.5K

7.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.76 COP 5,712

13.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 $4.12

$2.71 COP 8,793

52.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.18 COP 3,825

65.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 $54.1

$76.3 COP 247.4K

-29.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.81 COP 5,859

56.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.13 COP 6,904

-3.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.01 $20.01

$8.13 COP 26.4K

146.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.28 COP 4,135

-7.81%

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

$30.6K $30.6K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

-11.11%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-24.47%

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

$234 $234

$178 COP 576.3K

31.60%

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

$51.7 $51.7

$13.89 COP 45.0K

272.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 $66.3

$30.74 COP 99.7K

115.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.31 $40.31

$41.94 COP 136.0K

-3.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.77 $19.77

$16.80 COP 54.5K

17.68%

Cinema Ticket

$12.88 $12.88

$7.47 COP 24.2K

72.42%

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

$1,263 $1,263

$790 COP 2.6M

59.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K $18.9K

$12.3K COP 39.9M

53.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 $53.7

$86.3 COP 279.9K

-37.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.22 $44.22

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-25.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 $96.1

$138 COP 448.6K

-30.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$98.8 COP 320.4K

15.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,547 $1,547

$1,341 COP 4.3M

15.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,174 $1,174

$667 COP 2.2M

75.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,716 $2,716

$1,976 COP 6.4M

37.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 $2,269

$1,033 COP 3.3M

119.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,775 $2,775

$4,098 COP 13.3M

-32.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,351 $2,351

$1,940 COP 6.3M

21.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,179 $4,179

$646 COP 2.1M

546.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.52

10.94

-40.40%

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

Last update for Amherst, NY: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Amherst, NY

$1.2K 46.7%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 43.2% $507

Groceries & Markets

Amherst, NY

$384 15.3%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 20% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amherst, NY

$352 14%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 36.8% $130

Eating Out

Amherst, NY

$322 12.8%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 46.3% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Amherst, NY

$139 5.5%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 24% $33

Getting Around

Amherst, NY

$75 3%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 24.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Amherst, NY

$66 2.6%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 13.9% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,547 in Amherst, NY versus $1,341 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 in Amherst, NY are about 6.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Amherst, NY versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Amherst, NY

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

17:17 5:17 PM

Same time as Amherst, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,819

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 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 November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Amherst, NY Medellin 4,090 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Amherst, NY
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

Amherst, NY vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Amherst, NY costs about 48% 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 $3,767 per month in Amherst, NY and $2,538 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,341 there versus $1,547 in Amherst, NY.

Kindergarten costs $1,263 per month in Amherst, NY and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Amherst, NY, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in Amherst, NY at $2,512. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Amherst, NY 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.

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