Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amsterdam and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,517 in Amsterdam, rent and utilities included – about $22,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

170

Cost of Living Index in Amsterdam
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Amsterdam Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Amsterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,517

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,517 per month in Amsterdam vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Amsterdam $3,517
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $5,063 per month in Amsterdam vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Amsterdam $5,063
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $6,608 per month in Amsterdam vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Amsterdam $6,608
Medellin $3,186

Amsterdam costs about 115% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Amsterdam and Medellin sit above the global median – Amsterdam by 158%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.34 €19.93

$8.09 COP 26.1K

176.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.6 €79.0

$47.05 COP 151.9K

88.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.80 €13.20

$9.50 COP 30.7K

55.79%

Cappuccino

$4.65 €4.15

$3.01 COP 9,734

54.49%

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

$3.69 €3.29

$1.80 COP 5,809

105.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 €2.58

$1.41 COP 4,560

105.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.92 €7.07

$3.18 COP 10.3K

149.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 €5.83

$5.75 COP 18.6K

13.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.51 COP 4,875

-4.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.38 COP 7,677

0.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.77 COP 5,719

41.24%

Eggs

$5.15 €4.60

$2.89 COP 9,332

78.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.90 €15.08

$10.19 COP 32.9K

65.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 €11.36

$9.87 COP 31.9K

28.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.87 €20.41

$13.99 COP 45.2K

63.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-30.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$1.55 COP 5,011

76.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 €2.45

$2.18 COP 7,047

25.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 €3.44

$2.18 COP 7,050

77.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.25

$1.96 COP 6,336

28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.59 COP 5,131

3.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.15 COP 3,698

31.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.24 COP 4,014

36.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.52 €12.95

$3.96 COP 12.8K

266.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.60 €7.67

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-37.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.66 COP 5,359

7.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.24

$2.26 COP 7,290

11.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.70 €3.30

$1.17 COP 3,770

216.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$117 €104

$77.4 COP 249.8K

50.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.69 €4.18

$1.27 COP 4,094

269.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.42 €3.05

$2.05 COP 6,611

66.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.00 €34.80

$8.55 COP 27.6K

356.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.35 COP 4,348

89.63%

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

$40.6K €36.2K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

19.14%

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

$38.9K €34.7K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

12.16%

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

$306 €273

$170 COP 547.7K

80.62%

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

$22.66 €20.22

$13.55 COP 43.7K

67.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 €47.13

$28.07 COP 90.6K

88.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 €49.04

$43.70 COP 141.1K

25.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.66 €31.82

$17.19 COP 55.5K

107.45%

Cinema Ticket

$16.48 €14.71

$6.91 COP 22.3K

138.49%

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

$2,778 €2,478

$797 COP 2.6M

248.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K €15.1K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

86.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.7 €82.7

$84.7 COP 273.5K

9.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.28 €36.83

$58.0 COP 187.1K

-28.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.5

$135 COP 435.7K

-24.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €120

$97.9 COP 316.0K

36.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,642 €2,357

$1,208 COP 3.9M

118.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,989 €1,775

$642 COP 2.1M

210.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,165 €3,716

$2,028 COP 6.5M

105.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,251 €2,900

$1,012 COP 3.3M

221.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K €9,416

$4,170 COP 13.5M

153.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,734 €6,008

$1,910 COP 6.2M

252.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,625 €4,126

$657 COP 2.1M

603.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

10.94

-69.84%

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

Last update for Amsterdam: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Amsterdam

$2K 56.6%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 67.8% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amsterdam

$382 10.9%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 44.7% $171

Groceries & Markets

Amsterdam

$381 10.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 22% $84

Eating Out

Amsterdam

$358 10.2%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 52.6% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Amsterdam

$166 4.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 1.7% $2.8

Getting Around

Amsterdam

$153 4.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 38.9% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Amsterdam

$88 2.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 34.6% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,642 in Amsterdam 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.

Salaries in Amsterdam are about 7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Amsterdam versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $381 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Amsterdam

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

20:06 8:06 PM

14:06 2:06 PM

6 h behind Amsterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

881,933 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Amsterdam Medellin 8,810 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Amsterdam
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

Amsterdam vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Amsterdam is pricier by about 115%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,276 per month in Amsterdam and $2,459 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 $1,208 there versus $2,642 in Amsterdam.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,778 per month in Amsterdam 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 Amsterdam at $3,517. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Amsterdam 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, Amsterdam makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.