Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Antwerp and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,202 in Antwerp, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Antwerp
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Antwerp Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Antwerp

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,202

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Antwerp versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Antwerp $2,202
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,326 in Antwerp versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Antwerp $3,326
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,449 in Antwerp versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Antwerp $4,449
Medellin $3,186

Living in Antwerp is roughly 34% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Antwerp 62% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.81 €21.39

$8.09 COP 25.4K

194.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.7 €85.9

$47.05 COP 148.0K

103.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.19 €11.85

$9.50 COP 29.9K

38.84%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.84

$3.01 COP 9,485

41.86%

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

$3.56 €3.19

$1.80 COP 5,660

97.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 €3.12

$1.41 COP 4,443

146.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 €5.00

$3.18 COP 9,990

75.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.63

$5.75 COP 18.1K

8.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.25

$1.51 COP 4,751

-7.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 €2.49

$2.38 COP 7,480

16.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 €1.99

$1.77 COP 5,573

24.86%

Eggs

$3.97 €3.57

$2.89 COP 9,093

37.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.34 €14.68

$10.19 COP 32.1K

60.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.81 €10.61

$9.87 COP 31.1K

19.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.46 €20.17

$13.99 COP 44.0K

60.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 €2.67

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-25.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.16

$1.55 COP 4,883

54.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.18 COP 6,867

18.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 €3.07

$2.18 COP 6,870

56.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 €2.37

$1.96 COP 6,174

34.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.59 COP 5,000

11.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.15 COP 3,604

34.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.24 COP 3,911

-7.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.03 €11.71

$3.96 COP 12.5K

229.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.88 €7.98

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-35.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.66 COP 5,221

9.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.26 COP 7,103

-8.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.36 €3.02

$1.17 COP 3,674

187.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.4 €49.73

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-28.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.73 €5.15

$1.27 COP 3,989

351.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 €2.45

$2.05 COP 6,442

32.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.85 €39.39

$8.55 COP 26.9K

412.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.84

$1.35 COP 4,237

51.85%

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

$35.5K €31.8K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

4.06%

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

$37.3K €33.5K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

7.57%

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

$208 €186

$170 COP 533.7K

22.32%

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

$22.06 €19.82

$13.55 COP 42.6K

62.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.17 €42.38

$28.07 COP 88.3K

68.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.59 €33.77

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-13.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.44 €23.75

$17.19 COP 54.1K

53.81%

Cinema Ticket

$15.40 €13.83

$6.91 COP 21.7K

122.87%

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

$1,616 €1,452

$797 COP 2.5M

102.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.3K €29.9K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

265.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €103

$84.7 COP 266.5K

34.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.9 €47.50

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-8.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.2

$135 COP 424.6K

-22.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$177 €159

$97.9 COP 307.9K

80.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 €953

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-12.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$856 €769

$642 COP 2.0M

33.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 €1,441

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-20.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,317 €1,183

$1,012 COP 3.2M

30.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,329 €3,889

$4,170 COP 13.1M

3.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,965 €2,664

$1,910 COP 6.0M

55.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,012 €2,705

$657 COP 2.1M

358.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

10.94

-67.73%

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

Last update for Antwerp: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Antwerp

$856 38.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 25.1% $215

Groceries & Markets

Antwerp

$361 16.4%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 17.7% $64

Eating Out

Antwerp

$350 15.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 51.5% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Antwerp

$277 12.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 23.7% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Antwerp

$202 9.2%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 16.3% $33

Getting Around

Antwerp

$88 4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 6.1% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Antwerp

$68 3.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 15.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,061 in Antwerp and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Antwerp pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $96 in Antwerp vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $361 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Antwerp

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

12:45 12:45 PM

6 h behind Antwerp

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

525,935

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Antwerp Medellin 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Antwerp
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

Antwerp vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Antwerp and Medellin differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,639 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Antwerp is about 4.6 times higher, 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: $1,061 in Antwerp versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Antwerp runs roughly 28% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,616 in Antwerp versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Antwerp on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.