Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Apple Valley, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Apple Valley, CA: $1,246 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Apple Valley, CA
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Apple Valley, CA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Apple Valley, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,246

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,246 in Apple Valley, CA versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Apple Valley, CA $1,246
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,911 in Apple Valley, CA versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Apple Valley, CA $1,911
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,576 in Apple Valley, CA versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Apple Valley, CA $2,576
Medellin $3,186

Living in Apple Valley, CA costs roughly 24% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Apple Valley, CA is 8% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.70 $19.70

$8.09 COP 25.4K

143.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.93 $47.93

$47.05 COP 148.0K

1.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.84 $9.84

$9.50 COP 29.9K

3.58%

Cappuccino

$4.91 $4.91

$3.01 COP 9,485

63.12%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$1.80 COP 5,660

40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.41 COP 4,443

12.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.13 $5.13

$3.18 COP 9,990

61.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 $5.81

$5.75 COP 18.1K

1.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.51 COP 4,751

-40.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.38 COP 7,480

59.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.77 COP 5,573

64.97%

Eggs

$2.02 $2.02

$2.89 COP 9,093

-30.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.13 $14.13

$10.19 COP 32.1K

38.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.58 $13.58

$9.87 COP 31.1K

37.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.60 $12.60

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-9.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$3.97 COP 12.5K

21.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.55 COP 4,883

40.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.18 COP 6,867

107.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.18 COP 6,870

132.11%

Potato (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$1.96 COP 6,174

126.02%

Onion (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$1.59 COP 5,000

161.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.15 COP 3,604

87.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.24 COP 3,911

79.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.93 $10.93

$3.96 COP 12.5K

176.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.36 $13.36

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-2.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.66 COP 5,221

-1.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.26 COP 7,103

17.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 $3.36

$1.27 COP 3,989

164.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$2.05 COP 6,442

-10.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.64 $23.64

$8.55 COP 26.9K

176.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.35 COP 4,237

0.74%

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

$30.6K $30.6K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-10.18%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-24.76%

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

$245 $245

$170 COP 533.7K

44.46%

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

$82.5 $82.5

$13.55 COP 42.6K

508.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.3 $65.3

$28.07 COP 88.3K

132.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 $11.85

$6.91 COP 21.7K

71.49%

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

$545 $545

$797 COP 2.5M

-31.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,433 $8,433

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-7.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.36 $31.36

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-62.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.11 $35.11

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-39.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 $71.5

$135 COP 424.6K

-47.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 $139

$97.9 COP 307.9K

41.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,200 $5,200

$657 COP 2.1M

691.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

10.94

-79.43%

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

Last update for Apple Valley, CA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Apple Valley, CA

$393 31.5%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 46.2% $182

Groceries & Markets

Apple Valley, CA

$392 31.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 24.3% $96

Eating Out

Apple Valley, CA

$300 24.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 43.4% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Apple Valley, CA

$125 10%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 35.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Apple Valley, CA

$24 * 1.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 143% $34

Getting Around

Apple Valley, CA

$13 * 1%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 645% $81

Accommodation & Living

Apple Valley, CA

- * 0%

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Apple Valley, CA pays about 7.9 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Apple Valley, CA vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Apple Valley, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:47 4:47 PM

18:47 6:47 PM

2 h ahead of Apple Valley, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,109

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 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).

COP to USD in detail →

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Apple Valley, CA Medellin 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Apple Valley, CA
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

Apple Valley, CA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Apple Valley, CA is about 24% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Apple Valley, CA is about 7.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 24% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Childcare runs $545 in Apple Valley, CA versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,246 in Apple Valley, CA versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Apple Valley, CA but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Apple Valley, CA 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.