Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arklow and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,624 in Arklow, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Arklow
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Arklow Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Arklow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,624

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,624 per month in Arklow vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Arklow $2,624
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $3,680 per month in Arklow vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Arklow $3,680
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $4,737 per month in Arklow vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Arklow $4,737
Medellin $3,190

Arklow costs about 63% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Arklow and Medellin sit above the global median – Arklow by 94%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.34 €19.87

$7.93 COP 25.2K

181.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 €79.6

$46.13 COP 146.3K

93.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 €10.01

$9.50 COP 30.1K

18.42%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.67

$3.11 COP 9,866

32.48%

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

$2.93 €2.60

$1.83 COP 5,800

60.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.38 COP 4,360

63.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 €4.86

$3.05 COP 9,672

79.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 €4.58

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-6.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.45 COP 4,600

16.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.36 COP 7,496

-5.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.68 COP 5,328

13.10%

Eggs

$4.64 €4.12

$2.86 COP 9,077

62.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.19 €12.62

$10.19 COP 32.3K

39.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.17 €11.71

$9.53 COP 30.2K

38.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.67 €14.83

$14.04 COP 44.5K

18.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-19.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$1.50 COP 4,742

93.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.17 COP 6,891

57.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 €4.18

$2.31 COP 7,310

103.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.93 COP 6,113

22.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.64 COP 5,196

11.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.13 COP 3,571

28.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.25 COP 3,954

72.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.31 €18.07

$3.99 COP 12.6K

409.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 €12.09

$13.35 COP 42.3K

1.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.08 €3.63

$1.70 COP 5,384

140.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.21

$2.37 COP 7,525

52.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 €2.14

$1.21 COP 3,827

98.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 €4.61

$1.32 COP 4,179

292.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.14 COP 6,774

-28.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.30 €29.62

$8.47 COP 26.8K

293.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.30 COP 4,114

63.08%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

38.58%

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

$37.3K €33.2K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

5.34%

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

$240 €213

$172 COP 545.6K

39.40%

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

$22.10 €19.65

$13.37 COP 42.4K

65.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 €49.08

$28.73 COP 91.1K

92.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.5 €51.2

$45.24 COP 143.5K

27.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.58 €12.08

$6.28 COP 19.9K

116.24%

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

$1,066 €948

$770 COP 2.4M

38.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,404 €4,807

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-40.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 €83.5

$86.4 COP 274.0K

8.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.32 €38.53

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-24.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.6

$137 COP 432.9K

-22.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$97.9 COP 310.4K

20.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 €1,393

$1,055 COP 3.3M

48.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 €1,178

$616 COP 2.0M

115.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,857 €2,541

$1,892 COP 6.0M

51.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,618

$1,023 COP 3.2M

77.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,863 €4,325

$652 COP 2.1M

645.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

10.94

-62.16%

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

Last update for Arklow: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arklow

$1.3K 50.5%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 53.5% $709

Groceries & Markets

Arklow

$392 14.9%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 24.8% $97

Eating Out

Arklow

$320 12.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 47.4% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arklow

$317 12.1%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 32.5% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Arklow

$163 6.2%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 4.5% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Arklow

$85 3.2%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 31.7% $27

Getting Around

Arklow

$23 * 0.9%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 314% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,566 in Arklow versus $1,055 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 run about 645% higher in Arklow, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Arklow versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Arklow

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:35 10:35 AM

04:35 4:35 AM

6 h behind Arklow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,399

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arklow Medellin 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Arklow
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

Arklow vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,624 in Arklow, $1,614 in Medellin – roughly 63% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,936 per month in Arklow and $2,421 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Arklow and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Arklow, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Arklow at $2,624. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arklow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,614 in Medellin to $2,624 in Arklow. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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