Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, KY and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,653 in Arlington, KY, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, KY
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Arlington, KY Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Arlington, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,653

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,653 in Arlington, KY versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Arlington, KY $2,653
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,917 in Arlington, KY versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Arlington, KY $3,917
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,180 in Arlington, KY versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Arlington, KY $5,180
Medellin $3,199

Living in Arlington, KY is roughly 63% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arlington, KY 96% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.42 $18.42

$8.30 COP 26.3K

121.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.1 $84.1

$46.91 COP 148.7K

79.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.88 $11.88

$9.24 COP 29.3K

28.57%

Cappuccino

$6.64 $6.64

$3.05 COP 9,676

117.70%

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

$2.83 $2.83

$1.80 COP 5,707

57.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.38 COP 4,382

73.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.89 $6.89

$3.24 COP 10.3K

112.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.11 $8.11

$5.56 COP 17.6K

45.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.50 COP 4,760

-48.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.37 COP 7,508

67.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.70 COP 5,377

138.24%

Eggs

$4.29 $4.29

$2.96 COP 9,379

44.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 $12.87

$10.22 COP 32.4K

25.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.53 $14.53

$9.74 COP 30.9K

49.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.27 $18.27

$13.90 COP 44.1K

31.44%

Apples (1kg)

$5.82 $5.82

$4.13 COP 13.1K

40.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.53 COP 4,839

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.22 COP 7,052

89.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.27 COP 7,194

114.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.99 COP 6,311

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.67 COP 5,285

34.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.18 COP 3,742

101.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.24 COP 3,919

20.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.37 $9.37

$3.87 COP 12.3K

142.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.88 $15.88

$13.78 COP 43.7K

15.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.66 COP 5,256

45.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.40 COP 7,615

94.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.24 COP 3,944

60.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.28 COP 4,044

282.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.15 COP 6,803

-29.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.90 $20.90

$8.37 COP 26.5K

149.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.35 COP 4,288

-22.22%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

7.38%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-22.40%

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

$230 $230

$167 COP 528.4K

38.04%

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

$74.5 $74.5

$13.62 COP 43.2K

447.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.1 $75.1

$29.12 COP 92.3K

157.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.90 $40.90

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-9.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$15.19 $15.19

$6.97 COP 22.1K

117.93%

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

$1,442 $1,442

$790 COP 2.5M

82.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.8K $30.8K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

240.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 $55.3

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-37.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.53 $43.53

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-25.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 $92.3

$139 COP 440.7K

-33.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 $139

$98.9 COP 313.5K

40.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,617 $1,617

$1,028 COP 3.3M

57.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,282 $1,282

$620 COP 2.0M

106.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 $2,513

$1,881 COP 6.0M

33.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 $2,161

$1,008 COP 3.2M

114.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,807 $2,807

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-29.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 $2,068

$1,702 COP 5.4M

21.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,051 $6,051

$663 COP 2.1M

812.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

10.94

-40.13%

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

Last update for Arlington, KY: October 20, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arlington, KY

$1.3K 48.3%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 51.7% $663

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, KY

$417 15.7%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 28.6% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, KY

$380 14.3%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 44.8% $170

Eating Out

Arlington, KY

$334 12.6%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 48.9% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, KY

$149 5.6%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 16.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, KY

$71 2.7%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 17.2% $12

Getting Around

Arlington, KY

$20 * 0.8%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 366% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,617 in Arlington, KY and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arlington, KY pays 812% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $84.0 in Arlington, KY vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $417 vs $298 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, KY

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

Same time as Arlington, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,438

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arlington, KY Medellin 3,660 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Arlington, KY
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

Arlington, KY vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arlington, KY and Medellin differ by about 63% in total monthly costs ($2,653 vs $1,625 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 812% higher in Arlington, KY, 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: $1,617 in Arlington, KY versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Arlington, KY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,653 per month in Arlington, KY versus $1,625 in Medellin – a 63% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,625 in Medellin versus $2,653 in Arlington, KY, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Arlington, KY. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin 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.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Arlington, KY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.