Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashburn, VA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,317 in Ashburn, VA, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Ashburn, VA
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Ashburn, VA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Ashburn, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,317

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,317 in Ashburn, VA versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Ashburn, VA $3,317
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,512 in Ashburn, VA versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Ashburn, VA $4,512
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,708 in Ashburn, VA versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Ashburn, VA $5,708
Medellin $3,186

Living in Ashburn, VA is roughly 102% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ashburn, VA 144% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.82 $24.82

$8.09 COP 25.4K

206.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.2 $90.2

$47.05 COP 148.0K

91.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.86 $12.86

$9.50 COP 29.9K

35.37%

Cappuccino

$6.06 $6.06

$3.01 COP 9,485

101.33%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$1.80 COP 5,660

65.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.41 COP 4,443

82.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.07 $8.07

$3.18 COP 9,990

153.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.93 $9.93

$5.75 COP 18.1K

72.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.51 COP 4,751

-21.85%

White Bread (500g)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.38 COP 7,480

68.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$1.77 COP 5,573

200.00%

Eggs

$5.53 $5.53

$2.89 COP 9,093

91.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.28 $17.28

$10.19 COP 32.1K

69.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.58 $15.58

$9.87 COP 31.1K

57.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.85 $18.85

$13.99 COP 44.0K

34.74%

Apples (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$3.97 COP 12.5K

36.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.55 COP 4,883

51.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$2.18 COP 6,867

194.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$2.18 COP 6,870

169.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.96 COP 6,174

44.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$1.59 COP 5,000

136.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.15 COP 3,604

108.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.24 COP 3,911

120.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.64 $9.64

$3.96 COP 12.5K

143.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.74 $15.74

$13.68 COP 43.0K

15.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.66 COP 5,222

35.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.26 COP 7,104

101.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.17 COP 3,674

96.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.7 $70.7

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-8.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.27 COP 3,989

129.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$2.05 COP 6,442

-27.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.07 $22.07

$8.55 COP 26.9K

158.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.35 COP 4,237

-25.19%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

4.20%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-26.79%

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

$165 $165

$170 COP 533.7K

-2.82%

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

$66.5 $66.5

$13.55 COP 42.6K

390.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.0 $78.0

$28.07 COP 88.3K

178.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.1 $61.1

$43.70 COP 137.5K

39.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.98 $11.98

$17.19 COP 54.1K

-30.31%

Cinema Ticket

$18.19 $18.19

$6.91 COP 21.7K

163.24%

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

$1,610 $1,610

$797 COP 2.5M

102.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.7K $32.7K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

258.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-36.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.28 $43.28

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-25.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 $99.5

$135 COP 424.6K

-26.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$97.9 COP 307.9K

26.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,010 $2,010

$1,208 COP 3.8M

66.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,795 $1,795

$642 COP 2.0M

179.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,037 $4,037

$2,028 COP 6.4M

99.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,250 $2,250

$1,012 COP 3.2M

122.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,996 $2,996

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-28.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,103 $3,103

$1,910 COP 6.0M

62.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,539 $7,539

$657 COP 2.1M

1047.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

10.94

-37.66%

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

Last update for Ashburn, VA: 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

Ashburn, VA

$1.8K 54.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 64.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Ashburn, VA

$488 14.7%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 39.2% $191

Eating Out

Ashburn, VA

$392 11.8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 56.8% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashburn, VA

$309 9.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 31.7% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Ashburn, VA

$144 4.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 17.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Ashburn, VA

$97 2.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 41% $40

Getting Around

Ashburn, VA

$90 2.7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 3.7% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,010 in Ashburn, VA and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashburn, VA pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $90 in Ashburn, VA vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $488 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ashburn, VA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:04 10:04 AM

09:04 9:04 AM

1 h behind Ashburn, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,511

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 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 = 0.899 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ashburn, VA Medellin 3,650 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashburn, VA
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

Ashburn, VA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ashburn, VA and Medellin differ by about 102% in total monthly costs ($3,317 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 Ashburn, VA is about 11 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: $2,010 in Ashburn, VA versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,610 in Ashburn, VA versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 64% higher in Ashburn, VA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $3,317 in Ashburn, VA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Ashburn, VA. 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.

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