Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asheville, NC and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $3,050 in Asheville, NC, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Asheville, NC
Learn more

Asheville, NC Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Asheville, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$3,050

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,050 in Asheville, NC versus $1,589 in Medellin.

Asheville, NC $3,050
Medellin $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Asheville, NC versus $2,364 in Medellin.

Asheville, NC $4,384
Medellin $2,364

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,717 in Asheville, NC versus $3,139 in Medellin.

Asheville, NC $5,717
Medellin $3,139

Living in Asheville, NC is roughly 92% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Asheville, NC 128% above, Medellin 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.04 $21.04

$8.01 COP 25.8K

162.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.7 $98.7

$46.55 COP 149.9K

111.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 $11.09

$9.43 COP 30.4K

17.60%

Cappuccino

$5.89 $5.89

$2.91 COP 9,374

102.41%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$1.75 COP 5,643

41.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.32 COP 4,263

47.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.99 $6.99

$3.13 COP 10.1K

123.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.30 $9.30

$5.55 COP 17.9K

67.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.41 COP 4,542

-15.60%

White Bread (500g)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.44 COP 7,858

77.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$1.63 COP 5,245

164.42%

Eggs

$3.95 $3.95

$2.82 COP 9,084

40.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.26 $16.26

$9.69 COP 31.2K

67.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.48 $13.48

$9.32 COP 30.0K

44.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.15 $15.15

$13.46 COP 43.3K

12.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$4.00 COP 12.9K

2.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.48 COP 4,768

0.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.12 COP 6,839

95.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$2.25 COP 7,253

106.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.91 COP 6,155

25.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.62 COP 5,214

80.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.15 COP 3,696

112.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.26 COP 4,063

72.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.15 $8.15

$3.82 COP 12.3K

113.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.80 $14.80

$13.11 COP 42.2K

12.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.60 COP 5,136

12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 $5.25

$2.26 COP 7,263

132.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.17 COP 3,770

72.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.4 $78.4

$75.0 COP 241.5K

4.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 $4.47

$1.27 COP 4,098

251.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.05 COP 6,600

53.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.45 $34.45

$8.20 COP 26.4K

320.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.27 COP 4,088

-23.62%

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

$31.7K $31.7K

$26.8K COP 86.2M

18.36%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$34.4K COP 110.8M

-26.66%

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

$181 $181

$162 COP 522.3K

11.39%

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

$66.1 $66.1

$13.12 COP 42.3K

403.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$104 $104

$28.09 COP 90.5K

268.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.03 $38.03

$44.33 COP 142.7K

-14.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.99 $18.99

$16.33 COP 52.6K

16.29%

Cinema Ticket

$13.22 $13.22

$6.09 COP 19.6K

117.08%

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

$2,602 $2,602

$764 COP 2.5M

240.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$53.7K $53.7K

$8,904 COP 28.7M

502.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 $63.0

$85.0 COP 273.6K

-25.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.47 $49.47

$57.5 COP 185.1K

-13.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$132 COP 424.2K

-20.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 $160

$95.8 COP 308.3K

66.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,064 $2,064

$1,028 COP 3.3M

100.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 $1,604

$604 COP 1.9M

165.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,153 $3,153

$1,802 COP 5.8M

74.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,345 $2,345

$993 COP 3.2M

136.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,290 $4,290

$3,921 COP 12.6M

9.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,205 $3,205

$1,639 COP 5.3M

95.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,613 $3,613

$626 COP 2.0M

477.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.2

10.94

-43.33%

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

Last update for Asheville, NC: October 6, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Asheville, NC

$1.6K 52.5%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 62.3% $999

Groceries & Markets

Asheville, NC

$417 13.6%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 30.8% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asheville, NC

$350 11.5%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 41.9% $147

Eating Out

Asheville, NC

$344 11.2%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 51.6% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Asheville, NC

$170 5.6%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 1.9% $3.3

Getting Around

Asheville, NC

$107 3.5%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 14.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Asheville, NC

$64 2.1%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 12.4% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,064 in Asheville, NC and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Asheville, NC pays 477% 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: $99.0 in Asheville, NC vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $417 vs $288 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Asheville, NC

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:40 10:40 PM

21:40 9:40 PM

1 h behind Asheville, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,789

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Asheville, NC Medellin 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Asheville, NC
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

Asheville, NC vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Asheville, NC and Medellin differ by about 92% in total monthly costs ($3,050 vs $1,589 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 477% higher in Asheville, NC, 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: $2,064 in Asheville, NC versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 5% less than in Asheville, NC. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,602 in Asheville, NC versus $764 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,589 in Medellin versus $3,050 in Asheville, NC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Asheville, NC. 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 92% less than in Asheville, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.