Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Atlanta, GA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,968 in Atlanta, GA, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

141

Cost of Living Index in Atlanta, GA
Learn more

Atlanta, GA Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Atlanta, GA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,968

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,968 per month in Atlanta, GA vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Atlanta, GA $2,968
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $4,287 per month in Atlanta, GA vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Atlanta, GA $4,287
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $5,606 per month in Atlanta, GA vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Atlanta, GA $5,606
Medellin $3,249

Atlanta, GA costs about 75% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Atlanta, GA and Medellin sit above the global median – Atlanta, GA by 120%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.06 $30.06

$8.34 COP 26.9K

260.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 $109

$46.53 COP 150.3K

134.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.84 $11.84

$9.47 COP 30.6K

25.03%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$3.13 COP 10.1K

80.83%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$1.77 COP 5,704

69.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.42 COP 4,600

54.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.69 $6.69

$3.15 COP 10.2K

112.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.08 $8.08

$5.70 COP 18.4K

41.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.53 COP 4,949

-38.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.29 COP 7,399

53.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$1.94 COP 6,281

108.25%

Eggs

$4.35 $4.35

$3.07 COP 9,902

41.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.85 $13.85

$9.99 COP 32.3K

38.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.28 $14.28

$10.45 COP 33.7K

36.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.19 $20.19

$13.96 COP 45.1K

44.63%

Apples (1kg)

$5.92 $5.92

$4.05 COP 13.1K

46.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.53 COP 4,936

Oranges (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$2.10 COP 6,795

171.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$2.29 COP 7,407

129.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.11 COP 6,812

62.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.71 COP 5,519

49.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.17 COP 3,779

85.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.58 COP 5,102

51.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.72 $8.72

$3.91 COP 12.6K

123.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$14.04 COP 45.4K

6.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.76 COP 5,689

121.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 $4.76

$2.71 COP 8,758

75.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.18 COP 3,810

114.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.6 $93.6

$76.3 COP 246.4K

22.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.81 COP 5,835

92.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.13 COP 6,876

-28.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.92 $23.92

$8.13 COP 26.3K

194.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.28 COP 4,118

-19.53%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$34.4K COP 111.2M

8.31%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$34.1K COP 110.2M

-21.63%

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

$216 $216

$178 COP 573.9K

21.72%

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

$72.6 $72.6

$13.89 COP 44.8K

422.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.8 $81.8

$30.74 COP 99.3K

165.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.27 $32.27

$41.94 COP 135.4K

-23.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.77 $17.77

$16.80 COP 54.3K

5.77%

Cinema Ticket

$17.21 $17.21

$7.47 COP 24.1K

130.39%

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

$1,778 $1,778

$790 COP 2.6M

125.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.7K $34.7K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

182.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 $52.4

$86.3 COP 278.8K

-39.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.87 $44.87

$59.3 COP 191.4K

-24.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.6 $96.6

$138 COP 446.7K

-30.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$98.8 COP 319.1K

6.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,918 $1,918

$1,341 COP 4.3M

43.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,415 $1,415

$667 COP 2.2M

112.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,209 $3,209

$1,976 COP 6.4M

62.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,049 $2,049

$1,033 COP 3.3M

98.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,591 $3,591

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-12.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,455 $2,455

$1,940 COP 6.3M

26.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,246 $5,246

$646 COP 2.1M

711.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

10.94

-39.03%

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

Last update for Atlanta, GA: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Atlanta, GA

$1.4K 47.7%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 52.9% $748

Groceries & Markets

Atlanta, GA

$451 15.2%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 31.9% $144

Eating Out

Atlanta, GA

$414 14%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 58.3% $242

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Atlanta, GA

$371 12.5%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 40% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Atlanta, GA

$135 4.5%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 27.9% $38

Getting Around

Atlanta, GA

$115 3.9%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 18.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Atlanta, GA

$67 2.3%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 14.7% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,918 in Atlanta, GA versus $1,341 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 in Atlanta, GA are about 8.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in Atlanta, GA versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $451 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Atlanta, GA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:24 3:24 PM

Same time as Atlanta, GA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

510,823

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,609 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Atlanta, GA Medellin 3,210 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Atlanta, GA
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

Atlanta, GA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Atlanta, GA is pricier by about 75%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,452 per month in Atlanta, GA and $2,538 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,341 there versus $1,918 in Atlanta, GA.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Atlanta, GA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in Atlanta, GA and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in Atlanta, GA at $2,968. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Atlanta, GA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,692 versus $2,968 in Atlanta, GA. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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