Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Auburn, AL and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,020 in Auburn, AL, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Auburn, AL
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Auburn, AL Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Auburn, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,020

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,020 in Auburn, AL versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Auburn, AL $2,020
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,939 in Auburn, AL versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Auburn, AL $2,939
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,858 in Auburn, AL versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Auburn, AL $3,858
Medellin $3,190

Living in Auburn, AL is roughly 25% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Auburn, AL 50% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.02 $13.02

$7.93 COP 25.2K

64.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.39 $48.39

$46.13 COP 146.3K

4.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.31 $10.31

$9.50 COP 30.1K

8.53%

Cappuccino

$4.99 $4.99

$3.11 COP 9,866

60.45%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$1.83 COP 5,800

34.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.38 COP 4,360

25.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.88 $4.88

$3.05 COP 9,672

60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 $5.88

$5.50 COP 17.4K

6.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.45 COP 4,600

-24.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.36 COP 7,496

62.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.33 $5.33

$1.68 COP 5,328

217.26%

Eggs

$4.21 $4.21

$2.86 COP 9,077

47.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.65 $11.65

$10.19 COP 32.3K

14.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.21 $6.21

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-34.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.48 $10.48

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-25.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

$4.07 COP 12.9K

22.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.50 COP 4,742

-20.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.17 COP 6,891

11.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.31 COP 7,310

27.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.93 COP 6,113

-1.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.64 COP 5,196

34.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.13 COP 3,571

79.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.25 COP 3,954

45.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 $6.57

$3.99 COP 12.6K

64.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 $12.60

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-5.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.70 COP 5,384

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.37 COP 7,525

114.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.30 COP 4,114

-39.23%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-0.86%

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

$211 $211

$172 COP 545.6K

22.32%

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

$55.0 $55.0

$13.37 COP 42.4K

311.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.3 $65.3

$28.73 COP 91.1K

127.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 $64.2

$45.24 COP 143.5K

41.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$15.28 $15.28

$6.28 COP 19.9K

143.31%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 $50.1

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-41.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.02 $49.02

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-14.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.9 $66.9

$137 COP 432.9K

-50.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.5 $65.5

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-33.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$1,055 COP 3.3M

20.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$917 $917

$616 COP 2.0M

48.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 $2,080

$1,892 COP 6.0M

9.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 $1,582

$1,023 COP 3.2M

54.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,235 $2,235

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-44.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,053 $2,053

$1,678 COP 5.3M

22.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,311 $4,311

$652 COP 2.1M

560.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

10.94

-41.59%

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

Last update for Auburn, AL: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Auburn, AL

$917 45.4%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 32.8% $301

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Auburn, AL

$331 16.4%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 35.2% $117

Groceries & Markets

Auburn, AL

$325 16.1%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 9.4% $31

Eating Out

Auburn, AL

$248 12.3%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 32.1% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Auburn, AL

$104 5.2%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 63.2% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Auburn, AL

$95 4.7%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 39% $37

Getting Around

Auburn, AL

- * 0%

Medellin

$93 5.8%

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 $1,269 in Auburn, AL and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Auburn, AL pays 561% 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: $48.00 in Auburn, AL vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $295 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Auburn, AL

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:15 11:15 PM

Same time as Auburn, AL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,143

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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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Highest

Between locations

Auburn, AL Medellin 3,100 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Auburn, AL
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

Auburn, AL vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Auburn, AL and Medellin differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($2,020 vs $1,614 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 561% higher in Auburn, AL, 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: $1,269 in Auburn, AL versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $48.00 in Auburn, AL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,020 per month in Auburn, AL versus $1,614 in Medellin – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $2,020 in Auburn, AL, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Auburn, AL. 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 25% less than in Auburn, AL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.