Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $24,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Basel $3,669
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Basel $5,649
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Basel $7,629
Medellin $3,186

Living in Basel is roughly 124% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 25.06

$8.09 COP 25.6K

274.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 103

$47.05 COP 148.9K

165.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.83

$9.50 COP 30.1K

88.53%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.40

$3.01 COP 9,540

116.61%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.36

$1.80 COP 5,693

259.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.89

$1.41 COP 4,469

319.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.79

$3.18 COP 10.0K

195.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.85

$5.75 COP 18.2K

64.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$1.51 COP 4,778

51.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.52

$2.38 COP 7,524

27.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.71

$1.77 COP 5,606

84.75%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.60

$2.89 COP 9,146

175.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.81

$10.19 COP 32.2K

158.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.62

$9.87 COP 31.2K

176.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 34.07

$13.99 COP 44.3K

194.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.06

$3.97 COP 12.6K

-6.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.91

$1.55 COP 4,911

48.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.51

$2.18 COP 6,907

38.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.76

$2.18 COP 6,910

108.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$1.96 COP 6,210

-14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$1.59 COP 5,029

20.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.88

$1.15 COP 3,625

97.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.24 COP 3,934

29.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.23

$3.96 COP 12.5K

181.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.85

$13.68 COP 43.3K

-13.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.02

$1.66 COP 5,252

46.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.51

$2.26 COP 7,145

34.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.32

$1.17 COP 3,696

345.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.7

$77.4 COP 244.8K

35.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.61

$1.27 COP 4,013

528.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.82

$2.05 COP 6,480

124.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 68.9

$8.55 COP 27.1K

873.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 2.00

$1.35 COP 4,262

79.26%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.7K

$34.1K COP 107.8M

12.50%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.1K

$34.7K COP 109.7M

15.32%

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

$296 CHF 245

$170 COP 536.8K

74.18%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.34

$13.55 COP 42.9K

241.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.3

$28.07 COP 88.8K

125.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 67.9

$43.70 COP 138.3K

87.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.24

$17.19 COP 54.4K

238.92%

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.91

$6.91 COP 21.9K

230.54%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,599

$797 COP 2.5M

294.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 27.0K

$9,112 COP 28.8M

258.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 120

$84.7 COP 268.1K

70.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 66.1

$58.0 COP 183.4K

37.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$135 COP 427.1K

18.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 162

$97.9 COP 309.7K

99.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,728

$1,208 COP 3.8M

72.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,363

$642 COP 2.0M

156.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 2,995

$2,028 COP 6.4M

78.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,456

$1,012 COP 3.2M

193.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

$4,170 COP 13.2M

318.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

618.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,862

$657 COP 2.1M

977.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

10.94

-77.88%

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 61% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 49.1% $287

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 65.4% $320

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 47.8% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 35.1% $92

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 40.3% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 55% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $584 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

01:27 1:27 AM

6 h behind Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.828 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.922 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Basel Medellin 8,980 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Basel
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

Basel vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Basel 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: $2,087 in Basel versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,139 in Basel 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 97% higher in Basel. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $3,669 in Basel, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Basel. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value at $1,639 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.