Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bellinzona and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $3,509 in Bellinzona, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

171

Cost of Living Index in Bellinzona
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Bellinzona Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Bellinzona

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,509

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,509 per month in Bellinzona vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Bellinzona $3,509
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $5,423 per month in Bellinzona vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Bellinzona $5,423
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $7,337 per month in Bellinzona vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Bellinzona $7,337
Medellin $3,190

Bellinzona costs about 117% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bellinzona and Medellin sit above the global median – Bellinzona by 160%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$34.40 CHF 28.33

$7.93 COP 25.2K

333.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 CHF 98.7

$46.13 COP 146.3K

159.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.66 CHF 14.54

$9.50 COP 30.1K

85.89%

Cappuccino

$4.85 CHF 4.00

$3.11 COP 9,866

55.95%

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

$5.55 CHF 4.57

$1.83 COP 5,800

203.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 CHF 3.64

$1.38 COP 4,360

220.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.51 CHF 7.83

$3.05 COP 9,672

211.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 CHF 5.50

$5.50 COP 17.4K

21.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.83

$1.45 COP 4,600

53.79%

White Bread (500g)

$4.18 CHF 3.44

$2.36 COP 7,496

77.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.11 CHF 3.38

$1.68 COP 5,328

144.64%

Eggs

$7.89 CHF 6.50

$2.86 COP 9,077

175.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.08 CHF 22.30

$10.19 COP 32.3K

165.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$30.85 CHF 25.41

$9.53 COP 30.2K

223.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.72 CHF 34.36

$14.04 COP 44.5K

197.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.64 CHF 3.00

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-10.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 CHF 1.66

$1.50 COP 4,742

34.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 CHF 2.23

$2.17 COP 6,891

24.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.45 CHF 5.31

$2.31 COP 7,310

179.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 CHF 1.62

$1.93 COP 6,113

2.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 CHF 1.72

$1.64 COP 5,196

27.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 CHF 2.02

$1.13 COP 3,571

116.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CHF 1.06

$1.25 COP 3,954

2.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.61 CHF 8.74

$3.99 COP 12.6K

165.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.75 CHF 14.62

$13.35 COP 42.3K

32.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 CHF 2.36

$1.70 COP 5,384

68.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 CHF 3.22

$2.37 COP 7,525

65.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.78 CHF 2.29

$1.21 COP 3,827

129.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$121 CHF 99.7

$76.5 COP 242.5K

58.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.24 CHF 5.97

$1.32 COP 4,179

448.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.67 CHF 4.67

$2.14 COP 6,774

164.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.42 CHF 30.00

$8.47 COP 26.8K

329.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$1.30 COP 4,114

76.15%

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

$35.1K CHF 28.9K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

25.58%

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

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

10.52%

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

$300 CHF 247

$172 COP 545.6K

74.45%

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

$35.26 CHF 29.04

$13.37 COP 42.4K

163.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.5 CHF 51.4

$28.73 COP 91.1K

117.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$143 CHF 117

$45.24 COP 143.5K

215.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.2 CHF 44.66

$17.04 COP 54.0K

218.25%

Cinema Ticket

$23.18 CHF 19.09

$6.28 COP 19.9K

269.11%

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

$3,198 CHF 2,634

$770 COP 2.4M

315.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.8K CHF 28.7K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

286.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$200 CHF 165

$86.4 COP 274.0K

131.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.63 CHF 40.05

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-14.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 CHF 135

$137 COP 432.9K

20.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 CHF 136

$97.9 COP 310.4K

68.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 CHF 1,292

$1,055 COP 3.3M

48.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 CHF 1,127

$616 COP 2.0M

122.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 CHF 2,047

$1,892 COP 6.0M

31.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,459 CHF 2,025

$1,023 COP 3.2M

140.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K CHF 10.9K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

225.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.3K CHF 8,443

$1,678 COP 5.3M

510.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,494 CHF 5,349

$652 COP 2.1M

895.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

10.94

-79.62%

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

Last update for Bellinzona: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bellinzona

$1.4K 39%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 55% $753

Groceries & Markets

Bellinzona

$639 18.2%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 53.9% $344

Eating Out

Bellinzona

$487 13.9%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 65.4% $319

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bellinzona

$398 11.3%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 46.2% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Bellinzona

$260 7.4%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 34.6% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Bellinzona

$189 5.4%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 69.4% $131

Getting Around

Bellinzona

$168 4.8%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 44.3% $74

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,569 in Bellinzona versus $1,055 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 run about 896% higher in Bellinzona, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $120 in Bellinzona versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $639 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Bellinzona

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

23:20 11:20 PM

7 h behind Bellinzona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,785

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bellinzona Medellin 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Bellinzona
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

Bellinzona vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,509 in Bellinzona, $1,614 in Medellin – roughly 117% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,264 per month in Bellinzona and $2,421 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,509 in Bellinzona and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 117%.

Public transport costs about 58% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Bellinzona at $3,509. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bellinzona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,614 in Medellin to $3,509 in Bellinzona. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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