Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergen and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $2,844 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,844

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,844 in Bergen versus $1,589 in Medellin.

Bergen $2,844
Medellin $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,282 in Bergen versus $2,364 in Medellin.

Bergen $4,282
Medellin $2,364

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,719 in Bergen versus $3,139 in Medellin.

Bergen $5,719
Medellin $3,139

Living in Bergen is roughly 79% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bergen 112% above, Medellin 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.98 NOK 219

$8.01 COP 25.5K

186.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$135 NOK 1,292

$46.55 COP 148.3K

190.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.52 NOK 148

$9.43 COP 30.1K

64.58%

Cappuccino

$5.42 NOK 51.8

$2.91 COP 9,277

86.25%

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

$5.10 NOK 48.71

$1.75 COP 5,585

191.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 NOK 42.65

$1.32 COP 4,218

238.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.57 NOK 120

$3.13 COP 9,969

301.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.41 NOK 99.4

$5.55 COP 17.7K

87.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NOK 20.57

$1.41 COP 4,495

52.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 NOK 36.13

$2.44 COP 7,777

54.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 NOK 33.54

$1.63 COP 5,191

115.34%

Eggs

$6.41 NOK 61.3

$2.82 COP 8,990

127.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.32 NOK 137

$9.69 COP 30.9K

47.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.21 NOK 164

$9.32 COP 29.7K

84.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.16 NOK 345

$13.46 COP 42.9K

168.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 NOK 39.38

$4.00 COP 12.8K

3.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 NOK 25.95

$1.48 COP 4,719

83.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 NOK 34.44

$2.12 COP 6,768

70.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.39 NOK 51.4

$2.25 COP 7,178

139.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 NOK 24.02

$1.91 COP 6,092

31.94%

Onion (1kg)

$3.35 NOK 31.97

$1.62 COP 5,160

106.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.86 NOK 27.34

$1.15 COP 3,658

148.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 NOK 17.03

$1.26 COP 4,021

41.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.10 NOK 163

$3.82 COP 12.2K

347.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.97 NOK 172

$13.11 COP 41.8K

37.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 NOK 34.31

$1.60 COP 5,083

124.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.21 NOK 40.20

$2.26 COP 7,188

86.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.15 NOK 49.21

$1.17 COP 3,731

340.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 NOK 825

$75.0 COP 239.0K

15.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.39 NOK 118

$1.27 COP 4,056

875.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NOK 17.61

$2.05 COP 6,531

-10.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.5 NOK 674

$8.20 COP 26.1K

760.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 NOK 22.42

$1.27 COP 4,046

85.04%

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

$48.6K NOK 463.7K

$26.8K COP 85.3M

81.33%

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

$43.3K NOK 413.9K

$34.4K COP 109.6M

25.97%

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

$275 NOK 2,623

$162 COP 516.9K

69.31%

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

$32.93 NOK 314

$13.12 COP 41.8K

150.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.9 NOK 791

$28.09 COP 89.5K

194.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.61 NOK 436

$44.33 COP 141.2K

2.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.77 NOK 399

$16.33 COP 52.0K

155.79%

Cinema Ticket

$18.87 NOK 180

$6.09 COP 19.4K

209.85%

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

$238 NOK 2,272

$764 COP 2.4M

-68.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K NOK 114.9K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

35.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 NOK 1,022

$85.0 COP 270.8K

25.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.6 NOK 522

$57.5 COP 183.2K

-5.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 NOK 1,128

$132 COP 419.8K

-10.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 NOK 1,545

$95.8 COP 305.1K

68.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,414 NOK 13.5K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

37.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 NOK 10.3K

$604 COP 1.9M

79.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,348 NOK 22.4K

$1,802 COP 5.7M

30.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,696 NOK 16.2K

$993 COP 3.2M

70.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,822 NOK 74.7K

$3,921 COP 12.5M

99.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,769 NOK 45.5K

$1,639 COP 5.2M

191.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,527 NOK 43.2K

$626 COP 2.0M

623.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

10.94

-51.83%

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

Last update for Bergen: October 3, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bergen

$1.1K 38.3%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 44.2% $479

Groceries & Markets

Bergen

$524 18.6%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 45% $236

Eating Out

Bergen

$417 14.8%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 60.2% $251

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bergen

$390 13.8%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 47.9% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Bergen

$199 7%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 16.2% $32

Getting Around

Bergen

$129 4.6%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 29.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Bergen

$83 3%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 32.2% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,414 in Bergen and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 623% 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: $135 in Bergen vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $524 vs $288 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Bergen

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:20 12:20 PM

05:20 5:20 AM

7 h behind Bergen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

292,482

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.47 USD

100 NOK = 9.34 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.7 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bergen Medellin 8,900 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Bergen
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

Bergen vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 623% higher in Bergen, 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: $1,414 in Bergen versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $238 in Bergen versus $764 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 82% higher in Bergen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,589 in Medellin versus $2,844 in Bergen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Bergen. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medellin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bergen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bergen and Medellin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Bergen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.