Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Besancon and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $1,755 in Besancon, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Besancon
Learn more

Besancon Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Besancon

🇫🇷 France

$1,755

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,755 in Besancon versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Besancon $1,755
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,536 in Besancon versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Besancon $2,536
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,318 in Besancon versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Besancon $3,318
Medellin $3,190

Living in Besancon is roughly 9% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Besancon 30% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.89

$7.93 COP 25.3K

110.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 €49.19

$46.13 COP 147.3K

19.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 €9.76

$9.50 COP 30.3K

15.16%

Cappuccino

$3.03 €2.71

$3.11 COP 9,933

-2.57%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$1.83 COP 5,839

28.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.38 COP 4,389

12.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 €5.87

$3.05 COP 9,737

115.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 €4.96

$5.50 COP 17.5K

1.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.45 COP 4,631

-11.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.52

$2.36 COP 7,547

-27.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.68 COP 5,365

27.38%

Eggs

$4.41 €3.94

$2.86 COP 9,139

54.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.97 €17.81

$10.19 COP 32.5K

95.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.95 €9.77

$9.53 COP 30.4K

14.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.96

$14.04 COP 44.8K

27.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$4.07 COP 13.0K

-34.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.50 COP 4,774

50.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.43

$2.17 COP 6,938

25.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.31 COP 7,359

6.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.93 COP 6,155

31.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.64 COP 5,231

47.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.13 COP 3,595

26.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.25 COP 3,981

-6.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.78 €12.29

$3.99 COP 12.7K

245.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.39 €8.37

$13.35 COP 42.6K

-29.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.85 €4.32

$1.70 COP 5,420

185.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.90

$2.37 COP 7,576

37.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.21 COP 3,853

38.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.17 €39.40

$76.5 COP 244.2K

-42.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 €2.71

$1.32 COP 4,208

130.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.14 COP 6,820

-0.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.05 €26.80

$8.47 COP 27.0K

254.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.30 COP 4,142

63.85%

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

$34.4K €30.7K

$28.0K COP 89.3M

22.94%

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

$34.3K €30.6K

$35.4K COP 113.0M

-3.20%

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

$225 €200

$172 COP 549.3K

30.49%

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

$14.65 €13.07

$13.37 COP 42.7K

9.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.19 €30.50

$28.73 COP 91.7K

19.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.44 €23.58

$45.24 COP 144.4K

-41.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 €17.55

$17.04 COP 54.4K

15.49%

Cinema Ticket

$11.32 €10.10

$6.28 COP 20.1K

80.25%

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

$339 €302

$770 COP 2.5M

-56.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,309 €6,520

$9,011 COP 28.8M

-18.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 €88.3

$86.4 COP 275.8K

14.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.58 €34.41

$57.1 COP 182.4K

-32.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 €83.0

$137 COP 435.8K

-31.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$97.9 COP 312.5K

26.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$635 €566

$1,055 COP 3.4M

-39.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 €527

$616 COP 2.0M

-4.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$991 €884

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-47.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 €717

$1,023 COP 3.3M

-21.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,822 €2,517

$4,059 COP 13.0M

-30.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,245 €2,002

$1,678 COP 5.4M

33.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,181 €1,945

$652 COP 2.1M

234.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.62

10.94

-66.91%

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

Last update for Besancon: 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

Besancon

$590 33.6%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 4.3% $25

Groceries & Markets

Besancon

$356 20.3%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 17.3% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Besancon

$273 15.6%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 21.7% $59

Eating Out

Besancon

$262 15%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 35.8% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Besancon

$159 9.1%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 6.7% $11

Getting Around

Besancon

$65 3.7%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 44.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Besancon

$49 2.8%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 17.8% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $635 in Besancon and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Besancon pays 234% 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: $55.0 in Besancon vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $356 vs $295 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Besancon

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:34 11:34 PM

16:34 4:34 PM

7 h behind Besancon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,198

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.13 USD

10,000 COP = 2.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,192 COP (10,000 COP = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 3,579 COP (10,000 COP = 2.79 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Besancon Medellin 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Besancon
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

Besancon vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Besancon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 234% higher in Besancon, 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: $635 in Besancon versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 73% less than in Besancon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $339 in Besancon versus $770 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,755 in Besancon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Besancon. 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 – similar infrastructure at $1,614 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Besancon 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 9% less than in Besancon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.