Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Birmingham, AL and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,627 in Birmingham, AL, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

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

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Birmingham, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,627

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,627 per month in Birmingham, AL vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Birmingham, AL $2,627
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,899 per month in Birmingham, AL vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Birmingham, AL $3,899
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $5,172 per month in Birmingham, AL vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Birmingham, AL $5,172
Medellin $3,186

Birmingham, AL costs about 60% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Birmingham, AL and Medellin sit above the global median – Birmingham, AL by 93%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 $17.75

$8.09 COP 25.4K

119.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 $69.7

$47.05 COP 148.0K

48.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 $8.86

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-6.74%

Cappuccino

$5.67 $5.67

$3.01 COP 9,485

88.37%

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

$2.65 $2.65

$1.80 COP 5,660

47.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.41 COP 4,443

61.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 $5.12

$3.18 COP 9,990

61.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.92 $5.92

$5.75 COP 18.1K

2.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.51 COP 4,751

-28.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.38 COP 7,480

29.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$1.77 COP 5,573

172.32%

Eggs

$4.24 $4.24

$2.89 COP 9,093

46.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.30 $9.30

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-8.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.16 $11.16

$9.87 COP 31.1K

13.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 $16.46

$13.99 COP 44.0K

17.66%

Apples (1kg)

$6.42 $6.42

$3.97 COP 12.5K

61.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.55 COP 4,883

-10.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.88 $7.88

$2.18 COP 6,867

261.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$2.18 COP 6,870

155.50%

Potato (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$1.96 COP 6,174

112.24%

Onion (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$1.59 COP 5,000

238.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.15 COP 3,604

148.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.24 COP 3,911

125.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.55 $8.55

$3.96 COP 12.5K

115.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.06 $15.06

$13.68 COP 43.0K

10.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.66 COP 5,221

45.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.26 COP 7,103

55.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.17 COP 3,674

30.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.9 $78.9

$77.4 COP 243.4K

1.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.27 COP 3,989

132.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 $1.55

$2.05 COP 6,442

-24.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.20 $30.20

$8.55 COP 26.9K

253.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.35 COP 4,237

-31.85%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-21.94%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-25.80%

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

$274 $274

$170 COP 533.7K

61.80%

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

$75.7 $75.7

$13.55 COP 42.6K

458.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.2 $72.2

$28.07 COP 88.3K

157.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 $54.3

$43.70 COP 137.5K

24.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.24 $20.24

$17.19 COP 54.1K

17.74%

Cinema Ticket

$16.04 $16.04

$6.91 COP 21.7K

132.13%

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

$1,324 $1,324

$797 COP 2.5M

66.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K $17.8K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

95.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 $59.5

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-29.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.91 $38.91

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-32.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$135 COP 424.6K

-18.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 $136

$97.9 COP 307.9K

38.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 $1,582

$1,208 COP 3.8M

30.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,146 $1,146

$642 COP 2.0M

78.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,560 $2,560

$2,028 COP 6.4M

26.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,017 $2,017

$1,012 COP 3.2M

99.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,665 $2,665

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-36.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,820 $1,820

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-4.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,246 $3,246

$657 COP 2.1M

393.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

10.94

-38.85%

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

Last update for Birmingham, AL: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Birmingham, AL

$1.1K 43.6%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 44% $504

Groceries & Markets

Birmingham, AL

$428 16.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 30.6% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Birmingham, AL

$422 16.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 50% $211

Eating Out

Birmingham, AL

$294 11.2%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 42.3% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Birmingham, AL

$155 5.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 9.3% $14

Getting Around

Birmingham, AL

$96 3.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 2.3% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Birmingham, AL

$86 3.3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 33.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,582 in Birmingham, AL versus $1,208 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 in Birmingham, AL are about 4.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Birmingham, AL versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $428 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Birmingham, AL

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

19:14 7:14 PM

Same time as Birmingham, AL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

200,733

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Birmingham, AL Medellin 3,240 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Birmingham, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,627 in Birmingham, AL, $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin comes out roughly 38% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,940 per month in Birmingham, AL and $2,459 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,582 in Birmingham, AL.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,627 in Birmingham, AL and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 38% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,324 per month in Birmingham, AL and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Birmingham, AL at $2,627. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Birmingham, AL 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 $1,639 in Medellin to $2,627 in Birmingham, AL. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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