Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Birmingham and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,505 in Birmingham, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Birmingham
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Birmingham Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Birmingham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,505

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,505 per month in Birmingham vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Birmingham $2,505
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,602 per month in Birmingham vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Birmingham $3,602
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,700 per month in Birmingham vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Birmingham $4,700
Medellin $3,186

Birmingham costs about 53% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Birmingham and Medellin sit above the global median – Birmingham by 84%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.89 £14.86

$8.09 COP 26.1K

145.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.4 £69.8

$47.05 COP 151.9K

98.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 £6.91

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-2.74%

Cappuccino

$5.04 £3.76

$3.01 COP 9,735

67.44%

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

$2.75 £2.06

$1.80 COP 5,809

52.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 £1.47

$1.41 COP 4,561

39.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.19 £5.37

$3.18 COP 10.3K

126.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.56 £4.90

$5.75 COP 18.6K

14.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 £1.43

$1.51 COP 4,876

27.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 £1.48

$2.38 COP 7,678

-16.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 £1.94

$1.77 COP 5,720

46.89%

Eggs

$3.93 £2.93

$2.89 COP 9,333

35.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.83 £6.60

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-13.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.80 £6.58

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-10.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.04 £11.24

$13.99 COP 45.2K

7.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 £1.91

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-35.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 £1.34

$1.55 COP 5,012

16.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 £2.03

$2.18 COP 7,048

24.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.88 £2.90

$2.18 COP 7,051

77.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 £1.33

$1.96 COP 6,337

-8.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.59 COP 5,132

8.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 £1.07

$1.15 COP 3,699

25.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 £1.19

$1.24 COP 4,014

28.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.11 £16.52

$3.96 COP 12.8K

458.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 £9.02

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-11.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 £2.80

$1.66 COP 5,359

125.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 £2.68

$2.26 COP 7,291

58.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.06 £3.03

$1.17 COP 3,771

247.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.7 £70.7

$77.4 COP 249.8K

22.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 £3.81

$1.27 COP 4,094

301.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.76

$2.05 COP 6,612

14.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.97 £17.91

$8.55 COP 27.6K

180.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 £1.57

$1.35 COP 4,349

55.56%

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

$38.7K £28.9K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

13.55%

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

$40.6K £30.4K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

17.22%

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

$319 £239

$170 COP 547.8K

88.30%

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

$21.51 £16.07

$13.55 COP 43.8K

58.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.25 £36.80

$28.07 COP 90.6K

75.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.63 £25.13

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-23.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.44 £22.74

$17.19 COP 55.5K

77.08%

Cinema Ticket

$16.02 £11.97

$6.91 COP 22.3K

131.84%

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

$1,657 £1,238

$797 COP 2.6M

107.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K £18.0K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

164.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 £78.8

$84.7 COP 273.5K

24.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.90 £37.28

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-13.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 £89.7

$135 COP 435.8K

-11.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 £113

$97.9 COP 316.0K

54.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 £1,047

$1,208 COP 3.9M

15.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 £819

$642 COP 2.1M

70.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,034 £1,519

$2,028 COP 6.5M

0.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 £1,202

$1,012 COP 3.3M

59.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,064 £3,783

$4,170 COP 13.5M

21.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,238 £3,166

$1,910 COP 6.2M

121.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,441 £3,317

$657 COP 2.1M

575.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.09

10.94

-53.47%

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

Last update for Birmingham: 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

Birmingham

$1.1K 43.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 41.5% $454

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Birmingham

$390 15.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 45.9% $179

Groceries & Markets

Birmingham

$318 12.7%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 6.7% $21

Eating Out

Birmingham

$315 12.6%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 46.2% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Birmingham

$192 7.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 11.9% $23

Getting Around

Birmingham

$128 5.1%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 26.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Birmingham

$66 2.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 12.4% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,401 in Birmingham 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 are about 6.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $93 in Birmingham versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Birmingham

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

22:22 10:22 PM

5 h behind Birmingham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,036,878

2,486,723

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Birmingham Medellin 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Birmingham
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 vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,505 in Birmingham, $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,757 per month in Birmingham 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 $1,401 in Birmingham.

Kindergarten costs $1,657 per month in Birmingham and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Birmingham, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Birmingham at $2,505. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Birmingham it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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