Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bismarck, ND and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,339 in Bismarck, ND, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Bismarck, ND
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Bismarck, ND Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Bismarck, ND

🇺🇸 United States

$2,339

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,339 in Bismarck, ND versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Bismarck, ND $2,339
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,375 in Bismarck, ND versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Bismarck, ND $3,375
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,411 in Bismarck, ND versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Bismarck, ND $4,411
Medellin $3,186

Living in Bismarck, ND is roughly 43% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bismarck, ND 72% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.30 $30.30

$8.09 COP 26.1K

274.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 $69.0

$47.05 COP 151.8K

46.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.63 $17.63

$9.50 COP 30.7K

85.58%

Cappuccino

$6.23 $6.23

$3.01 COP 9,729

106.98%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$1.80 COP 5,806

40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.41 COP 4,558

27.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.59 $5.59

$3.18 COP 10.2K

75.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 $7.04

$5.75 COP 18.6K

22.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.51 COP 4,873

-31.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.38 COP 7,673

12.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.77 COP 5,716

18.64%

Eggs

$2.64 $2.64

$2.89 COP 9,327

-8.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.89 $7.89

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-22.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.31 $13.31

$9.87 COP 31.9K

34.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.89 $15.89

$13.99 COP 45.1K

13.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-14.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.55 COP 5,009

10.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.18 COP 7,044

37.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.18 COP 7,047

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.96 COP 6,333

-3.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.59 COP 5,129

67.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.15 COP 3,696

97.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.24 COP 4,012

122.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.74 $8.74

$3.96 COP 12.8K

120.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.33 $20.33

$13.68 COP 44.2K

48.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.66 COP 5,356

10.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.26 COP 7,286

74.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.17 COP 3,769

25.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.83 $35.83

$77.4 COP 249.7K

-53.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,092

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,608

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.35 COP 4,346

-33.33%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$34.1K COP 109.9M

-21.17%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-34.59%

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

$207 $207

$170 COP 547.5K

22.17%

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

$72.0 $72.0

$13.55 COP 43.7K

431.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.5 $82.5

$28.07 COP 90.6K

194.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.48 $33.48

$43.70 COP 141.0K

-23.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$12.17 $12.17

$6.91 COP 22.3K

76.12%

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

$797 $797

$797 COP 2.6M

0.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.5 $65.5

$84.7 COP 273.4K

-22.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 $96.7

$135 COP 435.5K

-28.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 $79.4

$97.9 COP 315.8K

-18.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 $1,015

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-15.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$974 $974

$642 COP 2.1M

51.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 $1,504

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-25.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,485 $1,485

$1,012 COP 3.3M

46.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,358 $2,358

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-43.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,992 $1,992

$1,910 COP 6.2M

4.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,412 $4,412

$657 COP 2.1M

571.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.84

10.94

-37.48%

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

Last update for Bismarck, ND: 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

Bismarck, ND

$974 41.6%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 34.1% $332

Eating Out

Bismarck, ND

$429 18.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 60.5% $260

Groceries & Markets

Bismarck, ND

$366 15.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 18.8% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bismarck, ND

$362 15.5%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 41.6% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Bismarck, ND

$109 * 4.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 55.5% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Bismarck, ND

$58 2.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 0.5% $0.3

Getting Around

Bismarck, ND

$42 * 1.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 124% $52

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,015 in Bismarck, ND and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bismarck, ND pays about 6.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $69 in Bismarck, ND vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bismarck, ND

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:20 10:20 PM

23:20 11:20 PM

1 h ahead of Bismarck, ND

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,333

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,617 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Bismarck, ND Medellin 5,110 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bismarck, ND
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

Bismarck, ND vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,339 in Bismarck, ND and $1,639 in Medellin, so Medellin is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Bismarck, ND is about 6.7 times higher, 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: $1,015 in Bismarck, ND versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Bismarck, ND. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $69 in Bismarck, ND. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Bismarck, ND on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.