Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boise, ID and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,610 in Boise, ID, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Boise, ID
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Boise, ID Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Boise, ID

🇺🇸 United States

$2,610

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,610 per month in Boise, ID vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Boise, ID $2,610
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $3,672 per month in Boise, ID vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Boise, ID $3,672
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $4,735 per month in Boise, ID vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Boise, ID $4,735
Medellin $3,190

Boise, ID costs about 62% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Boise, ID and Medellin sit above the global median – Boise, ID by 93%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.78 $19.78

$7.93 COP 25.2K

149.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.3 $71.3

$46.13 COP 146.3K

54.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.07 $13.07

$9.50 COP 30.1K

37.58%

Cappuccino

$6.08 $6.08

$3.11 COP 9,866

95.50%

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

$2.71 $2.71

$1.83 COP 5,800

48.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.38 COP 4,360

43.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.92 $6.92

$3.05 COP 9,672

126.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 $6.59

$5.50 COP 17.4K

19.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.45 COP 4,600

-32.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.74 $3.74

$2.36 COP 7,496

58.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.12 $6.12

$1.68 COP 5,328

264.29%

Eggs

$4.42 $4.42

$2.86 COP 9,077

54.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.09 $16.09

$10.19 COP 32.3K

57.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.12 $11.12

$9.53 COP 30.2K

16.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.27 $17.27

$14.04 COP 44.5K

23.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$4.07 COP 12.9K

21.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.50 COP 4,742

17.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.17 COP 6,891

85.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.31 COP 7,310

107.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.93 COP 6,113

49.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.64 COP 5,196

57.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.13 COP 3,571

104.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.25 COP 3,954

93.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.10 $9.10

$3.99 COP 12.6K

128.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.82 $15.82

$13.35 COP 42.3K

18.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.70 COP 5,384

25.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.37 COP 7,525

40.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.21 COP 3,827

25.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.35 $41.35

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-45.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.32 COP 4,179

96.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.14 COP 6,774

-31.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.87 $23.87

$8.47 COP 26.8K

181.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.30 COP 4,114

-10.77%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

30.76%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-29.30%

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

$176 $176

$172 COP 545.6K

2.35%

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

$56.1 $56.1

$13.37 COP 42.4K

319.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.2 $75.2

$28.73 COP 91.1K

161.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.55 $39.55

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-12.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.29 $37.29

$17.04 COP 54.0K

118.84%

Cinema Ticket

$12.60 $12.60

$6.28 COP 19.9K

100.64%

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

$959 $959

$770 COP 2.4M

24.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K $24.1K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

167.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.0 $53.0

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-38.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.26 $41.26

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-27.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$137 COP 432.9K

-34.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$97.9 COP 310.4K

12.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,613 $1,613

$1,055 COP 3.3M

52.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,289 $1,289

$616 COP 2.0M

109.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,489 $2,489

$1,892 COP 6.0M

31.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,800 $1,800

$1,023 COP 3.2M

76.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,339 $7,339

$4,059 COP 12.9M

80.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,126 $3,126

$1,678 COP 5.3M

86.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,233 $4,233

$652 COP 2.1M

548.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

10.94

-38.94%

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

Last update for Boise, ID: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boise, ID

$1.3K 49.4%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 52.2% $673

Groceries & Markets

Boise, ID

$422 16.2%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 30.1% $127

Eating Out

Boise, ID

$337 12.9%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 50% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boise, ID

$307 11.8%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 30.3% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Boise, ID

$133 5.1%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 28.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Boise, ID

$65 2.5%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 10.7% $6.9

Getting Around

Boise, ID

$57 2.2%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 62.7% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,613 in Boise, ID versus $1,055 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 run about 549% higher in Boise, ID, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Boise, ID versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $422 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Boise, ID

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:54 1:54 PM

14:54 2:54 PM

1 h ahead of Boise, ID

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

235,684

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Boise, ID Medellin 5,730 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Boise, ID
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

Boise, ID vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Boise, ID costs about 62% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,914 per month in Boise, ID and $2,421 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $959 per month in Boise, ID and $770 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 43% more in Boise, ID, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Boise, ID at $2,610. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Boise, ID it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,614 versus $2,610 in Boise, ID. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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