Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bologna and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,168 in Bologna, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Bologna
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Bologna Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Bologna

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,168

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,168 per month in Bologna vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Bologna $2,168
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $3,357 per month in Bologna vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Bologna $3,357
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $4,546 per month in Bologna vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Bologna $4,546
Medellin $3,190

Bologna costs about 34% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bologna and Medellin sit above the global median – Bologna by 61%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.66 €20.16

$7.93 COP 25.2K

185.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.8 €78.1

$46.13 COP 146.3K

90.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.46 €11.98

$9.50 COP 30.1K

41.68%

Cappuccino

$2.24 €1.99

$3.11 COP 9,866

-27.97%

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

$3.52 €3.13

$1.83 COP 5,800

92.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.38 COP 4,360

31.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 €5.94

$3.05 COP 9,672

119.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 €5.01

$5.50 COP 17.4K

2.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.45 COP 4,600

-3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.36 COP 7,496

26.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.89 €2.57

$1.68 COP 5,328

72.02%

Eggs

$4.01 €3.57

$2.86 COP 9,077

40.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.41 €18.15

$10.19 COP 32.3K

100.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.24 €10.88

$9.53 COP 30.2K

28.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.03 €18.70

$14.04 COP 44.5K

49.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-39.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.50 COP 4,742

60.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.17 COP 6,891

17.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.31 €2.95

$2.31 COP 7,310

43.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.93 COP 6,113

-2.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.64 COP 5,196

4.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.13 COP 3,571

19.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 €0.50

$1.25 COP 3,954

-55.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.88 €6.12

$3.99 COP 12.6K

72.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.96 €7.08

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-40.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.70 COP 5,384

12.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 €2.52

$2.37 COP 7,525

19.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.21 COP 3,827

117.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.76 €38.03

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-44.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.64 €4.13

$1.32 COP 4,179

251.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 €1.47

$2.14 COP 6,774

-22.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.98 €28.45

$8.47 COP 26.8K

277.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.30 COP 4,114

64.62%

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

$36.8K €32.8K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

31.63%

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

$36.4K €32.4K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

2.83%

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

$249 €221

$172 COP 545.6K

44.40%

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

$11.10 €9.88

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-16.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.22 €27.77

$28.73 COP 91.1K

8.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.1 €56.1

$45.24 COP 143.5K

39.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.63 €23.69

$17.04 COP 54.0K

56.28%

Cinema Ticket

$9.87 €8.78

$6.28 COP 19.9K

57.17%

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

$768 €683

$770 COP 2.4M

-0.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

83.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.5 €83.1

$86.4 COP 274.0K

8.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.18 €41.08

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-19.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €109

$137 COP 432.9K

-10.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €129

$97.9 COP 310.4K

48.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 €1,015

$1,055 COP 3.3M

8.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$867 €771

$616 COP 2.0M

40.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,081 €1,851

$1,892 COP 6.0M

9.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,574 €1,400

$1,023 COP 3.2M

53.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,130 €4,563

$4,059 COP 12.9M

26.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,737 €3,324

$1,678 COP 5.3M

122.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,103 €1,870

$652 COP 2.1M

222.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

10.94

-70.84%

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

Last update for Bologna: October 10, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bologna

$867 40%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 29% $251

Groceries & Markets

Bologna

$363 16.7%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 18.8% $68

Eating Out

Bologna

$314 14.5%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 46.5% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bologna

$291 13.4%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 26.4% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Bologna

$183 8.5%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 7.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Bologna

$83 3.8%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 30.2% $25

Getting Around

Bologna

$66 3.1%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 41% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,141 in Bologna 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 222% higher in Bologna, 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 $88.0 in Bologna versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Bologna

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:21 3:21 PM

08:21 8:21 AM

7 h behind Bologna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

386,663

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Bologna Medellin 9,280 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Bologna
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

Bologna vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bologna costs about 34% 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 $3,251 per month in Bologna 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.

Public transport costs about 79% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $768 per month in Bologna and $770 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 $1,614, than in Bologna at $2,168. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bologna it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,614 versus $2,168 in Bologna. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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