Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brooklyn, NY and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $4,230 in Brooklyn, NY, rent and utilities included – about $30,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

204

Cost of Living Index in Brooklyn, NY
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Brooklyn, NY Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Brooklyn, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,230

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,230 per month in Brooklyn, NY vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Brooklyn, NY $4,230
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $6,364 per month in Brooklyn, NY vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Brooklyn, NY $6,364
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $8,497 per month in Brooklyn, NY vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Brooklyn, NY $8,497
Medellin $3,249

Brooklyn, NY costs about 150% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Brooklyn, NY and Medellin sit above the global median – Brooklyn, NY by 213%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.37 $20.37

$8.34 COP 26.9K

144.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 $107

$46.53 COP 150.2K

129.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.86 $11.86

$9.47 COP 30.6K

25.24%

Cappuccino

$5.49 $5.49

$3.13 COP 10.1K

75.40%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$1.77 COP 5,702

49.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.42 COP 4,599

59.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$3.15 COP 10.2K

148.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.90 $8.90

$5.70 COP 18.4K

56.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.53 COP 4,948

9.15%

White Bread (500g)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.29 COP 7,397

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.02 $7.02

$1.94 COP 6,279

261.86%

Eggs

$6.59 $6.59

$3.07 COP 9,900

114.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.57 $16.57

$9.99 COP 32.3K

65.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.01 $17.01

$10.45 COP 33.7K

62.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.96 $19.96

$13.96 COP 45.1K

42.98%

Apples (1kg)

$7.93 $7.93

$4.05 COP 13.1K

95.80%

Banana (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$1.53 COP 4,934

140.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.23 $5.23

$2.10 COP 6,794

149.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$2.29 COP 7,405

163.76%

Potato (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.11 COP 6,810

90.52%

Onion (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$1.71 COP 5,518

180.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.17 COP 3,778

125.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.58 COP 5,101

53.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.04 $15.04

$3.91 COP 12.6K

284.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.33 $21.33

$14.04 COP 45.3K

51.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.76 COP 5,688

55.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.71 COP 8,756

20.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.18 COP 3,809

149.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$183 $183

$76.3 COP 246.3K

139.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.81 COP 5,833

63.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.13 COP 6,874

0.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.63 $42.63

$8.13 COP 26.3K

424.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.28 COP 4,117

-10.94%

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

$31.2K $31.2K

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-9.31%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$34.1K COP 110.2M

-24.12%

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

$219 $219

$178 COP 573.8K

23.33%

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

$60.5 $60.5

$13.89 COP 44.8K

335.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 $61.3

$30.74 COP 99.2K

99.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$123 $123

$41.94 COP 135.4K

192.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.28 $35.28

$16.80 COP 54.2K

110.00%

Cinema Ticket

$20.06 $20.06

$7.47 COP 24.1K

168.54%

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

$3,022 $3,022

$790 COP 2.6M

282.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$52.2K $52.2K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

324.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 $70.0

$86.3 COP 278.7K

-18.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.8 $76.8

$59.3 COP 191.3K

29.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

$138 COP 446.6K

-11.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$98.8 COP 319.0K

19.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,827 $3,827

$1,341 COP 4.3M

185.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 $2,454

$667 COP 2.2M

267.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,537 $7,537

$1,976 COP 6.4M

281.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,441 $4,441

$1,033 COP 3.3M

329.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.4K $12.4K

$4,098 COP 13.2M

202.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,713 $7,713

$1,940 COP 6.3M

297.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,614 $3,614

$646 COP 2.1M

459.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.78

10.94

-38.03%

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

Last update for Brooklyn, NY: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brooklyn, NY

$2.5K 58%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 72.8% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Brooklyn, NY

$549 13%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 44% $241

Eating Out

Brooklyn, NY

$341 8.1%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 49.4% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brooklyn, NY

$341 8.1%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 34.8% $119

Getting Around

Brooklyn, NY

$208 4.9%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 55.2% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Brooklyn, NY

$174 4.1%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 1.1% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Brooklyn, NY

$163 3.9%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 65.1% $106

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,827 in Brooklyn, NY versus $1,341 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 Brooklyn, NY are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in Brooklyn, NY versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $549 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brooklyn, NY

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:39 1:39 PM

Same time as Brooklyn, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,736,074

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 = 0.893 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Brooklyn, NY Medellin 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Brooklyn, NY
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

Brooklyn, NY vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,230 in Brooklyn, NY, $1,692 in Medellin – Medellin comes out roughly 60% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,346 per month in Brooklyn, NY and $2,538 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 $1,341 there versus $3,827 in Brooklyn, NY.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in Brooklyn, NY and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,230 in Brooklyn, NY and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 60% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in Brooklyn, NY at $4,230. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brooklyn, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Brooklyn, NY has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,692 in Medellin to $4,230 in Brooklyn, NY. 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, Brooklyn, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.