Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,594 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,594

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,594 in Brussels versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Brussels $2,594
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,876 in Brussels versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Brussels $3,876
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,157 in Brussels versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Brussels $5,157
Medellin $3,190

Living in Brussels is roughly 61% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brussels 92% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.12 €19.67

$7.93 COP 25.2K

178.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.8 €79.9

$46.13 COP 146.3K

94.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.07 €13.41

$9.50 COP 30.1K

58.63%

Cappuccino

$4.49 €4.00

$3.11 COP 9,866

44.37%

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

$3.67 €3.27

$1.83 COP 5,800

100.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 €2.80

$1.38 COP 4,360

128.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 €5.04

$3.05 COP 9,672

85.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$5.50 COP 17.4K

2.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.45 COP 4,600

-6.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 €2.46

$2.36 COP 7,496

17.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$1.68 COP 5,328

65.48%

Eggs

$5.22 €4.65

$2.86 COP 9,077

82.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.51

$10.19 COP 32.3K

71.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.36 €11.88

$9.53 COP 30.2K

40.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.90 €19.48

$14.04 COP 44.5K

55.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-25.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.50 COP 4,742

61.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$2.17 COP 6,891

30.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 €3.62

$2.31 COP 7,310

76.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.93 COP 6,113

32.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.64 COP 5,196

36.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.13 COP 3,571

62.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.25 COP 3,954

0.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.26 €11.80

$3.99 COP 12.6K

232.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.61 €8.55

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-28.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.31

$1.70 COP 5,384

52.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.78

$2.37 COP 7,525

31.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 €2.50

$1.21 COP 3,827

133.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.6 €54.8

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-19.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.32 COP 4,179

120.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.14 COP 6,774

4.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.47 €36.00

$8.47 COP 26.8K

377.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.30 COP 4,114

58.46%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

28.58%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-6.17%

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

$283 €252

$172 COP 545.6K

64.66%

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

$21.97 €19.54

$13.37 COP 42.4K

64.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 €46.01

$28.73 COP 91.1K

80.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.30 €29.62

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-26.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

$17.04 COP 54.0K

61.74%

Cinema Ticket

$16.33 €14.53

$6.28 COP 19.9K

160.03%

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

$1,569 €1,396

$770 COP 2.4M

103.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K €32.6K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

306.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €91.9

$86.4 COP 274.0K

19.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.60 €40.56

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-20.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.2

$137 COP 432.9K

-19.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$97.9 COP 310.4K

49.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,318 €1,172

$1,055 COP 3.3M

24.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 €1,038

$616 COP 2.0M

89.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 €2,191

$1,892 COP 6.0M

30.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,756

$1,023 COP 3.2M

93.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,099 €4,535

$4,059 COP 12.9M

25.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,881 €3,453

$1,678 COP 5.3M

131.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,357 €2,986

$652 COP 2.1M

414.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

10.94

-66.09%

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

Last update for Brussels: 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

Brussels

$1.2K 45%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 47.2% $551

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$392 15.1%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 24.9% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$357 13.8%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 40% $143

Eating Out

Brussels

$343 13.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 50.9% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$182 7%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 6.5% $12

Getting Around

Brussels

$87 3.4%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 7.4% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$66 2.5%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 12.4% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,318 in Brussels and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brussels pays 415% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $90.0 in Brussels vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $295 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

11:17 11:17 AM

7 h behind Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 Capital

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Brussels Medellin 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Brussels
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

Brussels vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 415% higher in Brussels, 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: $1,318 in Brussels versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Brussels. 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 $46.00 versus $90.0 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $2,594 in Brussels, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Brussels. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,614 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Brussels and Medellin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.