Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buchs and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $3,009 in Buchs, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Buchs
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Buchs Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Buchs

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,009

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,009 in Buchs versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Buchs $3,009
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,535 in Buchs versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Buchs $4,535
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,062 in Buchs versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Buchs $6,062
Medellin $3,199

Living in Buchs is roughly 85% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buchs 122% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.43 CHF 19.30

$8.30 COP 26.3K

182.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 CHF 69.4

$46.91 COP 148.7K

79.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.36 CHF 12.65

$9.24 COP 29.3K

66.23%

Cappuccino

$4.71 CHF 3.88

$3.05 COP 9,676

54.43%

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

$3.77 CHF 3.10

$1.80 COP 5,707

109.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 CHF 2.63

$1.38 COP 4,382

131.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 CHF 5.04

$3.24 COP 10.3K

89.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 CHF 4.44

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-3.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 CHF 1.66

$1.50 COP 4,760

34.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 CHF 3.24

$2.37 COP 7,508

66.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 CHF 3.82

$1.70 COP 5,377

172.94%

Eggs

$7.32 CHF 6.03

$2.96 COP 9,379

147.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$32.21 CHF 26.53

$10.22 COP 32.4K

215.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.51 CHF 15.24

$9.74 COP 30.9K

90.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.47 CHF 26.74

$13.90 COP 44.1K

133.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 CHF 2.91

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-14.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$1.53 COP 4,839

39.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 CHF 2.59

$2.22 COP 7,052

41.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.70 CHF 5.52

$2.27 COP 7,194

195.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.46

$1.99 COP 6,311

-10.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 CHF 2.10

$1.67 COP 5,285

52.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$1.18 COP 3,742

106.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CHF 1.00

$1.24 COP 3,919

-2.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.84 CHF 8.92

$3.87 COP 12.3K

180.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 CHF 10.46

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-7.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$1.66 COP 5,256

97.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 CHF 3.22

$2.40 COP 7,615

62.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.17 CHF 4.25

$1.24 COP 3,944

316.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 CHF 4.42

$1.28 COP 4,044

318.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.46 CHF 2.85

$2.15 COP 6,803

60.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.2 CHF 50.4

$8.37 COP 26.5K

630.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.83

$1.35 COP 4,288

65.19%

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

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

22.38%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

14.08%

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

$184 CHF 152

$167 COP 528.4K

10.65%

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

$31.24 CHF 25.73

$13.62 COP 43.2K

129.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.2 CHF 55.4

$29.12 COP 92.3K

130.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$15.20 CHF 12.52

$6.97 COP 22.1K

118.08%

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

$611 CHF 503

$790 COP 2.5M

-22.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K CHF 17.0K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

128.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CHF 88.0

$87.8 COP 278.4K

21.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.70 CHF 19.52

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-59.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 CHF 78.4

$139 COP 440.7K

-31.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 CHF 140

$98.9 COP 313.5K

71.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,828 CHF 1,505

$1,028 COP 3.3M

77.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 CHF 1,285

$620 COP 2.0M

151.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,690 CHF 2,216

$1,881 COP 6.0M

43.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,746 CHF 2,261

$1,008 COP 3.2M

172.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,480 CHF 6,984

$663 COP 2.1M

1178.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.93

10.94

-82.36%

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

Last update for Buchs: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buchs

$1.6K 51.9%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 60.3% $941

Groceries & Markets

Buchs

$555 18.4%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 46.3% $257

Eating Out

Buchs

$359 11.9%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 52.5% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buchs

$283 9.4%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 26% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Buchs

$178 5.9%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 2.9% $5.2

Getting Around

Buchs

$43 * 1.4%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 120% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Buchs

$30 * 1%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 94.2% $29

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 $1,828 in Buchs and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buchs pays 1178% 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: $84.0 in Buchs vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $555 vs $298 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Buchs

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

00:22 12:22 AM

7 h behind Buchs

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,187

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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 CHF in detail →

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Between locations

Buchs Medellin 9,130 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Buchs
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

Buchs vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buchs and Medellin differ by about 85% in total monthly costs ($3,009 vs $1,625 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1178% higher in Buchs, 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: $1,828 in Buchs versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $611 in Buchs versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $84.0 in Buchs. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,625 in Medellin versus $3,009 in Buchs, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Buchs. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Buchs 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 85% less than in Buchs. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.