Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buford, GA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $2,336 in Buford, GA, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Buford, GA
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Buford, GA Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Buford, GA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,336

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,336 in Buford, GA versus $1,589 in Medellin.

Buford, GA $2,336
Medellin $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,532 in Buford, GA versus $2,364 in Medellin.

Buford, GA $3,532
Medellin $2,364

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,728 in Buford, GA versus $3,139 in Medellin.

Buford, GA $4,728
Medellin $3,139

Living in Buford, GA is roughly 47% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buford, GA 74% above, Medellin 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.32 $21.32

$8.01 COP 25.5K

166.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.2 $74.2

$46.55 COP 148.3K

59.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.85 $5.85

$9.43 COP 30.1K

-37.96%

Cappuccino

$5.97 $5.97

$2.91 COP 9,277

105.15%

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

$2.05 $2.05

$1.75 COP 5,585

17.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.32 COP 4,218

49.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.38 $5.38

$3.13 COP 9,969

71.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.87 $6.87

$5.55 COP 17.7K

23.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.41 COP 4,495

-41.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.44 COP 7,777

37.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$1.63 COP 5,191

158.28%

Eggs

$3.97 $3.97

$2.82 COP 8,990

40.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.76 $7.76

$9.69 COP 30.9K

-19.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 $9.28

$9.32 COP 29.7K

-0.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.12 $13.12

$13.46 COP 42.9K

-2.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$4.00 COP 12.8K

1.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.48 COP 4,719

-12.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.12 COP 6,768

91.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$2.25 COP 7,178

112.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.91 COP 6,092

21.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.62 COP 5,160

59.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.15 COP 3,658

114.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.26 COP 4,021

69.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.78 $7.78

$3.82 COP 12.2K

103.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 $11.20

$13.11 COP 41.8K

-14.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.60 COP 5,083

13.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 $1.48

$2.26 COP 7,188

-34.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.80 $3.80

$1.17 COP 3,731

224.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.27 COP 4,056

244.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 $3.20

$2.05 COP 6,531

56.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.36 $34.36

$8.20 COP 26.1K

319.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.27 COP 4,046

-35.43%

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

$32.0K $32.0K

$26.8K COP 85.3M

19.46%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$34.4K COP 109.6M

-26.65%

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

$179 $179

$162 COP 516.9K

10.59%

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

$24.72 $24.72

$13.12 COP 41.8K

88.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.2 $84.2

$28.09 COP 89.5K

199.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 $45.24

$44.33 COP 141.2K

2.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.31 $34.31

$16.33 COP 52.0K

110.10%

Cinema Ticket

$12.79 $12.79

$6.09 COP 19.4K

110.02%

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

$1,099 $1,099

$764 COP 2.4M

43.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$54.3K $54.3K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

509.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.11 $45.11

$85.0 COP 270.8K

-46.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 $50.9

$57.5 COP 183.2K

-11.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 $76.5

$132 COP 419.8K

-41.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 $96.5

$95.8 COP 305.1K

0.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,437 $1,437

$1,028 COP 3.3M

39.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 $1,142

$604 COP 1.9M

88.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,435 $2,435

$1,802 COP 5.7M

35.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 $2,126

$993 COP 3.2M

114.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,421 $3,421

$626 COP 2.0M

446.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.2

10.94

-43.33%

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

Last update for Buford, GA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buford, GA

$1.1K 49.5%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 47.1% $537

Groceries & Markets

Buford, GA

$334 14.5%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 13.7% $46

Eating Out

Buford, GA

$316 13.7%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 47.4% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buford, GA

$288 12.5%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 29.4% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Buford, GA

$121 5.2%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 37.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Buford, GA

$71 3.1%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 20.2% $14

Getting Around

Buford, GA

$36 * 1.5%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 157% $56

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 $1,437 in Buford, GA and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buford, GA pays 446% 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: $74.0 in Buford, GA vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $334 vs $288 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Buford, GA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

13:20 1:20 PM

1 h behind Buford, GA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,868

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Buford, GA Medellin 3,220 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Buford, GA
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

Buford, GA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buford, GA and Medellin differ by about 47% in total monthly costs ($2,336 vs $1,589 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 446% higher in Buford, GA, 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: $1,437 in Buford, GA versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Buford, GA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,336 per month in Buford, GA versus $1,589 in Medellin – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,589 in Medellin versus $2,336 in Buford, GA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Buford, GA. 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.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Buford, GA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.