Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between California, MD and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,590 in California, MD, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in California, MD
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California, MD Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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California, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,590

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,590 per month in California, MD vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

California, MD $2,590
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,729 per month in California, MD vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

California, MD $3,729
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,867 per month in California, MD vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

California, MD $4,867
Medellin $3,186

California, MD costs about 58% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both California, MD and Medellin sit above the global median – California, MD by 90%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.39 $25.39

$8.09 COP 26.1K

213.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 $76.0

$47.05 COP 151.9K

61.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.01 $10.01

$9.50 COP 30.7K

5.37%

Cappuccino

$6.05 $6.05

$3.01 COP 9,734

101.00%

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

$2.81 $2.81

$1.80 COP 5,809

56.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.41 COP 4,560

73.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 $5.03

$3.18 COP 10.3K

58.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.01 $8.01

$5.75 COP 18.6K

39.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.51 COP 4,875

-33.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.38 COP 7,677

65.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.77 COP 5,719

22.60%

Eggs

$3.90 $3.90

$2.89 COP 9,332

34.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 $11.56

$10.19 COP 32.9K

13.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.46 $14.46

$9.87 COP 31.9K

46.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.17 $13.17

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-5.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$3.97 COP 12.8K

8.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.55 COP 5,011

39.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.18 COP 7,047

105.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$2.18 COP 7,050

197.25%

Potato (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$1.96 COP 6,336

129.59%

Onion (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$1.59 COP 5,131

156.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.15 COP 3,698

77.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.24 COP 4,014

58.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.79 $8.79

$3.96 COP 12.8K

121.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 $13.83

$13.68 COP 44.2K

1.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.66 COP 5,359

1.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.26 COP 7,290

111.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.17 COP 3,770

82.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.5 $82.5

$77.4 COP 249.8K

6.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.27 COP 4,094

132.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.05 COP 6,611

-27.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.83 $22.83

$8.55 COP 27.6K

167.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.35 COP 4,348

-36.30%

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

$32.7K $32.7K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-3.93%

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

$23.5K $23.5K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-32.14%

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

$98.1 $98.1

$170 COP 547.7K

-42.19%

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

$41.45 $41.45

$13.55 COP 43.7K

205.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.9 $61.9

$28.07 COP 90.6K

120.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.56 $39.56

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-9.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.02 $11.02

$17.19 COP 55.5K

-35.89%

Cinema Ticket

$17.68 $17.68

$6.91 COP 22.3K

155.86%

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

$1,937 $1,937

$797 COP 2.6M

143.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K $32.6K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

257.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 $52.7

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-37.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.01 $47.01

$58.0 COP 187.1K

-18.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 $87.5

$135 COP 435.7K

-35.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$97.9 COP 316.0K

9.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,721 $1,721

$1,208 COP 3.9M

42.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 $1,308

$642 COP 2.1M

103.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,818 $1,818

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-10.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,891 $1,891

$1,012 COP 3.3M

86.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,900 $6,900

$4,170 COP 13.5M

65.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,215 $6,215

$1,910 COP 6.2M

225.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,967 $6,967

$657 COP 2.1M

960.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.4

10.94

-41.50%

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

Last update for California, MD: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

California, MD

$1.3K 50.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 51% $667

Groceries & Markets

California, MD

$404 15.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 26.5% $107

Eating Out

California, MD

$368 14.2%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 53.9% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

California, MD

$201 7.8%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 4.9% $9.8

Clothing & Footwear

California, MD

$133 5.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 27.5% $36

Getting Around

California, MD

$101 3.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 7.8% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

California, MD

$75 2.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 23.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,721 in California, MD versus $1,208 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 California, MD are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in California, MD versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $404 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 California, MD

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:39 9:39 AM

Same time as California, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

California, MD Medellin 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

California, MD
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

California, MD vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – California, MD is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,886 per month in California, MD and $2,459 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 $1,208 there versus $1,721 in California, MD.

Groceries cost about 36% more in California, MD, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in California, MD and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in California, MD at $2,590. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in California, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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