Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Carteret, NC and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,709 in Cape Carteret, NC, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Cape Carteret, NC
Learn more

Cape Carteret, NC Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Carteret, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,709

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,709 per month in Cape Carteret, NC vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Cape Carteret, NC $2,709
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $3,716 per month in Cape Carteret, NC vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Cape Carteret, NC $3,716
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $4,722 per month in Cape Carteret, NC vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Cape Carteret, NC $4,722
Medellin $3,199

Cape Carteret, NC costs about 67% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Carteret, NC and Medellin sit above the global median – Cape Carteret, NC by 100%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.95 $17.95

$8.30 COP 26.3K

116.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.1 $89.1

$46.91 COP 148.7K

90.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 $12.15

$9.24 COP 29.3K

31.49%

Cappuccino

$5.91 $5.91

$3.05 COP 9,676

93.77%

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

$2.78 $2.78

$1.80 COP 5,707

54.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.38 COP 4,382

49.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 $6.04

$3.24 COP 10.3K

86.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.95 $6.95

$5.56 COP 17.6K

25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.50 COP 4,760

-30.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.20 $3.20

$2.37 COP 7,508

35.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$1.70 COP 5,377

211.76%

Eggs

$4.82 $4.82

$2.96 COP 9,379

62.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$10.22 COP 32.4K

1.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.04 $10.04

$9.74 COP 30.9K

3.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.65 $18.65

$13.90 COP 44.1K

34.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-40.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.53 COP 4,839

5.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.22 COP 7,052

122.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$2.27 COP 7,194

155.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.99 COP 6,311

12.56%

Onion (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$1.67 COP 5,285

165.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.18 COP 3,742

50.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.24 COP 3,919

87.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.47 $9.47

$3.87 COP 12.3K

144.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.12 $12.12

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-12.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.66 COP 5,256

10.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$2.40 COP 7,615

-11.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.24 COP 3,944

45.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.61 $4.61

$1.28 COP 4,044

260.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 $1.32

$2.15 COP 6,803

-38.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.14 $20.14

$8.37 COP 26.5K

140.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.35 COP 4,288

-25.93%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-20.35%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-24.29%

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

$211 $211

$167 COP 528.4K

26.82%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$13.62 COP 43.2K

338.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.3 $67.3

$29.12 COP 92.3K

130.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.20 $44.20

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-1.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$9.13 $9.13

$6.97 COP 22.1K

30.99%

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

$1,596 $1,596

$790 COP 2.5M

102.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K $16.1K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

77.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.0 $61.0

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-30.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.26 $47.26

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-18.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$139 COP 440.7K

-16.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$98.9 COP 313.5K

11.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,643 $1,643

$1,028 COP 3.3M

59.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 $1,446

$620 COP 2.0M

133.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,879 $2,879

$1,881 COP 6.0M

53.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 $1,870

$1,008 COP 3.2M

85.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,119 $3,119

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-21.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,615 $2,615

$1,702 COP 5.4M

53.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

10.94

-39.95%

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

Last update for Cape Carteret, NC: October 20, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Carteret, NC

$1.4K 53.4%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 57.1% $826

Groceries & Markets

Cape Carteret, NC

$379 14%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 21.5% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Carteret, NC

$338 12.5%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 38.1% $129

Eating Out

Cape Carteret, NC

$314 11.6%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 45.7% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Carteret, NC

$151 5.6%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 14.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Carteret, NC

$62 2.3%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 5.5% $3.4

Getting Around

Cape Carteret, NC

$18 * 0.7%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 417% $77

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,643 in Cape Carteret, NC versus $1,028 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Cape Carteret, NC versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cape Carteret, NC

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

00:49 12:49 AM

23:49 11:49 PM

1 h behind Cape Carteret, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Carteret, NC Medellin 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cape Carteret, NC
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

Cape Carteret, NC vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cape Carteret, NC is pricier by about 67%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,064 per month in Cape Carteret, NC and $2,437 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,709 in Cape Carteret, NC and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 67%.

Kindergarten costs $1,596 per month in Cape Carteret, NC and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Cape Carteret, NC at $2,709. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Carteret, NC 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Carteret, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.