Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cardiff and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,454 in Cardiff, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Cardiff
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Cardiff Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Cardiff

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,454

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,454 in Cardiff versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Cardiff $2,454
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,414 in Cardiff versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Cardiff $3,414
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,373 in Cardiff versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Cardiff $4,373
Medellin $3,190

Living in Cardiff is roughly 52% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cardiff 82% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.04 £15.04

$7.93 COP 25.2K

152.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.4 £62.6

$46.13 COP 146.3K

80.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.06

$9.50 COP 30.1K

13.05%

Cappuccino

$4.45 £3.34

$3.11 COP 9,866

43.09%

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

$2.92 £2.19

$1.83 COP 5,800

59.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 £1.50

$1.38 COP 4,360

44.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 £5.85

$3.05 COP 9,672

155.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.32 £4.74

$5.50 COP 17.4K

14.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.45 COP 4,600

18.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 £1.07

$2.36 COP 7,496

-39.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 £1.61

$1.68 COP 5,328

27.98%

Eggs

$3.62 £2.72

$2.86 COP 9,077

26.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.47 £7.11

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-7.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.85 £6.64

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-7.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.18 £12.14

$14.04 COP 44.5K

15.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 £2.10

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-31.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.50 COP 4,742

3.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 £2.28

$2.17 COP 6,891

39.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 £2.63

$2.31 COP 7,310

51.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 £1.50

$1.93 COP 6,113

3.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.15

$1.64 COP 5,196

-6.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 £0.82

$1.13 COP 3,571

-3.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.25 COP 3,954

31.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.08 £17.31

$3.99 COP 12.6K

478.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.07 £8.31

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-17.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.05 £2.29

$1.70 COP 5,384

79.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 £2.48

$2.37 COP 7,525

39.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.21 £2.41

$1.21 COP 3,827

165.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 £59.3

$76.5 COP 242.5K

3.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 £3.44

$1.32 COP 4,179

246.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 £1.25

$2.14 COP 6,774

-22.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.87 £26.91

$8.47 COP 26.8K

323.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.55

$1.30 COP 4,114

58.46%

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

$37.9K £28.4K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

35.23%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

15.39%

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

$335 £252

$172 COP 545.6K

94.90%

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

$25.35 £19.02

$13.37 COP 42.4K

89.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.54 £32.67

$28.73 COP 91.1K

51.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.26 £27.95

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-17.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.37 £8.53

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-33.27%

Cinema Ticket

$10.36 £7.77

$6.28 COP 19.9K

64.97%

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

$1,990 £1,493

$770 COP 2.4M

158.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.5K £24.4K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

261.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.8 £73.4

$86.4 COP 274.0K

13.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.54 £36.41

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-15.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 £86.9

$137 COP 432.9K

-15.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 £74.6

$97.9 COP 310.4K

1.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 £876

$1,055 COP 3.3M

10.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 £826

$616 COP 2.0M

78.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,136 £1,602

$1,892 COP 6.0M

12.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,482 £1,112

$1,023 COP 3.2M

44.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,255 £3,942

$4,059 COP 12.9M

29.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,432 £2,575

$1,678 COP 5.3M

104.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,179 £2,385

$652 COP 2.1M

387.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

10.94

-53.29%

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

Last update for Cardiff: 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

Cardiff

$1.1K 44.9%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 44.1% $486

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cardiff

$404 16.5%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 47% $190

Eating Out

Cardiff

$317 12.9%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 46.9% $149

Groceries & Markets

Cardiff

$306 12.5%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 3.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Cardiff

$163 6.6%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 4.5% $7.4

Getting Around

Cardiff

$105 4.3%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 10.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Cardiff

$58 2.4%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,168 in Cardiff and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cardiff pays 387% 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: $83.0 in Cardiff vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $306 vs $295 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Cardiff

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

20:36 8:36 PM

14:36 2:36 PM

6 h behind Cardiff

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,100

2,486,723

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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 GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cardiff Medellin 8,250 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cardiff
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

Cardiff vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cardiff and Medellin differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($2,454 vs $1,614 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 387% higher in Cardiff, 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: $1,168 in Cardiff versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $83.0 in Cardiff. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,454 per month in Cardiff versus $1,614 in Medellin – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $2,454 in Cardiff, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Cardiff. 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, Cardiff 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 52% less than in Cardiff. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.