Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cary, NC and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,842 in Cary, NC, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Cary, NC
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Cary, NC Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Cary, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,842

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,842 in Cary, NC versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Cary, NC $2,842
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,173 in Cary, NC versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Cary, NC $4,173
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,505 in Cary, NC versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Cary, NC $5,505
Medellin $3,190

Living in Cary, NC is roughly 76% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cary, NC 111% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.35 $19.35

$7.93 COP 25.2K

144.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.3 $99.3

$46.13 COP 146.3K

115.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 $10.42

$9.50 COP 30.1K

9.68%

Cappuccino

$5.06 $5.06

$3.11 COP 9,866

62.70%

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

$2.03 $2.03

$1.83 COP 5,800

10.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.38 COP 4,360

34.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.05 COP 9,672

47.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.39 $6.39

$5.50 COP 17.4K

16.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.45 COP 4,600

-28.28%

White Bread (500g)

$5.51 $5.51

$2.36 COP 7,496

133.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.18 $6.18

$1.68 COP 5,328

267.86%

Eggs

$4.02 $4.02

$2.86 COP 9,077

40.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.74 $17.74

$10.19 COP 32.3K

74.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.62 $16.62

$9.53 COP 30.2K

74.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.96 $17.96

$14.04 COP 44.5K

27.92%

Apples (1kg)

$6.25 $6.25

$4.07 COP 12.9K

53.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.50 COP 4,742

28.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.17 COP 6,891

72.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.90 $6.90

$2.31 COP 7,310

198.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.93 COP 6,113

68.39%

Onion (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$1.64 COP 5,196

154.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.13 COP 3,571

162.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.25 COP 3,954

90.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 $10.06

$3.99 COP 12.6K

152.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 $9.71

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-27.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.70 COP 5,384

37.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 $4.04

$2.37 COP 7,525

70.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.21 COP 3,827

109.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.7 $78.7

$76.5 COP 242.5K

2.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.30 COP 4,114

-28.46%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

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

$28.7K $28.7K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-19.06%

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

$179 $179

$172 COP 545.6K

3.93%

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

$47.18 $47.18

$13.37 COP 42.4K

252.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 $67.6

$28.73 COP 91.1K

135.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.8 $77.8

$45.24 COP 143.5K

72.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.88 $21.88

$17.04 COP 54.0K

28.40%

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 $15.26

$6.28 COP 19.9K

142.99%

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

$1,455 $1,455

$770 COP 2.4M

88.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.9 $65.9

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-23.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.18 $32.18

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-43.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$137 COP 432.9K

-12.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$97.9 COP 310.4K

39.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,904 $1,904

$1,055 COP 3.3M

80.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 $1,407

$616 COP 2.0M

128.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,710 $2,710

$1,892 COP 6.0M

43.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,162 $2,162

$1,023 COP 3.2M

111.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,859 $2,859

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-29.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,643 $2,643

$1,678 COP 5.3M

57.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,032 $6,032

$652 COP 2.1M

824.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.42

10.94

-41.32%

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

Last update for Cary, NC: October 10, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cary, NC

$1.4K 49.5%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 56.2% $792

Groceries & Markets

Cary, NC

$486 17.1%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 39.4% $192

Eating Out

Cary, NC

$298 10.5%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 43.4% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cary, NC

$294 10.3%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 27.1% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Cary, NC

$160 5.6%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 6.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Cary, NC

$108 3.8%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 46.6% $51

Getting Around

Cary, NC

$89 * 3.1%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 5.1% $4.5

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 $1,904 in Cary, NC and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cary, NC pays 825% 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: $99.0 in Cary, NC vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $486 vs $295 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cary, NC

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:27 4:27 AM

03:27 3:27 AM

1 h behind Cary, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,987

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cary, NC Medellin 3,300 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cary, 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

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

Medellin is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 76% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 825% higher in Cary, NC, 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: $1,904 in Cary, NC versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,455 in Cary, NC versus $770 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 65% higher in Cary, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $2,842 in Cary, NC, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Cary, NC. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medellin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cary, NC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Cary, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.