Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Castro Valley, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $3,441 in Castro Valley, CA, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

163

Cost of Living Index in Castro Valley, CA
Learn more

Castro Valley, CA Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Castro Valley, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,441

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,441 in Castro Valley, CA versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Castro Valley, CA $3,441
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,290 in Castro Valley, CA versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Castro Valley, CA $4,290
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,138 in Castro Valley, CA versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Castro Valley, CA $5,138
Medellin $3,249

Living in Castro Valley, CA is roughly 103% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Castro Valley, CA 155% above, Medellin 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.86 $21.86

$8.34 COP 27.0K

162.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 $79.0

$46.53 COP 150.9K

69.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 $12.15

$9.47 COP 30.7K

28.30%

Cappuccino

$5.75 $5.75

$3.13 COP 10.2K

83.71%

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

$3.03 $3.03

$1.77 COP 5,728

71.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.42 COP 4,620

95.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 $5.85

$3.15 COP 10.2K

85.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.52 $7.52

$5.70 COP 18.5K

31.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.53 COP 4,971

-3.27%

White Bread (500g)

$4.64 $4.64

$2.29 COP 7,431

102.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.98 $5.98

$1.94 COP 6,308

208.25%

Eggs

$6.05 $6.05

$3.07 COP 9,945

97.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.14 $15.14

$9.99 COP 32.4K

51.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.39 $13.39

$10.45 COP 33.9K

28.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.24 $22.24

$13.96 COP 45.3K

59.31%

Apples (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$4.05 COP 13.1K

34.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.53 COP 4,957

69.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.10 COP 6,825

109.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$2.29 COP 7,439

102.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$2.11 COP 6,841

76.78%

Onion (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$1.71 COP 5,543

173.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.17 COP 3,795

117.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.58 COP 5,125

-38.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.88 $11.88

$3.91 COP 12.7K

203.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.19 $17.19

$14.04 COP 45.6K

22.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.76 COP 5,714

0.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.71 COP 8,796

1.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 $3.19

$1.18 COP 3,826

170.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.9 $65.9

$76.3 COP 247.4K

-13.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$1.81 COP 5,860

94.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$2.13 COP 6,906

-10.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.34 $40.34

$8.13 COP 26.4K

396.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.28 COP 4,136

23.44%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

-19.96%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-23.38%

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

$179 $179

$178 COP 576.4K

0.57%

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

$62.4 $62.4

$13.89 COP 45.0K

348.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.9 $60.9

$30.74 COP 99.7K

97.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.72 $39.72

$41.94 COP 136.0K

-5.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$14.98 $14.98

$7.47 COP 24.2K

100.54%

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

$2,567 $2,567

$790 COP 2.6M

224.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K $20.5K

$12.3K COP 39.9M

66.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.88 $39.88

$86.3 COP 280.0K

-53.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.44 $35.44

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-40.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 $77.8

$138 COP 448.7K

-43.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.66 $49.66

$98.8 COP 320.5K

-49.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,263 $2,263

$1,341 COP 4.3M

68.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,076 $2,076

$667 COP 2.2M

211.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,524 $2,524

$1,976 COP 6.4M

27.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 $2,062

$1,033 COP 3.3M

99.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,843 $2,843

$4,098 COP 13.3M

-30.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,380 $2,380

$1,940 COP 6.3M

22.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,649 $5,649

$646 COP 2.1M

774.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.58

10.94

-39.85%

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

Last update for Castro Valley, CA: November 3, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Castro Valley, CA

$2.1K 60.3%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 67.9% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Castro Valley, CA

$463 13.5%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 33.6% $156

Eating Out

Castro Valley, CA

$348 10.1%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 50.4% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Castro Valley, CA

$302 8.8%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 26.4% $80

Getting Around

Castro Valley, CA

$92 2.7%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 1.9% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Castro Valley, CA

$91 2.7%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 88.8% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Castro Valley, CA

$70 2%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 18.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,263 in Castro Valley, CA and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Castro Valley, CA pays about 8.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Castro Valley, CA vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $463 vs $307 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Castro Valley, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

21:48 9:48 PM

3 h ahead of Castro Valley, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,388

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Castro Valley, CA Medellin 5,840 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Castro Valley, CA
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

Castro Valley, CA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,441 in Castro Valley, CA and $1,692 in Medellin, so Medellin is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Castro Valley, CA is about 8.7 times higher, 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: $2,263 in Castro Valley, CA versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,567 in Castro Valley, CA versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Castro Valley, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,692 in Medellin versus $3,441 in Castro Valley, CA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Castro Valley, CA. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Castro Valley, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.