Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Charleston, SC and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $3,314 in Charleston, SC, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Charleston, SC
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Charleston, SC Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Charleston, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$3,314

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,314 per month in Charleston, SC vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Charleston, SC $3,314
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $4,834 per month in Charleston, SC vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Charleston, SC $4,834
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $6,355 per month in Charleston, SC vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Charleston, SC $6,355
Medellin $3,190

Charleston, SC costs about 105% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Charleston, SC and Medellin sit above the global median – Charleston, SC by 145%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.88 $19.88

$7.93 COP 25.2K

150.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$131 $131

$46.13 COP 146.3K

183.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.91 $11.91

$9.50 COP 30.1K

25.37%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$3.11 COP 9,866

89.71%

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

$2.91 $2.91

$1.83 COP 5,800

59.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.38 COP 4,360

71.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 $6.68

$3.05 COP 9,672

119.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 $7.88

$5.50 COP 17.4K

43.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.45 COP 4,600

-20.69%

White Bread (500g)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.36 COP 7,496

75.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$1.68 COP 5,328

172.02%

Eggs

$5.25 $5.25

$2.86 COP 9,077

83.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.51 $22.51

$10.19 COP 32.3K

120.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.38 $14.38

$9.53 COP 30.2K

50.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.97 $20.97

$14.04 COP 44.5K

49.36%

Apples (1kg)

$7.97 $7.97

$4.07 COP 12.9K

95.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.50 COP 4,742

24.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.17 COP 6,891

129.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$2.31 COP 7,310

206.93%

Potato (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$1.93 COP 6,113

163.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$1.64 COP 5,196

122.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.13 COP 3,571

152.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.30 $3.30

$1.25 COP 3,954

164.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.84 $9.84

$3.99 COP 12.6K

146.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.33 $20.33

$13.35 COP 42.3K

52.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.70 COP 5,384

61.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.37 COP 7,525

28.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.21 COP 3,827

64.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.8 $57.8

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-24.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.32 COP 4,179

131.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$2.14 COP 6,774

-42.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.67 $31.67

$8.47 COP 26.8K

273.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.30 COP 4,114

-26.15%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

27.64%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-27.11%

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

$233 $233

$172 COP 545.6K

35.45%

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

$78.3 $78.3

$13.37 COP 42.4K

485.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.8 $85.8

$28.73 COP 91.1K

198.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.77 $45.77

$45.24 COP 143.5K

1.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 $19.74

$17.04 COP 54.0K

15.85%

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 $14.14

$6.28 COP 19.9K

125.16%

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

$1,274 $1,274

$770 COP 2.4M

65.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K $27.2K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

202.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.9 $78.9

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-8.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.52 $45.52

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-20.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$137 COP 432.9K

-16.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 $136

$97.9 COP 310.4K

39.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,353 $2,353

$1,055 COP 3.3M

123.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,728 $1,728

$616 COP 2.0M

180.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,610 $3,610

$1,892 COP 6.0M

90.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,630 $2,630

$1,023 COP 3.2M

157.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,673 $5,673

$4,059 COP 12.9M

39.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,048 $3,048

$1,678 COP 5.3M

81.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,858 $4,858

$652 COP 2.1M

644.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

10.94

-40.49%

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

Last update for Charleston, SC: 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

Charleston, SC

$1.7K 52.2%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 64.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Charleston, SC

$535 16.1%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 44.9% $240

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Charleston, SC

$397 12%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 46.1% $183

Eating Out

Charleston, SC

$336 10.1%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 49.8% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Charleston, SC

$169 5.1%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 0.9% $1.5

Getting Around

Charleston, SC

$75 2.3%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 24.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Charleston, SC

$74 2.2%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 21.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,353 in Charleston, SC versus $1,055 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 run about 645% higher in Charleston, SC, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $131 in Charleston, SC versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $535 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Charleston, SC

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

07:35 7:35 AM

1 h behind Charleston, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,227

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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Charleston, SC Medellin 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Charleston, SC
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

Charleston, SC vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Charleston, SC costs about 105% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,970 per month in Charleston, SC and $2,421 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,274 per month in Charleston, SC and $770 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 82% more in Charleston, SC, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Charleston, SC at $3,314. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Charleston, SC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,614 versus $3,314 in Charleston, SC. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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