Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Charlottesville, VA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,027 in Charlottesville, VA, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Charlottesville, VA
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Charlottesville, VA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Charlottesville, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,027

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,027 in Charlottesville, VA versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Charlottesville, VA $3,027
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,500 in Charlottesville, VA versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Charlottesville, VA $4,500
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,973 in Charlottesville, VA versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Charlottesville, VA $5,973
Medellin $3,186

Living in Charlottesville, VA is roughly 85% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Charlottesville, VA 122% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.93 $19.93

$8.09 COP 26.1K

146.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.8 $98.8

$47.05 COP 151.7K

109.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.96 $12.96

$9.50 COP 30.6K

36.42%

Cappuccino

$4.49 $4.49

$3.01 COP 9,722

49.17%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$1.80 COP 5,801

51.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.41 COP 4,554

38.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.53 $6.53

$3.18 COP 10.2K

105.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 $5.83

$5.75 COP 18.5K

1.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.51 COP 4,869

-22.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.38 COP 7,667

54.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.50 $6.50

$1.77 COP 5,712

267.23%

Eggs

$5.06 $5.06

$2.89 COP 9,320

75.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.01 $16.01

$10.19 COP 32.9K

57.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.33 $15.33

$9.87 COP 31.8K

55.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.87 $17.87

$13.99 COP 45.1K

27.73%

Apples (1kg)

$6.59 $6.59

$3.97 COP 12.8K

65.99%

Banana (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$1.55 COP 5,005

147.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.31 $7.31

$2.18 COP 7,039

235.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.87 $7.87

$2.18 COP 7,041

261.01%

Potato (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$1.96 COP 6,328

228.06%

Onion (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$1.59 COP 5,125

304.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.15 COP 3,694

111.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.24 COP 4,009

161.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.71 $9.71

$3.96 COP 12.8K

145.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.67 $14.67

$13.68 COP 44.1K

7.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.66 COP 5,352

7.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.26 COP 7,281

69.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 $3.97

$1.27 COP 4,089

212.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.05 COP 6,603

0.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.31 $25.31

$8.55 COP 27.6K

196.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.35 COP 4,343

-22.96%

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

$31.0K $31.0K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-9.02%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-26.38%

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

$284 $284

$170 COP 547.0K

67.20%

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

$52.3 $52.3

$13.55 COP 43.7K

285.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$102 $102

$28.07 COP 90.5K

264.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.9 $55.9

$43.70 COP 140.9K

28.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.58 $7.58

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-55.90%

Cinema Ticket

$16.69 $16.69

$6.91 COP 22.3K

141.53%

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

$1,418 $1,418

$797 COP 2.6M

77.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.9K $29.9K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

228.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.68 $47.68

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-43.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.97 $47.97

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-17.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 $93.7

$135 COP 435.2K

-30.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$97.9 COP 315.6K

24.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,839 $1,839

$1,208 COP 3.9M

52.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 $1,505

$642 COP 2.1M

134.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,189 $3,189

$2,028 COP 6.5M

57.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,610 $2,610

$1,012 COP 3.3M

157.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,203 $3,203

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-23.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,513 $2,513

$1,910 COP 6.2M

31.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,632 $4,632

$657 COP 2.1M

604.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

10.94

-39.76%

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

Last update for Charlottesville, VA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Charlottesville, VA

$1.5K 49.7%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 57.4% $864

Groceries & Markets

Charlottesville, VA

$524 17.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 43.3% $227

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Charlottesville, VA

$438 14.5%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 51.8% $227

Eating Out

Charlottesville, VA

$315 10.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 46.2% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Charlottesville, VA

$140 4.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 20.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Charlottesville, VA

$89 3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 35.6% $32

Getting Around

Charlottesville, VA

$14 * 0.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 554% $79

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 $1,839 in Charlottesville, VA and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Charlottesville, VA pays about 7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $99 in Charlottesville, VA vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $524 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Charlottesville, VA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

11:55 11:55 AM

Same time as Charlottesville, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,475

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Charlottesville, VA Medellin 3,540 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Charlottesville, VA
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

Charlottesville, VA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,027 in Charlottesville, VA and $1,639 in Medellin, so Medellin is about 46% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Charlottesville, VA is about 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: $1,839 in Charlottesville, VA versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Charlottesville, VA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $3,027 per month in Charlottesville, VA versus $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $3,027 in Charlottesville, VA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Charlottesville, VA. 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, Charlottesville, VA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.