Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chesapeake, VA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,546 in Chesapeake, VA, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Chesapeake, VA
Learn more

Chesapeake, VA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Chesapeake, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,546

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,546 per month in Chesapeake, VA vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Chesapeake, VA $2,546
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,565 per month in Chesapeake, VA vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Chesapeake, VA $3,565
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,585 per month in Chesapeake, VA vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Chesapeake, VA $4,585
Medellin $3,186

Chesapeake, VA costs about 55% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chesapeake, VA and Medellin sit above the global median – Chesapeake, VA by 87%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.28 $20.28

$8.09 COP 26.1K

150.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 $89.6

$47.05 COP 151.9K

90.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.56 $11.56

$9.50 COP 30.7K

21.68%

Cappuccino

$5.91 $5.91

$3.01 COP 9,735

96.35%

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

$2.31 $2.31

$1.80 COP 5,809

28.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.41 COP 4,561

49.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.03 $6.03

$3.18 COP 10.3K

89.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 $6.60

$5.75 COP 18.6K

14.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.51 COP 4,876

-42.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.38 COP 7,678

52.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.77 COP 5,720

76.27%

Eggs

$3.26 $3.26

$2.89 COP 9,333

12.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.06 $14.06

$10.19 COP 32.9K

37.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.03 $8.03

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-18.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.61 $17.61

$13.99 COP 45.2K

25.88%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$3.97 COP 12.8K

28.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.55 COP 5,012

-31.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.18 COP 7,048

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.18 COP 7,051

103.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.96 COP 6,337

45.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.59 COP 5,132

77.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.15 COP 3,699

31.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.24 COP 4,014

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.83 $8.83

$3.96 COP 12.8K

122.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 $15.27

$13.68 COP 44.2K

11.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.66 COP 5,359

2.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.26 COP 7,291

22.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.17 COP 3,771

74.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.1 $71.1

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-8.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.27 COP 4,094

133.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$2.05 COP 6,612

-40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.85 $17.85

$8.55 COP 27.6K

108.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.35 COP 4,349

-27.41%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-19.50%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-24.70%

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

$187 $187

$170 COP 547.8K

10.03%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$13.55 COP 43.8K

327.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.8 $67.8

$28.07 COP 90.6K

141.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.05 $40.05

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-8.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 $9.07

$6.91 COP 22.3K

31.26%

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

$1,324 $1,324

$797 COP 2.6M

66.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K $18.7K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

105.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.10 $40.10

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-52.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.16 $20.16

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-65.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 $76.1

$135 COP 435.8K

-43.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$97.9 COP 316.0K

9.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,047 $2,047

$1,208 COP 3.9M

69.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 $1,281

$642 COP 2.1M

99.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,839 $2,839

$2,028 COP 6.5M

40.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,717 $1,717

$1,012 COP 3.3M

69.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,844 $2,844

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-31.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,015 $2,015

$1,910 COP 6.2M

5.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,368 $4,368

$657 COP 2.1M

564.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

10.94

-40.68%

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

Last update for Chesapeake, VA: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chesapeake, VA

$1.3K 50.3%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 49.9% $640

Groceries & Markets

Chesapeake, VA

$368 14.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 19.3% $71

Eating Out

Chesapeake, VA

$329 12.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 48.4% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chesapeake, VA

$312 12.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 32.4% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Chesapeake, VA

$109 4.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 54.3% $59

Getting Around

Chesapeake, VA

$88 3.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 5.9% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Chesapeake, VA

$58 2.3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 1.1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,047 in Chesapeake, VA versus $1,208 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 in Chesapeake, VA are about 6.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Chesapeake, VA versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $368 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chesapeake, VA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:11 1:11 AM

Same time as Chesapeake, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

249,422

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 = 2.77 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chesapeake, VA Medellin 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chesapeake, 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

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

Yes – Chesapeake, VA is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,820 per month in Chesapeake, VA and $2,459 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $2,047 in Chesapeake, VA.

Kindergarten costs $1,324 per month in Chesapeake, VA and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Chesapeake, VA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Chesapeake, VA at $2,546. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chesapeake, VA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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