Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chester, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,675 in Chester, CA, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Chester, CA
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Chester, CA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Chester, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,675

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,675 in Chester, CA versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Chester, CA $2,675
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,872 in Chester, CA versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Chester, CA $3,872
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,070 in Chester, CA versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Chester, CA $5,070
Medellin $3,186

Living in Chester, CA is roughly 63% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Chester, CA 97% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.89 $14.89

$8.09 COP 25.4K

84.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 $55.3

$47.05 COP 148.0K

17.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.33 $12.33

$9.50 COP 29.9K

29.79%

Cappuccino

$5.17 $5.17

$3.01 COP 9,485

71.76%

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

$1.96 $1.96

$1.80 COP 5,660

8.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.41 COP 4,443

4.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 $4.95

$3.18 COP 9,990

55.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 $6.54

$5.75 COP 18.1K

13.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.51 COP 4,751

-17.22%

White Bread (500g)

$4.04 $4.04

$2.38 COP 7,480

69.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$1.77 COP 5,573

161.58%

Eggs

$5.80 $5.80

$2.89 COP 9,093

100.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.39 $15.39

$10.19 COP 32.1K

51.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.31 $15.31

$9.87 COP 31.1K

55.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.61 $18.61

$13.99 COP 44.0K

33.02%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$3.97 COP 12.5K

29.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.55 COP 4,883

26.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.18 COP 6,867

103.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.18 COP 6,870

160.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.96 COP 6,174

92.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.59 COP 5,000

108.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.15 COP 3,604

116.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.24 COP 3,911

120.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.18 $9.18

$3.96 COP 12.5K

131.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 $13.83

$13.68 COP 43.0K

1.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.66 COP 5,221

63.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 $3.53

$2.26 COP 7,103

56.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.17 COP 3,674

77.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 $65.1

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-15.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.27 COP 3,989

220.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$2.05 COP 6,442

-10.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.86 $24.86

$8.55 COP 26.9K

190.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.35 COP 4,237

4.44%

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

$35.6K $35.6K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

4.51%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-23.29%

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

$229 $229

$170 COP 533.7K

34.74%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$13.55 COP 42.6K

338.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.8 $69.8

$28.07 COP 88.3K

148.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.09 $44.09

$43.70 COP 137.5K

0.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$17.25 $17.25

$6.91 COP 21.7K

149.64%

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

$1,581 $1,581

$797 COP 2.5M

98.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K $19.2K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

110.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 $59.4

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-29.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.30 $46.30

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-20.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.0 $94.0

$135 COP 424.6K

-30.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 $130

$97.9 COP 307.9K

32.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 $1,561

$1,208 COP 3.8M

29.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,268 $1,268

$642 COP 2.0M

97.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,562 $2,562

$2,028 COP 6.4M

26.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,100 $2,100

$1,012 COP 3.2M

107.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,865 $2,865

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-31.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,044 $2,044

$1,910 COP 6.0M

6.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

10.94

-40.59%

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

Last update for Chester, CA: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chester, CA

$1.3K 47.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 49.4% $626

Groceries & Markets

Chester, CA

$466 17.4%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 36.2% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chester, CA

$358 13.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 41% $147

Eating Out

Chester, CA

$270 10.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 37.1% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Chester, CA

$148 5.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 13.9% $21

Getting Around

Chester, CA

$87 3.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 8% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Chester, CA

$79 2.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 26.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,561 in Chester, CA and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55 in Chester, CA vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $466 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chester, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:13 3:13 PM

17:13 5:13 PM

2 h ahead of Chester, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,801

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chester, CA Medellin 5,900 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chester, 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

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

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Chester, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $4,012 in Chester, CA and $2,459 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,561 in Chester, CA versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $55 in Chester, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,675 per month in Chester, CA versus $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,675 in Chester, CA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Chester, 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.