Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chico, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,475 in Chico, CA, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

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

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Chico, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,475

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,475 in Chico, CA versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Chico, CA $2,475
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,704 in Chico, CA versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Chico, CA $3,704
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,934 in Chico, CA versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Chico, CA $4,934
Medellin $3,186

Living in Chico, CA is roughly 51% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Chico, CA 82% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.18 $25.18

$8.09 COP 25.4K

211.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 $50.1

$47.05 COP 148.0K

6.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.23 $12.23

$9.50 COP 29.9K

28.74%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.01 COP 9,485

87.04%

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

$2.65 $2.65

$1.80 COP 5,660

47.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.41 COP 4,443

58.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.34 $7.34

$3.18 COP 9,990

130.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.98 $7.98

$5.75 COP 18.1K

38.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.51 COP 4,751

-24.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.38 COP 7,480

26.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.63 $3.63

$1.77 COP 5,573

105.08%

Eggs

$4.77 $4.77

$2.89 COP 9,093

65.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.04 $11.04

$10.19 COP 32.1K

8.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.27 $12.27

$9.87 COP 31.1K

24.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.70 $22.70

$13.99 COP 44.0K

62.26%

Apples (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$3.97 COP 12.5K

36.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.55 COP 4,883

48.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.18 COP 6,867

73.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$2.18 COP 6,870

154.13%

Potato (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$1.96 COP 6,174

163.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.59 COP 5,000

90.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.15 COP 3,604

119.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.24 COP 3,911

107.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.64 $11.64

$3.96 COP 12.5K

193.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.04 $15.04

$13.68 COP 43.0K

9.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.66 COP 5,221

5.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 $3.69

$2.26 COP 7,103

63.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.17 COP 3,674

65.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.62 $45.62

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-41.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.27 COP 3,989

149.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.05 COP 6,442

16.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.22 $39.22

$8.55 COP 26.9K

358.71%

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)

$27.7K $27.7K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-18.67%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-24.43%

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

$186 $186

$170 COP 533.7K

9.43%

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

$48.18 $48.18

$13.55 COP 42.6K

255.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.2 $66.2

$28.07 COP 88.3K

135.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.4 $61.4

$43.70 COP 137.5K

40.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$12.83 $12.83

$6.91 COP 21.7K

85.67%

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

$1,844 $1,844

$797 COP 2.5M

131.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K $36.9K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

305.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 $51.6

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-39.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.09 $32.09

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-44.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.2 $70.2

$135 COP 424.6K

-47.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$97.9 COP 307.9K

3.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 $1,193

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-1.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 $1,096

$642 COP 2.0M

70.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 $2,271

$2,028 COP 6.4M

12.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,998 $1,998

$1,012 COP 3.2M

97.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,478 $3,478

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-16.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,846 $2,846

$1,910 COP 6.0M

49.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,790 $3,790

$657 COP 2.1M

476.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.28

10.94

-42.60%

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

Last update for Chico, 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

Chico, CA

$1.1K 44.3%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 41.5% $455

Groceries & Markets

Chico, CA

$430 17.4%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 31% $133

Eating Out

Chico, CA

$378 15.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 55.1% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chico, CA

$300 12.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 29.6% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Chico, CA

$115 4.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 47.1% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chico, CA

$87 3.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 33.9% $30

Getting Around

Chico, CA

$68 2.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 36.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,193 in Chico, CA and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chico, CA pays about 5.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $50 in Chico, CA vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $430 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chico, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

11:48 11:48 AM

13:48 1:48 PM

2 h ahead of Chico, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,316

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 →

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Between locations

Chico, CA Medellin 5,920 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chico, 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

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

Medellin is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 51% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Chico, CA is about 5.8 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: $1,193 in Chico, 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 $50 in Chico, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,475 per month in Chico, CA versus $1,639 in Medellin – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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, Chico, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.