Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Clearwater, FL and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,966 in Clearwater, FL, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

143

Cost of Living Index in Clearwater, FL
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Clearwater, FL Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Clearwater, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,966

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,966 in Clearwater, FL versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Clearwater, FL $2,966
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,418 in Clearwater, FL versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Clearwater, FL $4,418
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,870 in Clearwater, FL versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Clearwater, FL $5,870
Medellin $3,186

Living in Clearwater, FL is roughly 81% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Clearwater, FL 118% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.13 $17.13

$8.09 COP 26.1K

111.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.5 $68.5

$47.05 COP 151.9K

45.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.70 $11.70

$9.50 COP 30.7K

23.16%

Cappuccino

$4.94 $4.94

$3.01 COP 9,735

64.12%

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

$2.27 $2.27

$1.80 COP 5,809

26.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.41 COP 4,561

29.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 $5.48

$3.18 COP 10.3K

72.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 $8.07

$5.75 COP 18.6K

40.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.51 COP 4,876

-35.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.38 COP 7,678

57.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$1.77 COP 5,720

149.72%

Eggs

$4.03 $4.03

$2.89 COP 9,333

39.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 $10.81

$10.19 COP 32.9K

6.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.43 $14.43

$9.87 COP 31.9K

46.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.67 $19.67

$13.99 COP 45.2K

40.60%

Apples (1kg)

$6.50 $6.50

$3.97 COP 12.8K

63.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.55 COP 5,012

-5.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$2.18 COP 7,048

178.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.16 $6.16

$2.18 COP 7,051

182.57%

Potato (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$1.96 COP 6,337

137.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$1.59 COP 5,132

144.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.15 COP 3,699

124.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.24 COP 4,014

116.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.10 $9.10

$3.96 COP 12.8K

129.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.81 $16.81

$13.68 COP 44.2K

22.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.66 COP 5,359

9.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 $4.63

$2.26 COP 7,291

104.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.17 COP 3,771

151.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.7 $80.7

$77.4 COP 249.8K

4.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.27 COP 4,094

160.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 $0.66

$2.05 COP 6,612

-67.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.2 $61.2

$8.55 COP 27.6K

615.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.35 COP 4,349

-28.15%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-18.51%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-24.83%

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

$249 $249

$170 COP 547.8K

46.93%

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

$55.4 $55.4

$13.55 COP 43.8K

309.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.7 $75.7

$28.07 COP 90.6K

169.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.23 $37.23

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-14.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.09 $25.09

$17.19 COP 55.5K

45.96%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 $16.03

$6.91 COP 22.3K

131.98%

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

$1,252 $1,252

$797 COP 2.6M

57.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K $25.4K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

179.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.3 $75.3

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-11.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 $54.4

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-6.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$135 COP 435.8K

-20.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$97.9 COP 316.0K

43.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,973 $1,973

$1,208 COP 3.9M

63.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,499 $1,499

$642 COP 2.1M

133.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,204 $3,204

$2,028 COP 6.5M

58.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,708 $2,708

$1,012 COP 3.3M

167.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,115 $3,115

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-25.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,528 $2,528

$1,910 COP 6.2M

32.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,695 $3,695

$657 COP 2.1M

462.27%

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 Clearwater, FL: 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

Clearwater, FL

$1.5K 50.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 57.2% $858

Groceries & Markets

Clearwater, FL

$457 15.4%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 35.1% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Clearwater, FL

$380 12.8%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 44.5% $169

Eating Out

Clearwater, FL

$291 9.8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 41.8% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Clearwater, FL

$170 5.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 0.6% $1.1

Getting Around

Clearwater, FL

$99 3.3%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 5.5% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Clearwater, FL

$69 2.3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 17% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,973 in Clearwater, FL and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Clearwater, FL pays about 5.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Clearwater, FL vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $457 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Clearwater, FL

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:49 11:49 PM

Same time as Clearwater, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,742

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

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Between locations

Clearwater, FL Medellin 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Clearwater, FL
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

Clearwater, FL vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Clearwater, FL is about 5.6 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: $1,973 in Clearwater, FL versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,966 per month in Clearwater, FL versus $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 4% less than in Clearwater, FL. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,966 in Clearwater, FL, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Clearwater, FL. 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.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Clearwater, FL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.