Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, TN and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,307 in Columbia, TN, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, TN
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Columbia, TN Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Columbia, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,307

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,307 in Columbia, TN versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Columbia, TN $2,307
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,483 in Columbia, TN versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Columbia, TN $3,483
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,659 in Columbia, TN versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Columbia, TN $4,659
Medellin $3,249

Living in Columbia, TN is roughly 36% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Columbia, TN 71% above, Medellin 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.03 $12.03

$8.34 COP 26.9K

44.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 $61.0

$46.53 COP 150.3K

31.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.95 $9.95

$9.47 COP 30.6K

5.07%

Cappuccino

$3.94 $3.94

$3.13 COP 10.1K

25.88%

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

$2.16 $2.16

$1.77 COP 5,704

22.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.42 COP 4,600

14.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.32 $6.32

$3.15 COP 10.2K

100.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.45 $7.45

$5.70 COP 18.4K

30.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.53 COP 4,949

-37.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.29 COP 7,399

26.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$1.94 COP 6,281

103.61%

Eggs

$2.62 $2.62

$3.07 COP 9,902

-14.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$9.99 COP 32.3K

29.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-38.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.42 $13.42

$13.96 COP 45.1K

-3.87%

Apples (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$4.05 COP 13.1K

36.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.53 COP 4,936

-20.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$2.10 COP 6,795

176.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.29 COP 7,407

76.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.11 COP 6,812

48.82%

Onion (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$1.71 COP 5,519

140.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.17 COP 3,779

107.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.58 COP 5,102

37.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.11 $9.11

$3.91 COP 12.6K

132.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.94 $12.94

$14.04 COP 45.4K

-7.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.76 COP 5,689

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.71 COP 8,758

-22.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,810

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.81 COP 5,835

9.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 $1.15

$2.13 COP 6,876

-46.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 $19.78

$8.13 COP 26.3K

143.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.28 COP 4,118

-41.41%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-20.41%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$34.1K COP 110.2M

-19.29%

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

$152 $152

$178 COP 573.9K

-14.31%

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

$60.5 $60.5

$13.89 COP 44.8K

335.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.9 $75.9

$30.74 COP 99.3K

146.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.50 $35.50

$41.94 COP 135.4K

-15.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$12.57 $12.57

$7.47 COP 24.1K

68.27%

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

$1,693 $1,693

$790 COP 2.6M

114.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.4K $26.4K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

115.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.71 $39.71

$86.3 COP 278.8K

-54.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.13 $32.13

$59.3 COP 191.4K

-45.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 $82.5

$138 COP 446.7K

-40.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 $90.2

$98.8 COP 319.1K

-8.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 $1,440

$1,341 COP 4.3M

7.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 $1,258

$667 COP 2.2M

88.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,544 $2,544

$1,976 COP 6.4M

28.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,366 $2,366

$1,033 COP 3.3M

129.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

10.94

-39.67%

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

Last update for Columbia, TN: November 3, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Columbia, TN

$1.3K 54.5%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 47% $591

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, TN

$347 15%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 11.4% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, TN

$289 12.5%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 23% $66

Eating Out

Columbia, TN

$235 10.2%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 26.5% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, TN

$110 4.8%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 56.5% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, TN

$61 2.6%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 6.2% $3.8

Getting Around

Columbia, TN

$7.7 * 0.3%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 1108% $86

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 $1,440 in Columbia, TN and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Columbia, TN vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $347 vs $307 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, TN

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

07:19 7:19 AM

1 h ahead of Columbia, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

672,228

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Columbia, TN Medellin 3,470 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Columbia, TN
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

Columbia, TN vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,460 in Columbia, TN and $2,538 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: $1,440 in Columbia, TN versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,693 in Columbia, TN versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $61 in Columbia, TN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.