Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Croydon and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $3,041 in Croydon, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Croydon
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,041
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,589
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,041 per month in Croydon vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Croydon $3,041
  • Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $4,216 per month in Croydon vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Croydon $4,216
  • Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $5,391 per month in Croydon vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Croydon $5,391
  • Medellin $3,139

Croydon costs about 91% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Croydon and Medellin sit above the global median – Croydon by 127%, Medellin by 19%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Croydon
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.15 £19.76
$8.01 COP 25.5K
226.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$92.8 £70.1
$46.55 COP 148.3K
99.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.06 £7.60
$9.43 COP 30.1K
6.68%
Cappuccino
$4.78 £3.61
$2.91 COP 9,277
64.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 £2.14
$1.75 COP 5,585
62.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 £1.62
$1.32 COP 4,218
62.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.81 £6.66
$3.13 COP 9,969
181.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.49 £4.91
$5.55 COP 17.7K
16.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Croydon
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 £1.28
$1.41 COP 4,495
19.86%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 £1.09
$2.44 COP 7,777
-40.98%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.97 £2.25
$1.63 COP 5,191
82.21%
Eggs
$3.97 £3.00
$2.82 COP 8,990
40.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.26 £8.51
$9.69 COP 30.9K
16.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.91 £5.98
$9.32 COP 29.7K
-15.13%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.49 £9.44
$13.46 COP 42.9K
-7.21%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 £2.26
$4.00 COP 12.8K
-25.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 £1.08
$1.48 COP 4,719
-4.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.97 £2.25
$2.12 COP 6,768
40.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.17 £2.40
$2.25 COP 7,178
40.89%
Potato (1kg)
$1.61 £1.22
$1.91 COP 6,092
-15.71%
Onion (1kg)
$1.35 £1.02
$1.62 COP 5,160
-16.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 £1.11
$1.15 COP 3,658
27.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 £1.23
$1.26 COP 4,021
29.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.32 £17.62
$3.82 COP 12.2K
510.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.74 £8.87
$13.11 COP 41.8K
-10.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.36 £1.78
$1.60 COP 5,083
47.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.28 £2.48
$2.26 COP 7,188
45.13%
🚌 Getting Around
Croydon
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.37 £2.55
$1.17 COP 3,731
188.03%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$134 £101
$75.0 COP 239.0K
78.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.79 £5.13
$1.27 COP 4,056
434.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.26 £2.46
$2.05 COP 6,531
59.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$53.5 £40.42
$8.20 COP 26.1K
552.20%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.04 £1.54
$1.27 COP 4,046
60.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.5K £29.1K
$26.8K COP 85.3M
43.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.6K £30.6K
$34.4K COP 109.6M
17.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Croydon
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$331 £250
$162 COP 516.9K
103.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.18 £13.74
$13.12 COP 41.8K
38.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.47 £30.59
$28.09 COP 89.5K
44.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Croydon
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.89 £26.37
$44.33 COP 141.2K
-21.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.24 £10.01
$16.33 COP 52.0K
-18.92%
Cinema Ticket
$12.97 £9.80
$6.09 COP 19.4K
112.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Croydon
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,787 £1,351
$764 COP 2.4M
133.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$29.4K £22.2K
$8,904 COP 28.4M
230.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Croydon
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$75.9 £57.4
$85.0 COP 270.8K
-10.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.3 £41.02
$57.5 COP 183.2K
-5.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.4 £68.3
$132 COP 419.8K
-31.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$150 £113
$95.8 COP 305.1K
56.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Croydon
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,837 £1,388
$1,028 COP 3.3M
78.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,609 £1,216
$604 COP 1.9M
166.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,517 £1,902
$1,802 COP 5.7M
39.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,255 £1,704
$993 COP 3.2M
127.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,691 £6,568
$3,921 COP 12.5M
121.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,838 £5,167
$1,639 COP 5.2M
317.28%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Croydon
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,413 £3,335
$626 COP 2.0M
604.90%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
10.94
-54.30%

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

Last update for Croydon: October 3, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Croydon
$1.6K
Medellin
$604 62.4% $1K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Croydon
$389
Medellin
$203 47.7% $186
Eating Out
Croydon
$374
Medellin
$166 55.5% $207
Groceries & Markets
Croydon
$296
Medellin
$288 2.5% $7.5
Getting Around
Croydon
$171
Medellin
$91 46.5% $79
Clothing & Footwear
Croydon
$167
Medellin
$166 0.2% $0.3
Sport & Entertainment
Croydon
$61
Medellin
$57 7.1% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,837 in Croydon versus $1,028 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 run about 605% higher in Croydon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $93.0 in Croydon versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $296 vs $288 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Croydon
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
08:21 8:21 AM
02:21 2:21 AM
6 h behind Croydon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
173,314
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Croydon Medellin 8,460 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Croydon
  • 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
Croydon vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Croydon?
Yes – Croydon is pricier by about 91%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,561 per month in Croydon and $2,384 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Croydon and in Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,041 in Croydon and $1,589 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 91%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 79% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Croydon or in Medellin?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Croydon at $3,041. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Croydon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Croydon or Medellin more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Croydon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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