Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cupertino, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,331 in Cupertino, CA, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

162

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

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Cupertino, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,331

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,331 per month in Cupertino, CA vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Cupertino, CA $3,331
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $5,299 per month in Cupertino, CA vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Cupertino, CA $5,299
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $7,267 per month in Cupertino, CA vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Cupertino, CA $7,267
Medellin $3,186

Cupertino, CA costs about 103% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cupertino, CA and Medellin sit above the global median – Cupertino, CA by 145%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.52 $24.52

$8.09 COP 26.1K

203.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 $50.1

$47.05 COP 151.8K

6.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.97 $9.97

$9.50 COP 30.7K

4.95%

Cappuccino

$6.03 $6.03

$3.01 COP 9,729

100.33%

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

$2.56 $2.56

$1.80 COP 5,806

42.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.41 COP 4,558

55.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.82 $6.82

$3.18 COP 10.2K

114.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.85 $7.85

$5.75 COP 18.6K

36.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.51 COP 4,873

-15.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.38 COP 7,673

42.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$1.77 COP 5,716

141.81%

Eggs

$5.10 $5.10

$2.89 COP 9,327

76.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.78 $6.78

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-33.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.15 $13.15

$9.87 COP 31.9K

33.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.40 $13.40

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-4.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-2.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.55 COP 5,009

44.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.18 COP 7,044

-1.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.18 COP 7,047

28.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.96 COP 6,333

25.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.59 COP 5,129

90.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.15 COP 3,696

114.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.24 COP 4,012

-20.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.70 $11.70

$3.96 COP 12.8K

195.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 $12.99

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-5.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.66 COP 5,356

14.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$2.26 COP 7,286

-15.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.17 COP 3,769

160.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 $138

$77.4 COP 249.7K

78.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.26 $4.26

$1.27 COP 4,092

235.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.05 COP 6,608

-2.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.85 $29.85

$8.55 COP 27.6K

249.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.35 COP 4,346

8.89%

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

$28.7K $28.7K

$34.1K COP 109.9M

-15.74%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-21.91%

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

$250 $250

$170 COP 547.5K

47.53%

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

$61.2 $61.2

$13.55 COP 43.7K

351.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.7 $66.7

$28.07 COP 90.6K

137.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.35 $35.35

$43.70 COP 141.0K

-19.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$15.74 $15.74

$6.91 COP 22.3K

127.79%

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

$2,120 $2,120

$797 COP 2.6M

166.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.0K $25.0K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

174.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 $57.4

$84.7 COP 273.4K

-32.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.22 $35.22

$58.0 COP 187.0K

-39.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 $88.6

$135 COP 435.5K

-34.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.6 $58.6

$97.9 COP 315.8K

-40.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,594 $2,594

$1,208 COP 3.9M

114.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,906 $1,906

$642 COP 2.1M

197.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,018 $5,018

$2,028 COP 6.5M

147.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,331 $4,331

$1,012 COP 3.3M

328.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,384 $7,384

$657 COP 2.1M

1023.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

10.94

-40.31%

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

Last update for Cupertino, CA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cupertino, CA

$1.9K 57.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 66.3% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cupertino, CA

$378 11.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 44.1% $167

Eating Out

Cupertino, CA

$367 11%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 53.8% $198

Groceries & Markets

Cupertino, CA

$340 10.2%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 12.8% $43

Getting Around

Cupertino, CA

$165 4.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 43.1% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Cupertino, CA

$108 3.2%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 56.5% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Cupertino, CA

$67 2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 13.9% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,594 in Cupertino, CA versus $1,208 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 in Cupertino, CA are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Cupertino, CA versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cupertino, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:35 1:35 AM

04:35 4:35 AM

3 h ahead of Cupertino, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,302

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 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 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Cupertino, CA Medellin 5,820 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Cupertino, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $3,331 in Cupertino, CA, $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin comes out roughly 51% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,996 per month in Cupertino, CA and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $2,594 in Cupertino, CA.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Cupertino, CA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Cupertino, CA and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Cupertino, CA at $3,331. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cupertino, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cupertino, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.