Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denver, CO and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $3,212 in Denver, CO, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Denver, CO
Learn more

Denver, CO Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Denver, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$3,212

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,212 in Denver, CO versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Denver, CO $3,212
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,651 in Denver, CO versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Denver, CO $4,651
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,090 in Denver, CO versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Denver, CO $6,090
Medellin $3,190

Living in Denver, CO is roughly 99% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Denver, CO 138% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$7.93 COP 25.2K

154.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 $85.2

$46.13 COP 146.3K

84.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.74 $11.74

$9.50 COP 30.1K

23.58%

Cappuccino

$5.80 $5.80

$3.11 COP 9,866

86.50%

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

$2.86 $2.86

$1.83 COP 5,800

56.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.38 COP 4,360

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.14 $7.14

$3.05 COP 9,672

134.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.12 $8.12

$5.50 COP 17.4K

47.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.45 COP 4,600

-22.07%

White Bread (500g)

$5.47 $5.47

$2.36 COP 7,496

131.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$1.68 COP 5,328

323.81%

Eggs

$5.03 $5.03

$2.86 COP 9,077

75.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.62 $16.62

$10.19 COP 32.3K

63.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.95 $16.95

$9.53 COP 30.2K

77.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.44 $18.44

$14.04 COP 44.5K

31.34%

Apples (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$4.07 COP 12.9K

25.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.50 COP 4,742

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.17 COP 6,891

117.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$2.31 COP 7,310

130.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.93 COP 6,113

33.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.64 COP 5,196

67.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.13 COP 3,571

110.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.25 COP 3,954

101.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.66 $10.66

$3.99 COP 12.6K

167.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.83 $18.83

$13.35 COP 42.3K

41.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.70 COP 5,384

61.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 $3.63

$2.37 COP 7,525

53.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.21 COP 3,827

123.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.0 $87.0

$76.5 COP 242.5K

13.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.32 COP 4,179

160.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.14 COP 6,774

-19.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.36 $30.36

$8.47 COP 26.8K

258.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.30 COP 4,114

-21.54%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

24.46%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-27.77%

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

$166 $166

$172 COP 545.6K

-3.73%

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

$77.1 $77.1

$13.37 COP 42.4K

476.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.3 $70.3

$28.73 COP 91.1K

144.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.6 $60.6

$45.24 COP 143.5K

33.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.84 $24.84

$17.04 COP 54.0K

45.77%

Cinema Ticket

$15.17 $15.17

$6.28 COP 19.9K

141.56%

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

$2,375 $2,375

$770 COP 2.4M

208.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.6K $33.6K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

273.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 $70.7

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-18.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.74 $45.74

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-19.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$137 COP 432.9K

-26.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 $130

$97.9 COP 310.4K

32.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 $1,999

$1,055 COP 3.3M

89.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 $1,703

$616 COP 2.0M

176.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,250 $3,250

$1,892 COP 6.0M

71.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,679 $2,679

$1,023 COP 3.2M

161.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,737 $5,737

$4,059 COP 12.9M

41.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,680 $3,680

$1,678 COP 5.3M

119.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,540 $4,540

$652 COP 2.1M

595.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.9

10.94

-36.93%

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

Last update for Denver, CO: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Denver, CO

$1.7K 53%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 63.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Denver, CO

$500 15.6%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 41% $205

Eating Out

Denver, CO

$339 10.6%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 50.4% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Denver, CO

$313 9.8%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 31.6% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Denver, CO

$156 4.9%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 8.8% $14

Getting Around

Denver, CO

$110 3.4%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 15.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Denver, CO

$91 2.8%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 36.4% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,999 in Denver, CO and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Denver, CO pays 596% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Denver, CO vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $500 vs $295 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Denver, CO

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

04:29 4:29 AM

1 h ahead of Denver, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

715,522

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Denver, CO Medellin 4,740 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Denver, CO
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

Denver, CO vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 99% lower than in Denver, CO. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 596% higher in Denver, CO, 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: $1,999 in Denver, CO versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 70% higher in Denver, CO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $85.0 in Denver, CO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $3,212 in Denver, CO, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Denver, CO. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,614 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Denver, CO and Medellin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 99% less than in Denver, CO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.