Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denver and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,433 in Denver, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Denver
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Denver Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Denver

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,433

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,433 per month in Denver vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Denver $2,433
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,666 per month in Denver vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Denver $3,666
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,899 per month in Denver vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Denver $4,899
Medellin $3,186

Denver costs about 48% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Denver and Medellin sit above the global median – Denver by 79%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.29 A$21.83

$8.09 COP 26.1K

89.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.3 A$117

$47.05 COP 151.8K

74.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 A$15.44

$9.50 COP 30.7K

13.79%

Cappuccino

$3.62 A$5.17

$3.01 COP 9,729

20.27%

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

$2.76 A$3.93

$1.80 COP 5,806

53.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 A$3.50

$1.41 COP 4,558

73.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.34 A$11.91

$3.18 COP 10.2K

162.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 A$10.24

$5.75 COP 18.6K

24.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 A$2.33

$1.51 COP 4,873

7.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 A$3.88

$2.38 COP 7,673

13.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.58

$1.77 COP 5,716

41.81%

Eggs

$5.38 A$7.68

$2.89 COP 9,327

86.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 A$12.20

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-16.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.64 A$12.33

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-12.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.43 A$20.61

$13.99 COP 45.1K

3.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 A$4.73

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-16.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.93 A$4.19

$1.55 COP 5,009

89.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 A$4.00

$2.18 COP 7,044

28.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 A$7.44

$2.18 COP 7,047

138.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.60

$1.96 COP 6,333

28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 A$3.17

$1.59 COP 5,129

39.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$1.15 COP 3,696

115.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 A$2.49

$1.24 COP 4,012

41.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$46.36 A$66.2

$3.96 COP 12.8K

1070.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.82 A$18.31

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-6.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.68 A$6.68

$1.66 COP 5,356

181.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 A$7.49

$2.26 COP 7,286

132.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 A$4.20

$1.17 COP 3,769

151.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 A$112

$77.4 COP 249.7K

1.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 A$4.51

$1.27 COP 4,092

148.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 A$2.02

$2.05 COP 6,608

-31.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.23 A$61.7

$8.55 COP 27.6K

405.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 A$1.82

$1.35 COP 4,346

-5.19%

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

$27.1K A$38.7K

$34.1K COP 109.9M

-20.46%

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

$24.8K A$35.4K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-28.52%

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

$198 A$283

$170 COP 547.5K

16.66%

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

$25.50 A$36.42

$13.55 COP 43.7K

88.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 A$74.7

$28.07 COP 90.6K

86.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 A$74.0

$43.70 COP 141.0K

18.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.82 A$28.30

$17.19 COP 55.5K

15.30%

Cinema Ticket

$15.49 A$22.12

$6.91 COP 22.3K

124.17%

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

$1,868 A$2,668

$797 COP 2.6M

134.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K A$33.2K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

155.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 A$121

$84.7 COP 273.4K

0.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.4 A$86.3

$58.0 COP 187.0K

4.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 A$170

$135 COP 435.5K

-11.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 A$159

$97.9 COP 315.8K

14.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,312 A$1,874

$1,208 COP 3.9M

8.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 A$1,669

$642 COP 2.1M

82.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,082 A$2,974

$2,028 COP 6.5M

2.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,058 A$2,938

$1,012 COP 3.3M

103.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,557 A$9,364

$4,170 COP 13.5M

57.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,330 A$6,184

$1,910 COP 6.2M

126.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

10.94

-46.07%

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

Last update for Denver: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Denver

$1.2K 48%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 45.1% $527

Groceries & Markets

Denver

$361 14.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 17.7% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Denver

$276 11.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 23.4% $64

Eating Out

Denver

$275 11.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 38.3% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Denver

$169 7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 0.2% $0.3

Getting Around

Denver

$100 4.1%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 6.6% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Denver

$83 3.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 30.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,312 in Denver 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82 in Denver versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Denver

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:10 9:10 PM

05:10 5:10 AM

16 h behind Denver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 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).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Denver Medellin 14,710 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Denver
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 vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,433 in Denver, $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin comes out roughly 33% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,649 per month in Denver and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,312 in Denver and $1,208 in Medellin. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82 in Denver and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Denver, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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.