Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Detroit, MI and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,304 in Detroit, MI, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Detroit, MI
Learn more

Detroit, MI Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Detroit, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,304

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,304 per month in Detroit, MI vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Detroit, MI $2,304
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,462 per month in Detroit, MI vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Detroit, MI $3,462
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,619 per month in Detroit, MI vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Detroit, MI $4,619
Medellin $3,186

Detroit, MI costs about 41% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Detroit, MI and Medellin sit above the global median – Detroit, MI by 69%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.71 $17.71

$8.09 COP 25.4K

118.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.1 $62.1

$47.05 COP 148.0K

31.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.81 $12.81

$9.50 COP 29.9K

34.84%

Cappuccino

$5.64 $5.64

$3.01 COP 9,485

87.38%

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

$3.11 $3.11

$1.80 COP 5,660

72.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.41 COP 4,443

41.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 $8.16

$3.18 COP 9,990

156.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$5.75 COP 18.1K

53.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.51 COP 4,751

-34.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.38 COP 7,480

50.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$1.77 COP 5,573

202.82%

Eggs

$3.83 $3.83

$2.89 COP 9,093

32.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.50 $13.50

$10.19 COP 32.1K

32.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.22 $11.22

$9.87 COP 31.1K

13.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.54 $16.54

$13.99 COP 44.0K

18.23%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$3.97 COP 12.5K

26.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.55 COP 4,883

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.18 COP 6,867

108.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.18 COP 6,870

124.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.96 COP 6,174

27.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.59 COP 5,000

90.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.15 COP 3,604

111.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.24 COP 3,911

99.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.17 $10.17

$3.96 COP 12.5K

156.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.82 $15.82

$13.68 COP 43.0K

15.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.66 COP 5,221

81.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 $3.50

$2.26 COP 7,103

54.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.17 COP 3,674

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$121 $121

$77.4 COP 243.4K

56.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.27 COP 3,989

139.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.05 COP 6,442

-25.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.27 $24.27

$8.55 COP 26.9K

183.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.35 COP 4,237

-19.26%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

0.96%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-24.20%

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

$219 $219

$170 COP 533.7K

28.94%

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

$59.9 $59.9

$13.55 COP 42.6K

341.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.5 $69.5

$28.07 COP 88.3K

147.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.59 $34.59

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-20.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.37 $17.37

$17.19 COP 54.1K

1.05%

Cinema Ticket

$12.03 $12.03

$6.91 COP 21.7K

74.10%

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

$1,362 $1,362

$797 COP 2.5M

70.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.2K $32.2K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

253.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 $58.4

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-31.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.03 $42.03

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-27.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 $96.1

$135 COP 424.6K

-28.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$97.9 COP 307.9K

21.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,568 $1,568

$1,208 COP 3.8M

29.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$877 $877

$642 COP 2.0M

36.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,847 $2,847

$2,028 COP 6.4M

40.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 $1,587

$1,012 COP 3.2M

56.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,918 $3,918

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-6.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,193 $1,193

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-37.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,334 $3,334

$657 COP 2.1M

407.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

10.94

-40.68%

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

Last update for Detroit, MI: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Detroit, MI

$877 38.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 26.8% $235

Groceries & Markets

Detroit, MI

$412 17.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 28% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Detroit, MI

$348 15.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 39.3% $137

Eating Out

Detroit, MI

$327 14.2%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 48.1% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Detroit, MI

$142 6.2%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 19% $27

Getting Around

Detroit, MI

$139 6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 32.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Detroit, MI

$59 2.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 1.9% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,568 in Detroit, MI 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 Detroit, MI are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Detroit, MI versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $412 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Detroit, MI

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

15:00 3:00 PM

1 h behind Detroit, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

632,464

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Detroit, MI Medellin 4,080 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Detroit, MI
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

Detroit, MI vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Detroit, MI costs about 41% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,456 per month in Detroit, MI 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 $1,568 in Detroit, MI.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Detroit, MI and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,304 in Detroit, MI and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 29% cheaper.

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, Detroit, MI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.