Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Diest and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,088 in Diest, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Diest
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Diest Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Diest

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,088

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,088 in Diest versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Diest $2,088
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,070 in Diest versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Diest $3,070
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,052 in Diest versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Diest $4,052
Medellin $3,249

Living in Diest is roughly 23% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Diest 54% above, Medellin 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.93 €19.53

$8.34 COP 26.8K

162.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 €75.7

$46.53 COP 149.7K

82.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 €10.59

$9.47 COP 30.5K

25.55%

Cappuccino

$3.54 €3.15

$3.13 COP 10.1K

13.10%

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

$2.94 €2.62

$1.77 COP 5,681

66.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 €2.50

$1.42 COP 4,582

97.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.38 €4.79

$3.15 COP 10.1K

70.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 €3.87

$5.70 COP 18.3K

-23.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.53 COP 4,930

-17.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.29 COP 7,370

19.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.94 COP 6,257

15.98%

Eggs

$3.93 €3.50

$3.07 COP 9,864

28.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.20 €13.54

$9.99 COP 32.1K

52.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.87 €10.57

$10.45 COP 33.6K

13.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.91 €16.84

$13.96 COP 44.9K

35.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$4.05 COP 13.0K

-31.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.53 COP 4,916

47.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$2.10 COP 6,769

24.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.93 €2.61

$2.29 COP 7,378

27.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.11 COP 6,785

3.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.71 COP 5,498

0.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.17 COP 3,764

29.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.58 COP 5,083

-35.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.13 €11.69

$3.91 COP 12.6K

235.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.44 €7.52

$14.04 COP 45.2K

-39.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.76 COP 5,667

10.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.71 COP 8,724

-24.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 €2.74

$1.18 COP 3,795

160.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.4 €48.47

$76.3 COP 245.4K

-28.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 €5.07

$1.81 COP 5,812

214.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.13 COP 6,849

15.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.18 €26.89

$8.13 COP 26.2K

271.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.28 COP 4,102

61.72%

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

$36.0K €32.1K

$34.4K COP 110.8M

4.67%

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

$36.1K €32.1K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

5.64%

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

$209 €186

$178 COP 571.7K

17.34%

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

$20.59 €18.34

$13.89 COP 44.7K

48.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 €45.77

$30.74 COP 98.9K

67.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.60 €32.60

$41.94 COP 134.9K

-12.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.94 €17.76

$16.80 COP 54.0K

18.69%

Cinema Ticket

$14.29 €12.73

$7.47 COP 24.0K

91.30%

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

$781 €696

$790 COP 2.5M

-1.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K €17.2K

$12.3K COP 39.6M

56.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €91.9

$86.3 COP 277.7K

19.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.33 €43.05

$59.3 COP 190.6K

-18.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$138 COP 445.0K

-23.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €131

$98.8 COP 317.8K

48.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$938 €836

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-30.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 €735

$667 COP 2.1M

23.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 €1,217

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-30.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 €1,040

$1,033 COP 3.3M

13.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,180 €3,723

$4,098 COP 13.2M

2.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,949 €2,627

$1,940 COP 6.2M

52.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,138 €1,905

$646 COP 2.1M

230.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

10.94

-67.73%

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

Last update for Diest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Diest

$825 39.5%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 19.1% $158

Groceries & Markets

Diest

$338 16.2%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 9% $30

Eating Out

Diest

$312 15%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 44.7% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Diest

$281 13.4%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 20.7% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Diest

$182 8.7%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 5.5% $10

Getting Around

Diest

$85 4.1%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 10.3% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Diest

$65 3.1%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 12.7% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $938 in Diest and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Diest pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Diest vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $338 vs $307 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Diest

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

21:53 9:53 PM

6 h behind Diest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,516

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Diest Medellin 8,810 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Diest
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

Diest vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Diest. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Diest is about 3.3 times higher, 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: $938 in Diest versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Diest runs roughly 29% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $781 in Diest versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Diest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.