Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Drachten and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,491 in Drachten, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Drachten
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Drachten Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Drachten

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,491

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,491 in Drachten versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Drachten $2,491
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,653 in Drachten versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Drachten $3,653
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,816 in Drachten versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Drachten $4,816
Medellin $3,186

Living in Drachten is roughly 52% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Drachten 83% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.29 €21.76

$8.09 COP 26.1K

200.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.4 €75.7

$47.05 COP 151.9K

79.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.49 €12.09

$9.50 COP 30.7K

42.00%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.60

$3.01 COP 9,735

33.55%

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

$3.76 €3.37

$1.80 COP 5,809

108.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.41 COP 4,561

122.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 €4.98

$3.18 COP 10.3K

74.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 €5.12

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-0.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.51 COP 4,876

-22.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 €1.21

$2.38 COP 7,678

-43.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.77 COP 5,720

-12.99%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.51

$2.89 COP 9,333

74.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 €11.29

$10.19 COP 32.9K

23.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.58 €12.17

$9.87 COP 31.9K

37.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 €10.88

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-13.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 €1.70

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-52.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.15

$1.55 COP 5,012

54.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 €1.68

$2.18 COP 7,048

-14.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 €2.74

$2.18 COP 7,051

40.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.96 COP 6,337

-15.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.59 COP 5,132

-3.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 €1.12

$1.15 COP 3,699

7.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.61

$1.24 COP 4,014

-44.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.17 €8.22

$3.96 COP 12.8K

131.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.66 €5.97

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-51.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.66 COP 5,359

-10.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 €2.37

$2.26 COP 7,291

16.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.66 €3.28

$1.17 COP 3,771

212.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.6 €80.3

$77.4 COP 249.8K

15.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.16 €3.73

$1.27 COP 4,094

227.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 €2.88

$2.05 COP 6,612

56.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.57 €44.42

$8.55 COP 27.6K

479.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.35 COP 4,349

66.67%

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

$41.0K €36.8K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

20.40%

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

$37.5K €33.6K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

8.13%

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

$277 €248

$170 COP 547.8K

63.09%

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

$23.94 €21.45

$13.55 COP 43.8K

76.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.81 €44.63

$28.07 COP 90.6K

77.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.38 €37.08

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-5.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.42 €23.67

$17.19 COP 55.5K

53.69%

Cinema Ticket

$16.14 €14.46

$6.91 COP 22.3K

133.57%

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

$2,362 €2,117

$797 COP 2.6M

196.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,090 €7,249

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-11.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 €53.0

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-30.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.01 €39.43

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-24.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 €80.1

$135 COP 435.8K

-33.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €120

$97.9 COP 316.0K

36.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,436 €1,287

$1,208 COP 3.9M

18.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 €1,038

$642 COP 2.1M

80.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,345 €2,102

$2,028 COP 6.5M

15.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,871 €1,676

$1,012 COP 3.3M

84.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,630 €5,045

$4,170 COP 13.5M

35.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,529 €4,059

$1,910 COP 6.2M

137.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,606 €2,335

$657 COP 2.1M

296.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

10.94

-60.69%

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

Last update for Drachten: 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

Drachten

$1.2K 46.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 44.6% $517

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Drachten

$350 14.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 39.7% $139

Eating Out

Drachten

$350 14%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 51.5% $180

Groceries & Markets

Drachten

$288 11.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 3.3% $9.5

Clothing & Footwear

Drachten

$147 5.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 15% $22

Getting Around

Drachten

$124 5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 24.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Drachten

$74 3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 21.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,436 in Drachten and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Drachten pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Drachten vs $47 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $297, with Drachten cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Drachten

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

19:47 7:47 PM

6 h behind Drachten

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,186

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.1 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Drachten Medellin 8,900 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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Drachten
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

Drachten vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Drachten is about 4 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: $1,436 in Drachten versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,362 in Drachten versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Drachten pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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, Drachten on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.