Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubendorf and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $3,678 in Dubendorf, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

180

Cost of Living Index in Dubendorf
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Dubendorf Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Dubendorf

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,678

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,678 in Dubendorf versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Dubendorf $3,678
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,457 in Dubendorf versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Dubendorf $5,457
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,236 in Dubendorf versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Dubendorf $7,236
Medellin $3,190

Living in Dubendorf is roughly 128% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubendorf 172% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.44 CHF 24.24

$7.93 COP 25.2K

271.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 CHF 97.4

$46.13 COP 146.3K

156.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.26 CHF 13.39

$9.50 COP 30.1K

71.16%

Cappuccino

$5.92 CHF 4.88

$3.11 COP 9,866

90.35%

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

$5.47 CHF 4.50

$1.83 COP 5,800

198.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 CHF 4.02

$1.38 COP 4,360

253.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.23 CHF 6.78

$3.05 COP 9,672

169.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.44 CHF 5.30

$5.50 COP 17.4K

17.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 CHF 1.73

$1.45 COP 4,600

44.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 CHF 3.23

$2.36 COP 7,496

66.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.62 CHF 3.81

$1.68 COP 5,328

175.00%

Eggs

$7.33 CHF 6.04

$2.86 COP 9,077

156.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$32.45 CHF 26.72

$10.19 COP 32.3K

218.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.18 CHF 21.56

$9.53 COP 30.2K

174.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.54 CHF 35.03

$14.04 COP 44.5K

202.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 CHF 2.94

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-12.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 CHF 1.73

$1.50 COP 4,742

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 CHF 2.56

$2.17 COP 6,891

43.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.00 CHF 5.76

$2.31 COP 7,310

203.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.05

$1.93 COP 6,113

29.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$1.64 COP 5,196

31.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 CHF 2.07

$1.13 COP 3,571

123.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 CHF 1.15

$1.25 COP 3,954

12.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.91 CHF 8.98

$3.99 COP 12.6K

173.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.34 CHF 10.98

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-0.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CHF 1.93

$1.70 COP 5,384

37.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 CHF 2.83

$2.37 COP 7,525

45.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.34 CHF 1.93

$1.21 COP 3,827

93.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.20 CHF 39.69

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-36.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.37 CHF 4.42

$1.32 COP 4,179

306.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 CHF 2.82

$2.14 COP 6,774

60.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 CHF 49.90

$8.47 COP 26.8K

615.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.86

$1.30 COP 4,114

73.08%

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

$41.8K CHF 34.5K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

49.48%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

10.22%

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

$235 CHF 194

$172 COP 545.6K

36.64%

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

$31.38 CHF 25.84

$13.37 COP 42.4K

134.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.2 CHF 53.7

$28.73 COP 91.1K

126.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$121 CHF 99.5

$45.24 COP 143.5K

166.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$78.7 CHF 64.8

$17.04 COP 54.0K

361.91%

Cinema Ticket

$24.26 CHF 19.98

$6.28 COP 19.9K

286.31%

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

$1,777 CHF 1,463

$770 COP 2.4M

130.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.4K CHF 26.7K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

259.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$140 CHF 115

$86.4 COP 274.0K

61.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$87.0 CHF 71.6

$57.1 COP 181.1K

52.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$146 CHF 120

$137 COP 432.9K

6.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$173 CHF 142

$97.9 COP 310.4K

76.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,805 CHF 1,486

$1,055 COP 3.3M

71.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 CHF 1,462

$616 COP 2.0M

188.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 CHF 2,316

$1,892 COP 6.0M

48.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,763 CHF 2,275

$1,023 COP 3.2M

170.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.0K CHF 9,902

$4,059 COP 12.9M

196.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,098 CHF 5,846

$1,678 COP 5.3M

322.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,844 CHF 3,166

$652 COP 2.1M

489.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.48

10.94

-77.33%

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

Last update for Dubendorf: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubendorf

$1.8K 48.3%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 65.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Dubendorf

$626 17%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 52.9% $331

Eating Out

Dubendorf

$451 12.3%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 62.6% $282

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubendorf

$332 9%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 35.4% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Dubendorf

$245 6.7%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 30.7% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Dubendorf

$169 4.6%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 65.8% $111

Getting Around

Dubendorf

$80 2.2%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 16.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,805 in Dubendorf and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubendorf pays 489% 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: $118 in Dubendorf vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $626 vs $295 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Dubendorf

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

02:20 2:20 AM

7 h behind Dubendorf

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,759

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 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).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubendorf Medellin 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubendorf
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

Dubendorf vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubendorf and Medellin differ by about 128% in total monthly costs ($3,678 vs $1,614 including rent). Medellin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 489% higher in Dubendorf, 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: $1,805 in Dubendorf versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,678 per month in Dubendorf versus $1,614 in Medellin – a 128% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 59% less than in Dubendorf. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $3,678 in Dubendorf, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Dubendorf. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Dubendorf 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 128% less than in Dubendorf. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.