Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dublin, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $3,809 in Dublin, CA, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

184

Cost of Living Index in Dublin, CA
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Dublin, CA Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Dublin, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,809

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,809 in Dublin, CA versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Dublin, CA $3,809
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,396 in Dublin, CA versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Dublin, CA $5,396
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,983 in Dublin, CA versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Dublin, CA $6,983
Medellin $3,249

Living in Dublin, CA is roughly 125% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dublin, CA 182% above, Medellin 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.26 $20.26

$8.34 COP 27.0K

142.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.4 $64.4

$46.53 COP 150.9K

38.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 $10.98

$9.47 COP 30.7K

15.95%

Cappuccino

$5.21 $5.21

$3.13 COP 10.2K

66.45%

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

$2.77 $2.77

$1.77 COP 5,728

56.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.42 COP 4,620

64.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.09 $7.09

$3.15 COP 10.2K

125.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 $7.17

$5.70 COP 18.5K

25.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.53 COP 4,971

7.84%

White Bread (500g)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.29 COP 7,431

89.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.94 COP 6,308

108.76%

Eggs

$5.96 $5.96

$3.07 COP 9,945

94.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.71 $6.71

$9.99 COP 32.4K

-32.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.41 $14.41

$10.45 COP 33.9K

37.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.64 $21.64

$13.96 COP 45.3K

55.01%

Apples (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$4.05 COP 13.1K

25.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.53 COP 4,957

32.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$2.10 COP 6,825

157.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$2.29 COP 7,439

97.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.11 COP 6,841

66.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.71 COP 5,543

26.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.17 COP 3,795

76.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.58 COP 5,125

60.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.98 $11.98

$3.91 COP 12.7K

206.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.47 $15.47

$14.04 COP 45.6K

10.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.76 COP 5,714

42.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.71 COP 8,796

25.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.18 COP 3,826

148.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.1 $91.1

$76.3 COP 247.4K

19.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.81 COP 5,860

90.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.13 COP 6,906

39.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.42 $29.42

$8.13 COP 26.4K

261.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.28 COP 4,136

7.03%

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

$36.9K $36.9K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

7.04%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-21.15%

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

$122 $122

$178 COP 576.4K

-31.53%

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

$47.75 $47.75

$13.89 COP 45.0K

243.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.5 $81.5

$30.74 COP 99.7K

165.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.73 $34.73

$41.94 COP 136.0K

-17.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.80 $34.80

$16.80 COP 54.5K

107.14%

Cinema Ticket

$14.70 $14.70

$7.47 COP 24.2K

96.79%

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

$1,806 $1,806

$790 COP 2.6M

128.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.7K $41.7K

$12.3K COP 39.9M

239.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 $59.0

$86.3 COP 280.0K

-31.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 $50.9

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-14.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 $81.1

$138 COP 448.7K

-41.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$98.8 COP 320.5K

19.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,756 $2,756

$1,341 COP 4.3M

105.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 $2,463

$667 COP 2.2M

269.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,564 $4,564

$1,976 COP 6.4M

131.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,960 $3,960

$1,033 COP 3.3M

283.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.7K $12.7K

$4,098 COP 13.3M

210.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.9K $10.9K

$1,940 COP 6.3M

464.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,532 $6,532

$646 COP 2.1M

910.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.83

10.94

-37.57%

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

Last update for Dublin, CA: 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

Dublin, CA

$2.5K 64.7%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 72.9% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Dublin, CA

$443 11.6%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 30.6% $135

Eating Out

Dublin, CA

$328 8.6%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 47.3% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dublin, CA

$251 6.6%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 11.4% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Dublin, CA

$139 3.7%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 23.9% $33

Getting Around

Dublin, CA

$121 3.2%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 22.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Dublin, CA

$64 1.7%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 11.3% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,756 in Dublin, CA and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dublin, CA pays about 10 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $64 in Dublin, CA vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $443 vs $307 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Dublin, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

00:02 12:02 AM

3 h ahead of Dublin, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,328

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Dublin, CA Medellin 5,830 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Dublin, CA
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

Dublin, CA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Dublin, CA. 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 Dublin, CA is about 10 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: $2,756 in Dublin, CA versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Dublin, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $64 in Dublin, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,692 in Medellin versus $3,809 in Dublin, CA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Dublin, CA. 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.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Dublin, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.