Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durango, CO and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,047 in Durango, CO, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Durango, CO, United States
Medellin, Colombia
Durango, CO
🇺🇸 United States
$3,047
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,047 in Durango, CO versus $1,639 in Medellin.

  • Durango, CO $3,047
  • Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,118 in Durango, CO versus $2,413 in Medellin.

  • Durango, CO $4,118
  • Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,189 in Durango, CO versus $3,186 in Medellin.

  • Durango, CO $5,189
  • Medellin $3,186

Living in Durango, CO is roughly 86% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Durango, CO 124% above, Medellin 20% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Durango, CO
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.25 $15.25
$8.09 COP 25.4K
88.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.9 $58.9
$47.05 COP 148.0K
25.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.80 $7.80
$9.50 COP 29.9K
-17.89%
Cappuccino
$4.62 $4.62
$3.01 COP 9,485
53.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.89 $2.89
$1.80 COP 5,660
60.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 $2.43
$1.41 COP 4,443
72.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.14 $6.14
$3.18 COP 9,990
93.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.76 $6.76
$5.75 COP 18.1K
17.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Durango, CO
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.99 $0.99
$1.51 COP 4,751
-34.44%
White Bread (500g)
$3.27 $3.27
$2.38 COP 7,480
37.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.30 $3.30
$1.77 COP 5,573
86.44%
Eggs
$4.69 $4.69
$2.89 COP 9,093
62.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.04 $12.04
$10.19 COP 32.1K
18.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.62 $9.62
$9.87 COP 31.1K
-2.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.95 $10.95
$13.99 COP 44.0K
-21.73%
Apples (1kg)
$4.35 $4.35
$3.97 COP 12.5K
9.57%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 $1.42
$1.55 COP 4,883
-8.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.22 $4.22
$2.18 COP 6,867
93.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.19 $5.19
$2.18 COP 6,870
138.07%
Potato (1kg)
$3.22 $3.22
$1.96 COP 6,174
64.29%
Onion (1kg)
$3.21 $3.21
$1.59 COP 5,000
101.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.06 $2.06
$1.15 COP 3,604
79.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.86 $2.86
$1.24 COP 3,911
130.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.04 $11.04
$3.96 COP 12.5K
178.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.06 $4.06
$13.68 COP 43.0K
-70.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.47 $2.47
$1.66 COP 5,221
48.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.52 $3.52
$2.26 COP 7,103
55.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Durango, CO
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.17 COP 3,674
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.45 $30.45
$77.4 COP 243.4K
-60.64%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.70 $3.70
$1.27 COP 3,989
191.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.98 $1.98
$2.05 COP 6,442
-3.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.02 $32.02
$8.55 COP 26.9K
274.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 $0.83
$1.35 COP 4,237
-38.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.4K $29.4K
$34.1K COP 107.2M
-13.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.4K $25.4K
$34.7K COP 109.1M
-26.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Durango, CO
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$155 $155
$170 COP 533.7K
-8.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$51.9 $51.9
$13.55 COP 42.6K
282.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$68.3 $68.3
$28.07 COP 88.3K
143.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Durango, CO
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$18.90 $18.90
$43.70 COP 137.5K
-56.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.19 COP 54.1K
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.90 $11.90
$6.91 COP 21.7K
72.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Durango, CO
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,345 $1,345
$797 COP 2.5M
68.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.5K $25.5K
$9,112 COP 28.7M
179.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Durango, CO
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.1 $54.1
$84.7 COP 266.5K
-36.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.97 $42.97
$58.0 COP 182.3K
-25.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 $103
$135 COP 424.6K
-23.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 $117
$97.9 COP 307.9K
19.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Durango, CO
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,361 $2,361
$1,208 COP 3.8M
95.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,926 $1,926
$642 COP 2.0M
200.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,370 $3,370
$2,028 COP 6.4M
66.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,734 $2,734
$1,012 COP 3.2M
170.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,887 $4,887
$4,170 COP 13.1M
17.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,884 $4,884
$1,910 COP 6.0M
155.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Durango, CO
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,737 $4,737
$657 COP 2.1M
620.92%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.36
10.94
-41.86%

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

Last update for Durango, CO: 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
Durango, CO
$1.9K
Medellin
$642 66.7% $1.3K
Groceries & Markets
Durango, CO
$351
Medellin
$297 15.4% $54
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Durango, CO
$275
Medellin
$211 23.1% $63
Eating Out
Durango, CO
$266
Medellin
$170 36.3% $97
Clothing & Footwear
Durango, CO
$143
Medellin
$169 18.4% $26
Getting Around
Durango, CO
$44 *
Medellin
$94 113% $50
Sport & Entertainment
Durango, CO
$43
Medellin
$58 34.7% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,361 in Durango, CO and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durango, CO pays about 7.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $59 in Durango, CO vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Durango, CO
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
14:35 2:35 PM
15:35 3:35 PM
1 h ahead of Durango, CO
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
19,071
2,486,723
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Durango, CO Medellin 4,750 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Durango, CO
  • 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
Durango, CO vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Durango, CO?
Medellin is about 46% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Durango, CO or Medellin?
Average pay in Durango, CO is about 7.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Durango, CO and Medellin?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,361 in Durango, CO versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Durango, CO runs roughly 61% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $1,345 in Durango, CO versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Durango, CO or in Medellin?
At $1,639 in Medellin versus $3,047 in Durango, CO, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Durango, CO. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Durango, CO or in Medellin?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Durango, CO on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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