Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durham, NC and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,423 in Durham, NC, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Durham, NC
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Durham, NC Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Durham, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,423

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,423 in Durham, NC versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Durham, NC $2,423
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,700 in Durham, NC versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Durham, NC $3,700
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,978 in Durham, NC versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Durham, NC $4,978
Medellin $3,186

Living in Durham, NC is roughly 48% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Durham, NC 78% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.31 $15.31

$8.09 COP 26.1K

89.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 $106

$47.05 COP 151.9K

125.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 $9.96

$9.50 COP 30.7K

4.84%

Cappuccino

$4.79 $4.79

$3.01 COP 9,735

59.14%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$1.80 COP 5,809

67.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.41 COP 4,561

48.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.18 $6.18

$3.18 COP 10.3K

94.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 $7.12

$5.75 COP 18.6K

23.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.51 COP 4,876

-25.17%

White Bread (500g)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.38 COP 7,678

97.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.77 COP 5,720

155.37%

Eggs

$3.45 $3.45

$2.89 COP 9,333

19.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.01 $19.01

$10.19 COP 32.9K

86.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.98 $16.98

$9.87 COP 31.9K

72.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.05 $17.05

$13.99 COP 45.2K

21.87%

Apples (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$3.97 COP 12.8K

42.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.55 COP 5,012

18.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.18 COP 7,048

78.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.18 COP 7,051

110.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.96 COP 6,337

15.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.59 COP 5,132

145.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.15 COP 3,699

139.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.24 COP 4,014

58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.57 $8.57

$3.96 COP 12.8K

116.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.23 $15.23

$13.68 COP 44.2K

11.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.66 COP 5,359

-8.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.26 COP 7,291

77.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.27 COP 4,094

54.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 $0.60

$2.05 COP 6,612

-70.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.35 COP 4,349

-25.19%

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

$30.9K $30.9K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-9.29%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-24.88%

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

$226 $226

$170 COP 547.8K

33.32%

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

$56.8 $56.8

$13.55 COP 43.8K

319.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.5 $71.5

$28.07 COP 90.6K

154.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 $51.5

$43.70 COP 141.1K

17.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$12.36 $12.36

$6.91 COP 22.3K

78.87%

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

$1,567 $1,567

$797 COP 2.6M

96.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.29 $45.29

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-46.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 $35.33

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-39.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 $90.7

$135 COP 435.8K

-32.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 $134

$97.9 COP 316.0K

36.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,502 $1,502

$1,208 COP 3.9M

24.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,118 $1,118

$642 COP 2.1M

74.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,272 $2,272

$2,028 COP 6.5M

12.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,970 $1,970

$1,012 COP 3.3M

94.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,463 $3,463

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-16.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,420 $2,420

$1,910 COP 6.2M

26.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,786 $4,786

$657 COP 2.1M

628.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

10.94

-37.75%

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

Last update for Durham, NC: 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

Durham, NC

$1.1K 46.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 42.6% $476

Groceries & Markets

Durham, NC

$456 18.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 34.9% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durham, NC

$355 14.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 40.4% $143

Eating Out

Durham, NC

$276 11.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 38.5% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Durham, NC

$137 5.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 23.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Durham, NC

$76 3.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 24.5% $19

Getting Around

Durham, NC

$5 * 0.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 1782% $89

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 $1,502 in Durham, NC and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durham, NC pays about 7.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $106 in Durham, NC vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $456 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Durham, NC

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

00:22 12:22 AM

Same time as Durham, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

283,506

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

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).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Durham, NC Medellin 3,320 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Durham, NC
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

Durham, NC vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Durham, NC. 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 Durham, NC is about 7.3 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: $1,502 in Durham, NC versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Durham, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,423 per month in Durham, NC versus $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

For families, Medellin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Durham, NC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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