Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ellicott City, MD and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,488 in Ellicott City, MD, rent and utilities included – about $22,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Ellicott City, MD
Learn more

Ellicott City, MD Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Ellicott City, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,488

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,488 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $3,488
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $4,646 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $4,646
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $5,804 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $5,804
Medellin $3,186

Ellicott City, MD costs about 113% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ellicott City, MD and Medellin sit above the global median – Ellicott City, MD by 156%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.21 $18.21

$8.09 COP 25.4K

125.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.6 $95.6

$47.05 COP 148.0K

103.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.87 $10.87

$9.50 COP 29.9K

14.42%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$3.01 COP 9,485

79.40%

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

$3.35 $3.35

$1.80 COP 5,660

86.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.41 COP 4,443

86.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.97 $6.97

$3.18 COP 9,990

119.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 $8.07

$5.75 COP 18.1K

40.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.51 COP 4,751

-22.52%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.38 COP 7,480

72.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$1.77 COP 5,573

115.25%

Eggs

$4.58 $4.58

$2.89 COP 9,093

58.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.91 $16.91

$10.19 COP 32.1K

65.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.00 $13.00

$9.87 COP 31.1K

31.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.52 $18.52

$13.99 COP 44.0K

32.38%

Apples (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$3.97 COP 12.5K

55.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.55 COP 4,883

2.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.18 COP 6,867

89.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.18 COP 6,870

87.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.96 COP 6,174

13.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.59 COP 5,000

67.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.15 COP 3,604

104.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.24 COP 3,911

79.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.49 $13.49

$3.96 COP 12.5K

240.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.37 $15.37

$13.68 COP 43.0K

12.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.66 COP 5,221

61.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.26 COP 7,103

38.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.27 COP 3,989

40.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$2.05 COP 6,442

-34.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.13 $24.13

$8.55 COP 26.9K

182.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.35 COP 4,237

-30.37%

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

$23.1K $23.1K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-32.31%

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

$24.1K $24.1K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-30.46%

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

$208 $208

$170 COP 533.7K

22.78%

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

$49.91 $49.91

$13.55 COP 42.6K

268.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.9 $79.9

$28.07 COP 88.3K

184.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 $112

$43.70 COP 137.5K

155.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$14.57 $14.57

$6.91 COP 21.7K

110.85%

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

$1,921 $1,921

$797 COP 2.5M

141.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.9K $34.9K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

282.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-37.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 $56.7

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-2.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 $93.5

$135 COP 424.6K

-30.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$97.9 COP 307.9K

14.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,498 $2,498

$1,208 COP 3.8M

106.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 $2,107

$642 COP 2.0M

228.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,056 $3,056

$2,028 COP 6.4M

50.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,695 $2,695

$1,012 COP 3.2M

166.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,635 $2,635

$1,910 COP 6.0M

37.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,000 $5,000

$657 COP 2.1M

660.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

10.94

-37.93%

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

Last update for Ellicott City, MD: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ellicott City, MD

$2.1K 60.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 69.6% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Ellicott City, MD

$433 12.4%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 31.5% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ellicott City, MD

$338 9.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 37.5% $127

Eating Out

Ellicott City, MD

$318 9.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 46.7% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Ellicott City, MD

$142 4.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 19.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Ellicott City, MD

$141 4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 59.2% $83

Getting Around

Ellicott City, MD

$8.5 * 0.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 1002% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,498 in Ellicott City, MD versus $1,208 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ellicott City, MD are about 7.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96 in Ellicott City, MD versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $433 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ellicott City, MD

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

15:50 3:50 PM

1 h behind Ellicott City, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,834

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 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).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ellicott City, MD Medellin 3,670 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ellicott City, MD
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

Ellicott City, MD vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ellicott City, MD is pricier by about 113%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,232 per month in Ellicott City, MD and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $2,498 in Ellicott City, MD.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,488 in Ellicott City, MD and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 53% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,921 per month in Ellicott City, MD and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Ellicott City, MD at $3,488. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ellicott City, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ellicott City, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.