Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fairfax, VA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,428 in Fairfax, VA, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

166

Cost of Living Index in Fairfax, VA
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Fairfax, VA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Fairfax, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,428

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,428 in Fairfax, VA versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Fairfax, VA $3,428
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,787 in Fairfax, VA versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Fairfax, VA $4,787
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,147 in Fairfax, VA versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Fairfax, VA $6,147
Medellin $3,186

Living in Fairfax, VA is roughly 109% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fairfax, VA 152% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.15 $19.15

$8.09 COP 26.1K

136.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.5 $96.5

$47.05 COP 151.7K

105.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.84 $11.84

$9.50 COP 30.6K

24.63%

Cappuccino

$6.08 $6.08

$3.01 COP 9,722

101.99%

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

$3.20 $3.20

$1.80 COP 5,801

77.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.41 COP 4,554

78.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 $6.85

$3.18 COP 10.2K

115.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.06 $8.06

$5.75 COP 18.5K

40.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.51 COP 4,869

-27.15%

White Bread (500g)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.38 COP 7,667

71.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$1.77 COP 5,712

204.52%

Eggs

$5.40 $5.40

$2.89 COP 9,320

86.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.98 $16.98

$10.19 COP 32.9K

66.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.95 $14.95

$9.87 COP 31.8K

51.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.63 $18.63

$13.99 COP 45.1K

33.17%

Apples (1kg)

$5.89 $5.89

$3.97 COP 12.8K

48.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.55 COP 5,005

45.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.79 $5.79

$2.18 COP 7,039

165.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.73 $5.73

$2.18 COP 7,041

162.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.96 COP 6,328

40.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$1.59 COP 5,125

135.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.15 COP 3,694

113.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.24 COP 4,009

116.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.63 $13.63

$3.96 COP 12.8K

244.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.84 $15.84

$13.68 COP 44.1K

15.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.66 COP 5,352

58.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.26 COP 7,281

100.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.17 COP 3,766

130.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.7 $68.7

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-11.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.27 COP 4,089

134.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.05 COP 6,603

-28.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.06 $24.06

$8.55 COP 27.6K

181.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.35 COP 4,343

-20.74%

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

$35.6K $35.6K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

4.51%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-24.63%

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

$212 $212

$170 COP 547.0K

25.12%

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

$65.6 $65.6

$13.55 COP 43.7K

384.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.3 $77.3

$28.07 COP 90.5K

175.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 $68.6

$43.70 COP 140.9K

57.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.20 $25.20

$17.19 COP 55.4K

46.60%

Cinema Ticket

$17.96 $17.96

$6.91 COP 22.3K

159.91%

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

$1,906 $1,906

$797 COP 2.6M

139.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.2K $35.2K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

286.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-38.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 $54.9

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-5.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 $92.6

$135 COP 435.2K

-31.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$97.9 COP 315.6K

14.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,474 $2,474

$1,208 COP 3.9M

104.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 $1,920

$642 COP 2.1M

199.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,353 $3,353

$2,028 COP 6.5M

65.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,733 $2,733

$1,012 COP 3.3M

170.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,371 $5,371

$4,170 COP 13.4M

28.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,702 $3,702

$1,910 COP 6.2M

93.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,746 $5,746

$657 COP 2.1M

774.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

10.94

-38.57%

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

Last update for Fairfax, VA: 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

Fairfax, VA

$1.9K 56%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 66.6% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Fairfax, VA

$483 14.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 38.5% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fairfax, VA

$355 10.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 40.5% $144

Eating Out

Fairfax, VA

$335 9.8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 49.4% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Fairfax, VA

$140 4.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 20.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Fairfax, VA

$105 3.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 45% $47

Getting Around

Fairfax, VA

$90 2.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 4.1% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,474 in Fairfax, VA and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fairfax, VA pays about 8.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $97 in Fairfax, VA vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $483 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fairfax, VA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:25 4:25 AM

Same time as Fairfax, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,146

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 = 2.78 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 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Fairfax, VA Medellin 3,630 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Fairfax, VA
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

Fairfax, VA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Fairfax, VA. 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 Fairfax, VA is about 8.7 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: $2,474 in Fairfax, VA versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Fairfax, VA. 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 $97 in Fairfax, VA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $3,428 in Fairfax, VA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Fairfax, VA. 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.

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