Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fargo, ND and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,127 in Fargo, ND, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Fargo, ND, United States
Medellin, Colombia
Fargo, ND
🇺🇸 United States
$2,127
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,127 per month in Fargo, ND vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Fargo, ND $2,127
  • Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,227 per month in Fargo, ND vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Fargo, ND $3,227
  • Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,327 per month in Fargo, ND vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Fargo, ND $4,327
  • Medellin $3,186

Fargo, ND costs about 30% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Fargo, ND and Medellin sit above the global median – Fargo, ND by 56%, Medellin by 20%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Fargo, ND
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.17 $17.17
$8.09 COP 25.6K
112.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$59.0 $59.0
$47.05 COP 149.1K
25.38%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.95 $11.95
$9.50 COP 30.1K
25.79%
Cappuccino
$5.41 $5.41
$3.01 COP 9,554
79.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.56 $2.56
$1.80 COP 5,701
42.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 $1.94
$1.41 COP 4,476
37.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.36 $5.36
$3.18 COP 10.1K
68.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.83 $8.83
$5.75 COP 18.2K
53.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Fargo, ND
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.23 $1.23
$1.51 COP 4,785
-18.54%
White Bread (500g)
$3.40 $3.40
$2.38 COP 7,535
42.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$7.63 $7.63
$1.77 COP 5,613
331.07%
Eggs
$4.08 $4.08
$2.89 COP 9,159
41.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.93 $14.93
$10.19 COP 32.3K
46.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.52 $15.52
$9.87 COP 31.3K
57.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.08 $21.08
$13.99 COP 44.3K
50.68%
Apples (1kg)
$10.28 $10.28
$3.97 COP 12.6K
158.94%
Banana (1kg)
$2.34 $2.34
$1.55 COP 4,918
50.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.51 $6.51
$2.18 COP 6,917
198.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.40 $5.40
$2.18 COP 6,920
147.71%
Potato (1kg)
$5.10 $5.10
$1.96 COP 6,219
160.20%
Onion (1kg)
$3.76 $3.76
$1.59 COP 5,037
136.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.95 $1.95
$1.15 COP 3,630
69.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.74 $2.74
$1.24 COP 3,939
120.97%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.60 $8.60
$3.96 COP 12.6K
117.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.58 $18.58
$13.68 COP 43.4K
35.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.62 $2.62
$1.66 COP 5,259
57.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.63 $5.63
$2.26 COP 7,155
149.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Fargo, ND
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.03 $2.03
$1.17 COP 3,701
73.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$42.10 $42.10
$77.4 COP 245.2K
-45.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.58 $4.58
$1.27 COP 4,018
260.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$2.05 COP 6,489
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$8.55 COP 27.1K
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.97 $0.97
$1.35 COP 4,268
-28.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K $27.4K
$34.1K COP 108.0M
-19.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.3K $25.3K
$34.7K COP 109.9M
-26.91%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fargo, ND
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$138 $138
$170 COP 537.6K
-18.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$58.1 $58.1
$13.55 COP 42.9K
328.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$56.5 $56.5
$28.07 COP 88.9K
101.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Fargo, ND
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.0 $52.0
$43.70 COP 138.5K
18.88%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.19 COP 54.5K
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.96 $13.96
$6.91 COP 21.9K
102.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Fargo, ND
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,247 $1,247
$797 COP 2.5M
56.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$9,112 COP 28.9M
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Fargo, ND
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.85 $49.85
$84.7 COP 268.4K
-41.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.16 $47.16
$58.0 COP 183.7K
-18.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.2 $84.2
$135 COP 427.6K
-37.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 $101
$97.9 COP 310.1K
2.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Fargo, ND
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,013 $1,013
$1,208 COP 3.8M
-16.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$790 $790
$642 COP 2.0M
23.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,627 $1,627
$2,028 COP 6.4M
-19.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,363 $1,363
$1,012 COP 3.2M
34.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,459 $2,459
$4,170 COP 13.2M
-41.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,688 $1,688
$1,910 COP 6.1M
-11.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Fargo, ND
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,858 $3,858
$657 COP 2.1M
487.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.43
10.94
-41.22%

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

Last update for Fargo, ND: 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
Fargo, ND
$790
Medellin
$642 18.8% $148
Groceries & Markets
Fargo, ND
$522
Medellin
$297 43.1% $225
Eating Out
Fargo, ND
$300
Medellin
$170 43.6% $131
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fargo, ND
$253
Medellin
$211 16.5% $42
Clothing & Footwear
Fargo, ND
$127
Medellin
$169 33.2% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Fargo, ND
$80
Medellin
$58 28% $22
Getting Around
Fargo, ND
$55 *
Medellin
$94 70.8% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,013 in Fargo, ND 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 Fargo, ND are about 5.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Fargo, ND versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $522 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Fargo, ND
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
12:45 12:45 PM
12:45 12:45 PM
Same time as Fargo, ND
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
90,056
2,486,723
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 3,169 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,545 COP (10,000 COP = 2.82 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Fargo, ND Medellin 4,950 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Fargo, ND
  • 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
Fargo, ND vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Fargo, ND or Medellin?
Fargo, ND costs about 30% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Fargo, ND and in Medellin?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,191 per month in Fargo, ND and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Fargo, ND or Medellin?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Fargo, ND, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,013 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
How do dining costs compare in Fargo, ND and in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Fargo, ND and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Fargo, ND compared to Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,127 in Fargo, ND and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 23% cheaper.
Can you live on $2,500/month in Fargo, ND or in Medellin?
$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,127 in Fargo, ND and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Fargo, ND or Medellin?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $2,127 in Fargo, ND. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Fargo, ND or to Medellin?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fargo, ND makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Fargo, ND vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?