Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Federal Way, WA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $3,324 in Federal Way, WA, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

162

Cost of Living Index in Federal Way, WA
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Federal Way, WA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Federal Way, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,324

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,324 per month in Federal Way, WA vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Federal Way, WA $3,324
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $4,324 per month in Federal Way, WA vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Federal Way, WA $4,324
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $5,324 per month in Federal Way, WA vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Federal Way, WA $5,324
Medellin $3,190

Federal Way, WA costs about 106% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Federal Way, WA and Medellin sit above the global median – Federal Way, WA by 146%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.74 $24.74

$7.93 COP 25.2K

211.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.1 $76.1

$46.13 COP 146.3K

64.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.56 $12.56

$9.50 COP 30.1K

32.21%

Cappuccino

$5.82 $5.82

$3.11 COP 9,866

87.14%

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

$2.93 $2.93

$1.83 COP 5,800

60.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.38 COP 4,360

21.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.06 $7.06

$3.05 COP 9,672

131.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 $7.12

$5.50 COP 17.4K

29.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.45 COP 4,600

-24.83%

White Bread (500g)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.36 COP 7,496

72.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.68 COP 5,328

81.55%

Eggs

$5.09 $5.09

$2.86 COP 9,077

77.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.26 $16.26

$10.19 COP 32.3K

59.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 $10.51

$9.53 COP 30.2K

10.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.36 $19.36

$14.04 COP 44.5K

37.89%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$4.07 COP 12.9K

26.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.50 COP 4,742

5.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.17 COP 6,891

98.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$2.31 COP 7,310

100.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.93 COP 6,113

39.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.64 COP 5,196

45.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.13 COP 3,571

97.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.25 COP 3,954

108.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.08 $13.08

$3.99 COP 12.6K

227.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$13.35 COP 42.3K

13.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.70 COP 5,384

0.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.37 COP 7,525

104.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.21 COP 3,827

119.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.32 COP 4,179

99.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.14 COP 6,774

-21.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 $29.83

$8.47 COP 26.8K

252.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.30 COP 4,114

1.54%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

30.10%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-27.44%

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

$157 $157

$172 COP 545.6K

-8.53%

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

$76.9 $76.9

$13.37 COP 42.4K

475.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.0 $88.0

$28.73 COP 91.1K

206.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.95 $12.95

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-71.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 $11.79

$6.28 COP 19.9K

87.74%

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

$1,446 $1,446

$770 COP 2.4M

87.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.2K $32.2K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

257.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.83 $45.83

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-46.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.65 $44.65

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-21.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.4 $84.4

$137 COP 432.9K

-38.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 $100

$97.9 COP 310.4K

2.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,017 $2,017

$1,055 COP 3.3M

91.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,025 $2,025

$616 COP 2.0M

228.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,773 $2,773

$1,892 COP 6.0M

46.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,419 $2,419

$1,023 COP 3.2M

136.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,440 $4,440

$652 COP 2.1M

580.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

10.94

-39.31%

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

Last update for Federal Way, WA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Federal Way, WA

$2K 60.9%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 69.6% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Federal Way, WA

$421 12.7%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 30% $126

Eating Out

Federal Way, WA

$373 11.2%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 54.9% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Federal Way, WA

$322 9.7%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 33.5% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Federal Way, WA

$124 3.7%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 37.3% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Federal Way, WA

$37 1.1%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 58.3% $21

Getting Around

Federal Way, WA

$22 * 0.7%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 333% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,017 in Federal Way, WA versus $1,055 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 run about 581% higher in Federal Way, WA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Federal Way, WA versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $421 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Federal Way, WA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:20 9:20 PM

23:20 11:20 PM

2 h ahead of Federal Way, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

101,030

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Federal Way, WA Medellin 6,360 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Federal Way, WA
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

Federal Way, WA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Federal Way, WA is pricier by about 106%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,985 per month in Federal Way, WA and $2,421 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,324 in Federal Way, WA and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 106%.

Kindergarten costs $1,446 per month in Federal Way, WA and $770 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 $1,614, than in Federal Way, WA at $3,324. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Federal Way, WA 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Federal Way, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.