Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fontana, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,395 in Fontana, CA, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

164

Cost of Living Index in Fontana, CA
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Fontana, CA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Fontana, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,395

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,395 per month in Fontana, CA vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Fontana, CA $3,395
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $5,018 per month in Fontana, CA vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Fontana, CA $5,018
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $6,640 per month in Fontana, CA vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Fontana, CA $6,640
Medellin $3,186

Fontana, CA costs about 107% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Fontana, CA and Medellin sit above the global median – Fontana, CA by 149%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.08 $20.08

$8.09 COP 26.1K

148.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 $78.8

$47.05 COP 151.7K

67.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.72 $14.72

$9.50 COP 30.6K

54.95%

Cappuccino

$5.73 $5.73

$3.01 COP 9,722

90.37%

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

$3.40 $3.40

$1.80 COP 5,801

88.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.41 COP 4,554

75.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.28 $7.28

$3.18 COP 10.2K

128.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.61 $9.61

$5.75 COP 18.5K

67.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.51 COP 4,869

-30.46%

White Bread (500g)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.38 COP 7,667

73.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$1.77 COP 5,712

166.67%

Eggs

$5.06 $5.06

$2.89 COP 9,320

75.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.11 $13.11

$10.19 COP 32.9K

28.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.87 $8.87

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-10.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.70 $15.70

$13.99 COP 45.1K

12.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$3.97 COP 12.8K

18.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.55 COP 5,005

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.18 COP 7,039

79.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.18 COP 7,041

150.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$1.96 COP 6,328

91.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.59 COP 5,125

38.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.15 COP 3,694

74.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.24 COP 4,009

54.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.72 $11.72

$3.96 COP 12.8K

195.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 $15.27

$13.68 COP 44.1K

11.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.66 COP 5,352

21.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.26 COP 7,281

80.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.43 $45.43

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-41.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 $6.12

$1.27 COP 4,089

381.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.35 COP 4,343

13.33%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-16.96%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-25.00%

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

$221 $221

$170 COP 547.0K

30.49%

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

$79.0 $79.0

$13.55 COP 43.7K

483.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 $60.0

$28.07 COP 90.5K

113.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$15.18 $15.18

$6.91 COP 22.3K

119.68%

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

$1,195 $1,195

$797 COP 2.6M

50.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 $57.0

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-32.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.72 $40.72

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-29.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.2 $93.2

$135 COP 435.2K

-30.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$97.9 COP 315.6K

5.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,970 $1,970

$1,208 COP 3.9M

63.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,071 $2,071

$642 COP 2.1M

222.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,187 $3,187

$2,028 COP 6.5M

57.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,737 $3,737

$1,012 COP 3.3M

269.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,906 $4,906

$657 COP 2.1M

646.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

10.94

-42.32%

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

Last update for Fontana, CA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fontana, CA

$2.1K 61%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 69% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Fontana, CA

$397 11.7%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 25.1% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fontana, CA

$360 10.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 41.4% $149

Eating Out

Fontana, CA

$353 10.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 51.9% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Fontana, CA

$132 3.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 27.7% $37

Getting Around

Fontana, CA

$52 * 1.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 81.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Fontana, CA

$30 * 0.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 89.5% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,970 in Fontana, CA 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 Fontana, CA are about 7.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Fontana, CA versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $397 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fontana, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:58 7:58 AM

10:58 10:58 AM

3 h ahead of Fontana, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

210,000

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Fontana, CA Medellin 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Fontana, CA
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

Fontana, CA vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fontana, CA costs about 107% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,093 per month in Fontana, CA 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 $1,970 in Fontana, CA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,395 in Fontana, CA and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 52% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 41% less in Fontana, CA. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Fontana, CA at $3,395. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fontana, CA 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, Fontana, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.