Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Collins, CO and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,816 in Fort Collins, CO, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Fort Collins, CO
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Fort Collins, CO Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Fort Collins, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,816

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,816 in Fort Collins, CO versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Fort Collins, CO $2,816
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,951 in Fort Collins, CO versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Fort Collins, CO $3,951
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,085 in Fort Collins, CO versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Fort Collins, CO $5,085
Medellin $3,186

Living in Fort Collins, CO is roughly 72% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fort Collins, CO 107% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.88 $22.88

$8.09 COP 26.1K

182.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 $79.0

$47.05 COP 151.9K

67.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 $11.24

$9.50 COP 30.7K

18.32%

Cappuccino

$6.22 $6.22

$3.01 COP 9,735

106.64%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$1.80 COP 5,809

41.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.41 COP 4,561

46.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.05 $7.05

$3.18 COP 10.3K

121.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 $6.89

$5.75 COP 18.6K

19.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.51 COP 4,876

-31.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.38 COP 7,678

25.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.77 COP 5,720

57.63%

Eggs

$4.13 $4.13

$2.89 COP 9,333

42.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.15 $11.15

$10.19 COP 32.9K

9.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.23 $9.23

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-6.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.48 $19.48

$13.99 COP 45.2K

39.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$3.97 COP 12.8K

25.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.55 COP 5,012

-1.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$2.18 COP 7,048

120.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$2.18 COP 7,051

145.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$1.96 COP 6,337

82.65%

Onion (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$1.59 COP 5,132

193.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.15 COP 3,699

102.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.24 COP 4,014

43.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.32 $10.32

$3.96 COP 12.8K

160.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.64 $16.64

$13.68 COP 44.2K

21.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.66 COP 5,359

48.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.26 COP 7,291

19.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.27 COP 4,094

91.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$2.05 COP 6,612

-7.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.61 $24.61

$8.55 COP 27.6K

187.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.35 COP 4,349

-24.44%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-16.76%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-24.56%

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

$210 $210

$170 COP 547.8K

23.86%

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

$56.6 $56.6

$13.55 COP 43.8K

317.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$28.07 COP 90.6K

151.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 $51.8

$43.70 COP 141.1K

18.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.76 $29.76

$17.19 COP 55.5K

73.12%

Cinema Ticket

$11.96 $11.96

$6.91 COP 22.3K

73.08%

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

$1,288 $1,288

$797 COP 2.6M

61.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K $12.6K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

37.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 $59.1

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-30.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.5 $68.5

$58.0 COP 187.2K

18.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 $81.6

$135 COP 435.8K

-39.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$97.9 COP 316.0K

16.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,817 $1,817

$1,208 COP 3.9M

50.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,499 $1,499

$642 COP 2.1M

133.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,837 $2,837

$2,028 COP 6.5M

39.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 $2,143

$1,012 COP 3.3M

111.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,076 $4,076

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-2.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,793 $2,793

$1,910 COP 6.2M

46.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,503 $4,503

$657 COP 2.1M

585.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

10.94

-38.12%

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

Last update for Fort Collins, CO: 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

Fort Collins, CO

$1.5K 53.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 57.2% $858

Groceries & Markets

Fort Collins, CO

$388 13.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 23.4% $91

Eating Out

Fort Collins, CO

$359 12.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 52.7% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Collins, CO

$337 12%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 37.4% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Collins, CO

$145 5.2%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 16.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Collins, CO

$76 2.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 24% $18

Getting Around

Fort Collins, CO

$12 * 0.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 684% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,817 in Fort Collins, CO and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Collins, CO pays about 6.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Fort Collins, CO vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Collins, CO

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:35 10:35 AM

12:35 12:35 PM

2 h ahead of Fort Collins, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,612

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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Fort Collins, CO Medellin 4,810 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Collins, CO
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

Fort Collins, CO vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Fort Collins, CO. 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 Fort Collins, CO is about 6.9 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: $1,817 in Fort Collins, CO versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Fort Collins, CO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,816 per month in Fort Collins, CO versus $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,639 in Medellin versus $2,816 in Fort Collins, CO, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Fort Collins, CO. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value at $1,639 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

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