Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Smith, AR and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,951 in Fort Smith, AR, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Fort Smith, AR
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Fort Smith, AR Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Fort Smith, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$1,951

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,951 in Fort Smith, AR versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Fort Smith, AR $1,951
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,992 in Fort Smith, AR versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Fort Smith, AR $2,992
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,033 in Fort Smith, AR versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Fort Smith, AR $4,033
Medellin $3,186

Living in Fort Smith, AR is roughly 19% 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 Smith, AR 43% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.20 $20.20

$8.09 COP 26.1K

149.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.6 $64.6

$47.05 COP 151.7K

37.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 $11.43

$9.50 COP 30.6K

20.32%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$3.01 COP 9,722

76.74%

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

$2.39 $2.39

$1.80 COP 5,801

32.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.41 COP 4,554

41.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 $5.96

$3.18 COP 10.2K

87.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.04 $9.04

$5.75 COP 18.5K

57.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.51 COP 4,869

-37.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.38 COP 7,667

36.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.77 COP 5,712

113.56%

Eggs

$2.89 $2.89

$2.89 COP 9,320

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.55 $7.55

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-25.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.76 $10.76

$9.87 COP 31.8K

9.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.61 $19.61

$13.99 COP 45.1K

40.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$3.97 COP 12.8K

20.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.55 COP 5,005

-6.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.18 COP 7,039

13.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.18 COP 7,041

-3.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.96 COP 6,328

-3.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.59 COP 5,125

-0.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.15 COP 3,694

52.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.24 COP 4,009

83.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.33 $8.33

$3.96 COP 12.8K

110.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 $13.89

$13.68 COP 44.1K

1.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.66 COP 5,352

9.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.26 COP 7,281

16.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.17 COP 3,766

4.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.44 $35.44

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-54.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.27 COP 4,089

111.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 $1.29

$2.05 COP 6,603

-37.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.99 $29.99

$8.55 COP 27.6K

250.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.35 COP 4,343

-43.70%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-23.80%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-26.21%

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

$276 $276

$170 COP 547.0K

62.47%

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

$69.5 $69.5

$13.55 COP 43.7K

413.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$28.07 COP 90.5K

146.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.06 $27.06

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-38.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.22 $16.22

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-5.64%

Cinema Ticket

$13.52 $13.52

$6.91 COP 22.3K

95.66%

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

$918 $918

$797 COP 2.6M

15.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

158.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 $54.7

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-35.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.77 $41.77

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-27.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 $91.8

$135 COP 435.2K

-32.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.6 $77.6

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-20.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 $683

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-43.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 $646

$642 COP 2.1M

0.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 $1,536

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-24.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,295 $1,295

$1,012 COP 3.3M

28.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,557 $1,557

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-62.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,561 $1,561

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-18.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,154 $3,154

$657 COP 2.1M

379.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.38

10.94

-41.68%

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

Last update for Fort Smith, AR: 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 Smith, AR

$646 33.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 0.7% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Smith, AR

$414 21.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 49% $203

Groceries & Markets

Fort Smith, AR

$342 17.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 13.3% $45

Eating Out

Fort Smith, AR

$325 16.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 47.9% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Smith, AR

$120 6.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 41.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Smith, AR

$54 2.8%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 6.4% $3.4

Getting Around

Fort Smith, AR

$49 2.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 89.3% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $683 in Fort Smith, AR and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Smith, AR pays about 4.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $65 in Fort Smith, AR vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $342 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Smith, AR

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:36 10:36 PM

23:36 11:36 PM

1 h ahead of Fort Smith, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,142

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 = 3,224 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

Fort Smith, AR Medellin 3,770 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Smith, AR
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 Smith, AR vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Fort Smith, AR. 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 Smith, AR is about 4.8 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: $683 in Fort Smith, AR versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,951 per month in Fort Smith, AR versus $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Fort Smith, AR runs roughly 54% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Fort Smith, AR on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.