Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort William and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort William and Medellin

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,437 in Fort William versus $1,013 in Medellin.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,571 in Fort William versus $1,602 in Medellin.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,705 in Fort William versus $2,192 in Medellin.

Living in Fort William is roughly 141% more expensive than Medellin, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Fort William is 82% above, Medellin is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.05 £16.42

$5.99 COP 21.3K

268.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.3 £61.3

$32.86 COP 116.9K

150.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.17 £7.57

$7.09 COP 25.2K

43.44%

Cappuccino

$4.58 £3.41

$1.71 COP 6,093

167.84%

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

$2.12 £1.58

$1.10 COP 3,910

92.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 £1.12

$0.78 COP 2,771

93.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.25 £4.65

$1.68 COP 5,976

272.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 £5.04

$3.07 COP 10.9K

120.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 £1.13

$1.09 COP 3,892

39.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.26 COP 4,492

28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.38 COP 4,905

35.51%

Eggs

$3.47 £2.59

$2.19 COP 7,799

58.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 £6.68

$4.40 COP 15.7K

103.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.98 £8.18

$5.63 COP 20.0K

95.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.62 £10.15

$8.89 COP 31.6K

53.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 £2.17

$2.34 COP 8,319

24.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 £1.00

$1.06 COP 3,764

27.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 £1.53

$1.50 COP 5,355

36.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 £3.12

$1.38 COP 4,906

203.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 £0.83

$1.15 COP 4,097

-2.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 £1.04

$1.16 COP 4,141

19.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 £0.89

$0.89 COP 3,170

33.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 £1.04

$0.84 COP 2,986

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.87 £14.05

$2.28 COP 8,116

727.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 £8.21

$10.64 COP 37.9K

3.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 £1.65

$1.20 COP 4,268

85.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 £1.69

$2.47 COP 8,793

-8.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 £2.47

$0.86 COP 3,045

286.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 £66.3

$41.40 COP 147.3K

114.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.64 £3.46

$1.47 COP 5,245

215.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 £1.26

$1.96 COP 6,984

-13.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.37 £25.60

$7.74 COP 27.5K

344.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.45

$0.95 COP 3,397

104.21%

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

$37.8K £28.1K

$18.1K COP 64.5M

108.39%

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

$40.6K £30.2K

$26.5K COP 94.2M

53.20%

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

$393 £293

$82.3 COP 292.7K

377.79%

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

$23.82 £17.75

$9.50 COP 33.8K

150.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.19 £34.41

$24.23 COP 86.2K

90.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.58 £34.70

$25.89 COP 92.1K

79.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.00 COP 67.6K

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 £6.70

$3.93 COP 14.0K

128.75%

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

$1,857 £1,383

$309 COP 1.1M

500.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K £11.5K

$5,965 COP 21.2M

159.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.0 £62.6

$58.7 COP 208.7K

43.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.72 £31.08

$32.35 COP 115.1K

28.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 £70.8

$103 COP 365.1K

-7.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 £88.9

$108 COP 385.8K

10.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 £912

$476 COP 1.7M

157.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$989 £737

$379 COP 1.3M

161.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,071 £1,543

$838 COP 3.0M

147.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,696 £1,263

$724 COP 2.6M

134.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,188 £3,865

$2,791 COP 9.9M

85.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,211 COP 4.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,992 £1,484

$512 COP 1.8M

289.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.2

13.43

-53.83%

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

Last update for Fort William: May 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,224 in Fort William and $476 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort William pays 289% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $82.0 in Fort William vs $33.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $188 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

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 William vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 141% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Fort William pays 289% more on average, 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: $1,224 in Fort William versus $476 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Fort William. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $33.00 versus $82.0 in Fort William. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,013 in Medellin versus $2,437 in Fort William, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Fort William. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medellin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Fort William, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 141% less than in Fort William. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.