Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fribourg and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $3,530 in Fribourg, rent and utilities included – about $22,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Fribourg, Switzerland
Medellin, Colombia
Fribourg
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,530
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,530 per month in Fribourg vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Fribourg $3,530
  • Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $5,160 per month in Fribourg vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Fribourg $5,160
  • Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $6,789 per month in Fribourg vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Fribourg $6,789
  • Medellin $3,249

Fribourg costs about 109% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Fribourg and Medellin sit above the global median – Fribourg by 161%, Medellin by 25%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Fribourg
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$29.96 CHF 24.55
$8.34 COP 27.0K
259.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$122 CHF 99.6
$46.53 COP 150.9K
161.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$16.11 CHF 13.20
$9.47 COP 30.7K
70.12%
Cappuccino
$6.32 CHF 5.18
$3.13 COP 10.2K
101.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.17 CHF 4.24
$1.77 COP 5,728
192.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 CHF 4.35
$1.42 COP 4,620
273.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.18 CHF 5.88
$3.15 COP 10.2K
127.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.83 CHF 5.60
$5.70 COP 18.5K
19.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Fribourg
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.25 CHF 1.84
$1.53 COP 4,971
47.06%
White Bread (500g)
$3.29 CHF 2.70
$2.29 COP 7,431
43.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.52 CHF 2.89
$1.94 COP 6,308
81.44%
Eggs
$7.40 CHF 6.07
$3.07 COP 9,945
141.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$24.30 CHF 19.91
$9.99 COP 32.4K
143.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$25.33 CHF 20.76
$10.45 COP 33.9K
142.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$37.26 CHF 30.53
$13.96 COP 45.3K
166.91%
Apples (1kg)
$3.56 CHF 2.92
$4.05 COP 13.1K
-12.10%
Banana (1kg)
$1.64 CHF 1.34
$1.53 COP 4,957
7.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.58 CHF 2.12
$2.10 COP 6,825
22.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.59 CHF 3.76
$2.29 COP 7,439
100.44%
Potato (1kg)
$1.72 CHF 1.41
$2.11 COP 6,841
-18.48%
Onion (1kg)
$2.10 CHF 1.72
$1.71 COP 5,543
22.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.25 CHF 1.84
$1.17 COP 3,795
92.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 CHF 0.98
$1.58 COP 5,125
-24.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.96 CHF 8.98
$3.91 COP 12.7K
180.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.48 CHF 8.59
$14.04 COP 45.6K
-25.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.62 CHF 2.96
$1.76 COP 5,714
105.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 CHF 2.02
$2.71 COP 8,796
-8.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Fribourg
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.64 CHF 2.98
$1.18 COP 3,826
208.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$86.2 CHF 70.6
$76.3 COP 247.4K
12.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$12.31 CHF 10.08
$1.81 COP 5,860
580.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.90 CHF 4.01
$2.13 COP 6,906
130.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$8.13 COP 26.4K
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.30 CHF 1.89
$1.28 COP 4,136
79.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.3K CHF 32.2K
$34.4K COP 111.7M
14.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.6K CHF 32.4K
$34.1K COP 110.7M
15.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fribourg
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$343 CHF 281
$178 COP 576.4K
92.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$42.40 CHF 34.75
$13.89 COP 45.0K
205.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$57.3 CHF 46.93
$30.74 COP 99.7K
86.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Fribourg
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.4 CHF 63.4
$41.94 COP 136.0K
84.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$16.80 COP 54.5K
-
Cinema Ticket
$21.17 CHF 17.35
$7.47 COP 24.2K
183.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Fribourg
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,813 CHF 2,305
$790 COP 2.6M
256.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$12.3K COP 39.9M
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Fribourg
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$100 CHF 82.3
$86.3 COP 280.0K
16.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$98.4 CHF 80.6
$59.3 COP 192.2K
66.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$248 CHF 203
$138 COP 448.7K
78.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$197 CHF 162
$98.8 COP 320.5K
99.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Fribourg
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,809 CHF 1,482
$1,341 COP 4.3M
34.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,538 CHF 1,260
$667 COP 2.2M
130.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,713 CHF 2,223
$1,976 COP 6.4M
37.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,313 CHF 1,895
$1,033 COP 3.3M
123.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$13.8K CHF 11.3K
$4,098 COP 13.3M
236.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$10.4K CHF 8,496
$1,940 COP 6.3M
434.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Fribourg
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,889 CHF 5,645
$646 COP 2.1M
966.12%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.31
10.94
-78.88%

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

Last update for Fribourg: November 3, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Fribourg
$1.5K
Medellin
$667 56.6% $871
Groceries & Markets
Fribourg
$548
Medellin
$307 43.9% $241
Eating Out
Fribourg
$455
Medellin
$173 62.1% $283
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fribourg
$442
Medellin
$222 49.7% $220
Clothing & Footwear
Fribourg
$290
Medellin
$172 40.5% $117
Getting Around
Fribourg
$138
Medellin
$93 32% $44
Sport & Entertainment
Fribourg
$120
Medellin
$57 52.5% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,809 in Fribourg versus $1,341 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 Fribourg are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Fribourg versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $548 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇭 Fribourg
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
12:23 12:23 PM
06:23 6:23 AM
6 h behind Fribourg
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
37,485
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.819 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.919 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,636 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Fribourg Medellin 8,950 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Fribourg
  • 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
Fribourg vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Fribourg or Medellin?
Fribourg costs about 109% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Fribourg and in Medellin?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,296 per month in Fribourg and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Fribourg or Medellin?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,341 there versus $1,809 in Fribourg.
How do childcare costs compare in Fribourg and in Medellin?
Kindergarten costs $2,813 per month in Fribourg and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Fribourg or in Medellin?
Groceries cost about 78% more in Fribourg, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $2,500/month in Fribourg or in Medellin?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in Fribourg at $3,530. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fribourg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Fribourg or Medellin?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,692 versus $3,530 in Fribourg. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Fribourg or to Medellin?
If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fribourg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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