Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fullerton, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $3,507 in Fullerton, CA, rent and utilities included – about $22,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

169

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

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Fullerton, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,507

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,507 per month in Fullerton, CA vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Fullerton, CA $3,507
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $5,392 per month in Fullerton, CA vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Fullerton, CA $5,392
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $7,276 per month in Fullerton, CA vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Fullerton, CA $7,276
Medellin $3,199

Fullerton, CA costs about 116% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Fullerton, CA and Medellin sit above the global median – Fullerton, CA by 159%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.09 $25.09

$8.30 COP 26.3K

202.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.9 $78.9

$46.91 COP 148.7K

68.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.35 $11.35

$9.24 COP 29.3K

22.84%

Cappuccino

$5.72 $5.72

$3.05 COP 9,676

87.54%

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

$2.81 $2.81

$1.80 COP 5,707

56.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.38 COP 4,382

48.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 $7.88

$3.24 COP 10.3K

143.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.81 $9.81

$5.56 COP 17.6K

76.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.50 COP 4,760

-6.00%

White Bread (500g)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.37 COP 7,508

115.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.70 COP 5,377

155.29%

Eggs

$5.06 $5.06

$2.96 COP 9,379

70.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.26 $12.26

$10.22 COP 32.4K

19.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.63 $8.63

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-11.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.69 $15.69

$13.90 COP 44.1K

12.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$4.13 COP 13.1K

13.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.53 COP 4,839

12.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.22 COP 7,052

81.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$2.27 COP 7,194

181.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$1.99 COP 6,311

79.40%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.67 COP 5,285

98.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.18 COP 3,742

78.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.24 COP 3,919

105.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.66 $11.66

$3.87 COP 12.3K

201.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.13 $15.13

$13.78 COP 43.7K

9.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.66 COP 5,256

4.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.40 COP 7,615

35.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.24 COP 3,944

85.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.6 $64.6

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-17.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 $4.44

$1.28 COP 4,044

246.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 $1.89

$2.15 COP 6,803

-12.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.21 $36.21

$8.37 COP 26.5K

332.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.35 COP 4,288

9.63%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-21.65%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-24.32%

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

$213 $213

$167 COP 528.4K

27.75%

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

$84.5 $84.5

$13.62 COP 43.2K

520.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.2 $73.2

$29.12 COP 92.3K

151.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.78 $40.78

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-9.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$12.13 $12.13

$6.97 COP 22.1K

74.03%

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

$1,391 $1,391

$790 COP 2.5M

76.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.3K $43.3K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

378.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.0 $75.0

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-14.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.26 $40.26

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-30.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.4 $88.4

$139 COP 440.7K

-36.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$98.9 COP 313.5K

21.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 $2,588

$1,028 COP 3.3M

151.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,043 $2,043

$620 COP 2.0M

229.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 $4,005

$1,881 COP 6.0M

112.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,069 $4,069

$1,008 COP 3.2M

303.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,472 $5,472

$3,988 COP 12.6M

37.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,578 $4,578

$663 COP 2.1M

590.21%

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 Fullerton, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fullerton, CA

$2K 58.3%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 69.7% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Fullerton, CA

$413 11.8%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 27.9% $115

Eating Out

Fullerton, CA

$382 10.9%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 55.3% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fullerton, CA

$371 10.6%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 43.5% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Fullerton, CA

$146 4.2%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 18.6% $27

Getting Around

Fullerton, CA

$88 2.5%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 8.7% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Fullerton, CA

$65 1.9%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 9.3% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,588 in Fullerton, CA versus $1,028 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 run about 590% higher in Fullerton, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Fullerton, CA versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $413 vs $298 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fullerton, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:45 10:45 AM

12:45 12:45 PM

2 h ahead of Fullerton, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,161

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Fullerton, CA Medellin 5,320 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Fullerton, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $3,507 in Fullerton, CA, $1,625 in Medellin – roughly 116% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,260 per month in Fullerton, CA and $2,437 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,391 per month in Fullerton, CA and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Fullerton, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Fullerton, CA at $3,507. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fullerton, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Fullerton, CA has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,625 in Medellin to $3,507 in Fullerton, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fullerton, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.