Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Garden Grove, CA and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Garden Grove, CA: $1,417 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

68

Cost of Living Index in Garden Grove, CA
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Garden Grove, CA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Garden Grove, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,417

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,417 per month in Garden Grove, CA vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Garden Grove, CA $1,417
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,270 per month in Garden Grove, CA vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Garden Grove, CA $2,270
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,123 per month in Garden Grove, CA vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Garden Grove, CA $3,123
Medellin $3,186

Garden Grove, CA is about 14% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Garden Grove, CA and Medellin sit above the global median – Garden Grove, CA by 4%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.39 $25.39

$8.09 COP 26.1K

213.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.0 $78.0

$47.05 COP 151.9K

65.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.29 $11.29

$9.50 COP 30.7K

18.84%

Cappuccino

$5.52 $5.52

$3.01 COP 9,735

83.39%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$1.80 COP 5,809

51.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.41 COP 4,561

38.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.35 $7.35

$3.18 COP 10.3K

131.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.97 $9.97

$5.75 COP 18.6K

73.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.51 COP 4,876

-21.19%

White Bread (500g)

$5.30 $5.30

$2.38 COP 7,678

122.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$1.77 COP 5,720

149.72%

Eggs

$5.08 $5.08

$2.89 COP 9,333

75.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.50 $12.50

$10.19 COP 32.9K

22.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.78 $8.78

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-11.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.68 $13.68

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-2.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$3.97 COP 12.8K

15.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.55 COP 5,012

10.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.18 COP 7,048

82.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.73 $5.73

$2.18 COP 7,051

162.84%

Potato (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$1.96 COP 6,337

80.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.59 COP 5,132

90.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.15 COP 3,699

86.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.24 COP 4,014

82.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.56 $11.56

$3.96 COP 12.8K

191.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$13.68 COP 44.2K

11.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.66 COP 5,359

5.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.26 COP 7,291

43.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.14 $5.14

$1.17 COP 3,771

339.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.3 $70.3

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-9.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.61 $4.61

$1.27 COP 4,094

262.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$2.05 COP 6,612

-8.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.22 $36.22

$8.55 COP 27.6K

323.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.35 COP 4,349

12.59%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-17.30%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-25.02%

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

$219 $219

$170 COP 547.8K

29.16%

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

$70.1 $70.1

$13.55 COP 43.8K

417.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.2 $69.2

$28.07 COP 90.6K

146.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.78 $14.78

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-66.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.05 $20.05

$17.19 COP 55.5K

16.64%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 $15.02

$6.91 COP 22.3K

117.37%

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

$1,190 $1,190

$797 COP 2.6M

49.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.6K $42.6K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

367.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.6 $62.6

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-26.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.09 $40.09

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-30.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 $79.7

$135 COP 435.8K

-40.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$97.9 COP 316.0K

5.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,240 $2,240

$1,208 COP 3.9M

85.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,561 $3,561

$2,028 COP 6.5M

75.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,670 $4,670

$657 COP 2.1M

610.63%

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 Garden Grove, CA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Garden Grove, CA

$401 28.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 26% $104

Eating Out

Garden Grove, CA

$379 26.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 55.2% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Garden Grove, CA

$358 25.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 41% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Garden Grove, CA

$129 9.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 31.3% $40

Getting Around

Garden Grove, CA

$105 7.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 10.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Garden Grove, CA

$45 3.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 28.4% $13

Accommodation & Living

Garden Grove, CA

- * 0%

Medellin

$642 39.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,240 in Garden Grove, CA versus $1,208 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 Garden Grove, CA are about 7.1 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Garden Grove, CA versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Garden Grove, CA

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

03:41 3:41 AM

06:41 6:41 AM

3 h ahead of Garden Grove, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,883

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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Garden Grove, CA Medellin 5,320 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Garden Grove, 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

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

Medellin costs about 16% more than Garden Grove, CA, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,125 per month in Garden Grove, CA and $2,459 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $2,240 in Garden Grove, CA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,417 in Garden Grove, CA and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Garden Grove, CA about 14% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 9% less in Garden Grove, CA. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,417 in Garden Grove, CA and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,417 in Garden Grove, CA to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.