Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geneva and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $4,079 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $29,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

198

Cost of Living Index in Geneva
Learn more

Geneva Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,079

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,079 per month in Geneva vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Geneva $4,079
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $6,308 per month in Geneva vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Geneva $6,308
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $8,538 per month in Geneva vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Geneva $8,538
Medellin $3,186

Geneva costs about 149% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Geneva and Medellin sit above the global median – Geneva by 200%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.31 CHF 25.15

$8.09 COP 25.4K

274.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$129 CHF 107

$47.05 COP 148.0K

174.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.47 CHF 16.15

$9.50 COP 29.9K

104.95%

Cappuccino

$6.40 CHF 5.31

$3.01 COP 9,485

112.62%

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

$4.66 CHF 3.87

$1.80 COP 5,660

158.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 CHF 3.43

$1.41 COP 4,443

192.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.82 CHF 8.14

$3.18 COP 9,990

208.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.87 CHF 8.19

$5.75 COP 18.1K

71.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.95

$1.51 COP 4,751

55.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 CHF 2.70

$2.38 COP 7,480

36.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 CHF 2.81

$1.77 COP 5,573

91.53%

Eggs

$8.18 CHF 6.78

$2.89 COP 9,093

183.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.05 CHF 20.78

$10.19 COP 32.1K

145.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.22 CHF 24.24

$9.87 COP 31.1K

196.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.51 CHF 35.27

$13.99 COP 44.0K

203.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 CHF 2.93

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-11.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 CHF 1.35

$1.55 COP 4,883

5.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 CHF 2.36

$2.18 COP 6,867

30.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.90 CHF 4.07

$2.18 COP 6,870

124.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 CHF 1.36

$1.96 COP 6,174

-16.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 CHF 1.90

$1.59 COP 5,000

44.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 CHF 1.82

$1.15 COP 3,604

90.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CHF 1.38

$1.24 COP 3,911

33.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.97 CHF 9.10

$3.96 COP 12.5K

177.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 CHF 10.08

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 CHF 2.66

$1.66 COP 5,221

93.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 CHF 2.74

$2.26 COP 7,103

46.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.55 CHF 2.95

$1.17 COP 3,674

203.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.8 CHF 71.2

$77.4 COP 243.4K

10.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.61 CHF 6.31

$1.27 COP 3,989

499.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.76 CHF 3.12

$2.05 COP 6,442

83.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.2 CHF 53.2

$8.55 COP 26.9K

650.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.95

$1.35 COP 4,237

74.07%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.8K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

16.07%

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

$38.8K CHF 32.2K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

12.05%

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

$280 CHF 232

$170 COP 533.7K

64.95%

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

$37.96 CHF 31.49

$13.55 COP 42.6K

180.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.6 CHF 47.74

$28.07 COP 88.3K

105.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.0 CHF 63.8

$43.70 COP 137.5K

76.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.34 CHF 35.95

$17.19 COP 54.1K

152.12%

Cinema Ticket

$23.96 CHF 19.88

$6.91 COP 21.7K

246.74%

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

$2,484 CHF 2,061

$797 COP 2.5M

211.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.2K CHF 29.2K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

286.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$133 CHF 110

$84.7 COP 266.5K

57.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.1 CHF 65.6

$58.0 COP 182.3K

36.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$169 CHF 140

$135 COP 424.6K

24.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$188 CHF 156

$97.9 COP 307.9K

92.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 CHF 2,344

$1,208 COP 3.8M

133.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,115 CHF 1,754

$642 COP 2.0M

229.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,088 CHF 4,221

$2,028 COP 6.4M

150.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,963 CHF 3,287

$1,012 COP 3.2M

291.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$22.5K CHF 18.6K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

438.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.3K CHF 13.5K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

754.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,271 CHF 6,032

$657 COP 2.1M

1006.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.98

10.94

-81.90%

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

Last update for Geneva: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geneva

$2.1K 51.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 69.7% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Geneva

$600 14.7%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 50.5% $303

Eating Out

Geneva

$482 11.8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 64.8% $312

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geneva

$375 9.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 43.7% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Geneva

$256 6.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 34% $87

Getting Around

Geneva

$126 3.1%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 26% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Geneva

$125 3.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 53.9% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,825 in Geneva 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 Geneva are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $129 in Geneva versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $600 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Geneva

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

12:45 12:45 PM

6 h behind Geneva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

191,557

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.924 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Geneva Medellin 8,870 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Geneva
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

Geneva vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Geneva is pricier by about 149%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,118 per month in Geneva 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 $2,825 in Geneva.

Groceries cost about 102% more in Geneva, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $129 in Geneva and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Geneva at $4,079. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Geneva it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $4,079 in Geneva. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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