Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Genk and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,828 in Genk, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Genk
Learn more

Genk Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Genk

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,828

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,828 in Genk versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Genk $1,828
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,767 in Genk versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Genk $2,767
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,706 in Genk versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Genk $3,706
Medellin $3,186

Living in Genk is roughly 11% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Genk 34% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.16 €20.75

$8.09 COP 25.6K

186.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.2 €80.0

$47.05 COP 148.9K

89.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.32 €11.94

$9.50 COP 30.1K

40.21%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.87

$3.01 COP 9,540

43.52%

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

$2.64 €2.37

$1.80 COP 5,693

46.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.41 COP 4,469

61.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 €4.07

$3.18 COP 10.0K

42.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 €3.54

$5.75 COP 18.2K

-31.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 €0.82

$1.51 COP 4,778

-39.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 €2.58

$2.38 COP 7,524

20.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 €2.08

$1.77 COP 5,606

31.07%

Eggs

$3.93 €3.52

$2.89 COP 9,146

35.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 €8.14

$10.19 COP 32.2K

-10.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.42 €6.65

$9.87 COP 31.2K

-24.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 €10.09

$13.99 COP 44.3K

-19.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$3.97 COP 12.6K

-39.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.12

$1.55 COP 4,911

52.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 €2.29

$2.18 COP 6,907

17.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.93 €2.62

$2.18 COP 6,910

34.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.96 COP 6,210

29.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.59 COP 5,029

13.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$1.15 COP 3,625

30.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.24 COP 3,934

-11.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.70 €11.38

$3.96 COP 12.5K

220.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 €6.65

$13.68 COP 43.3K

-45.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.66 COP 5,252

3.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$2.26 COP 7,145

-49.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.27 €2.93

$1.17 COP 3,696

179.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.1 €49.39

$77.4 COP 244.8K

-28.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 €4.96

$1.27 COP 4,013

336.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 €2.46

$2.05 COP 6,480

34.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.28 €40.58

$8.55 COP 27.1K

429.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.35 COP 4,262

36.30%

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

$22.4K €20.1K

$34.1K COP 107.8M

-34.18%

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

$27.4K €24.5K

$34.7K COP 109.7M

-21.03%

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

$169 €152

$170 COP 536.8K

-0.32%

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

$20.43 €18.30

$13.55 COP 42.9K

50.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.91 €36.66

$28.07 COP 88.8K

45.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.82 €33.00

$43.70 COP 138.3K

-15.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.80 €17.74

$17.19 COP 54.4K

15.18%

Cinema Ticket

$15.93 €14.27

$6.91 COP 21.9K

130.54%

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

$281 €252

$797 COP 2.5M

-64.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.8K €29.4K

$9,112 COP 28.8M

260.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.6

$84.7 COP 268.1K

27.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.61 €41.76

$58.0 COP 183.4K

-19.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 €70.9

$135 COP 427.1K

-41.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €92.3

$97.9 COP 309.7K

5.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$952 €853

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-21.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$694 €622

$642 COP 2.0M

8.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,295 €1,161

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-36.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 €933

$1,012 COP 3.2M

2.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,107 €3,680

$4,170 COP 13.2M

-1.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,908 €2,606

$1,910 COP 6.0M

52.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,275 €2,039

$657 COP 2.1M

246.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

10.94

-67.73%

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

Last update for Genk: 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

Genk

$694 38%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 7.6% $53

Eating Out

Genk

$327 17.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 48.2% $158

Groceries & Markets

Genk

$268 14.7%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 10.7% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Genk

$230 12.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 8.3% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Genk

$151 8.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 11.6% $18

Getting Around

Genk

$87 4.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 7% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Genk

$69 3.8%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 16.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $952 in Genk and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Genk pays about 3.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $89 in Genk vs $47 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $297, with Genk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Genk

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:17 7:17 AM

01:17 1:17 AM

6 h behind Genk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,321

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Genk Medellin 8,840 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Genk
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

Genk vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Genk is about 3.5 times higher, 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: $952 in Genk versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Genk pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $89 in Genk. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Genk on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.