Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glarus and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,328 in Glarus, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Glarus, Switzerland
Medellin, Colombia
Glarus
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,328
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,328 per month in Glarus vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Glarus $3,328
  • Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $5,017 per month in Glarus vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Glarus $5,017
  • Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $6,706 per month in Glarus vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Glarus $6,706
  • Medellin $3,186

Glarus costs about 103% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Glarus and Medellin sit above the global median – Glarus by 145%, Medellin by 20%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Glarus
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$29.28 CHF 24.15
$8.09 COP 26.1K
261.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$119 CHF 98.3
$47.05 COP 151.9K
153.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$17.86 CHF 14.73
$9.50 COP 30.7K
88.00%
Cappuccino
$5.91 CHF 4.87
$3.01 COP 9,735
96.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.87 CHF 3.20
$1.80 COP 5,809
115.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.88 CHF 3.20
$1.41 COP 4,561
175.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.89 CHF 7.33
$3.18 COP 10.3K
179.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.37 CHF 5.25
$5.75 COP 18.6K
10.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Glarus
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.20 CHF 1.81
$1.51 COP 4,876
45.70%
White Bread (500g)
$3.20 CHF 2.64
$2.38 COP 7,678
34.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.89 CHF 2.38
$1.77 COP 5,720
63.28%
Eggs
$7.95 CHF 6.56
$2.89 COP 9,333
175.09%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.26 CHF 6.81
$10.19 COP 32.9K
-18.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.23 CHF 11.74
$9.87 COP 31.9K
44.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$39.22 CHF 32.35
$13.99 COP 45.2K
180.34%
Apples (1kg)
$3.12 CHF 2.57
$3.97 COP 12.8K
-21.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 CHF 1.27
$1.55 COP 5,012
-
Oranges (1kg)
$2.31 CHF 1.90
$2.18 COP 7,048
5.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.37 CHF 4.43
$2.18 COP 7,051
146.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.65 CHF 1.36
$1.96 COP 6,337
-15.82%
Onion (1kg)
$2.10 CHF 1.73
$1.59 COP 5,132
32.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.24 CHF 1.85
$1.15 COP 3,699
94.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.19 CHF 0.99
$1.24 COP 4,014
-4.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.08 CHF 9.14
$3.96 COP 12.8K
179.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.02 CHF 9.09
$13.68 COP 44.2K
-19.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.12 CHF 1.75
$1.66 COP 5,359
27.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 CHF 1.92
$2.26 COP 7,291
3.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Glarus
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.94 CHF 4.90
$1.17 COP 3,771
407.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$225 CHF 185
$77.4 COP 249.8K
190.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.52 CHF 5.37
$1.27 COP 4,094
413.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.81 CHF 3.96
$2.05 COP 6,612
134.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$79.3 CHF 65.4
$8.55 COP 27.6K
827.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 CHF 1.82
$1.35 COP 4,349
63.70%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K CHF 31.6K
$34.1K COP 110.0M
12.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.8K CHF 32.0K
$34.7K COP 111.9M
12.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Glarus
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$311 CHF 257
$170 COP 547.8K
83.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.41 CHF 30.86
$13.55 COP 43.8K
176.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.1 CHF 44.65
$28.07 COP 90.6K
92.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Glarus
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$162 CHF 133
$43.70 COP 141.1K
269.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$43.11 CHF 35.56
$17.19 COP 55.5K
150.79%
Cinema Ticket
$25.30 CHF 20.87
$6.91 COP 22.3K
266.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Glarus
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,278 CHF 1,878
$797 COP 2.6M
185.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$32.5K CHF 26.8K
$9,112 COP 29.4M
256.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Glarus
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 CHF 84.0
$84.7 COP 273.5K
20.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.39 CHF 34.96
$58.0 COP 187.2K
-26.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$131 CHF 108
$135 COP 435.8K
-2.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.6 CHF 80.5
$97.9 COP 316.0K
-0.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Glarus
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,676 CHF 1,382
$1,208 COP 3.9M
38.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,377 CHF 1,136
$642 COP 2.1M
114.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,960 CHF 2,441
$2,028 COP 6.5M
45.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,298 CHF 1,895
$1,012 COP 3.3M
127.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,170 COP 13.5M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,910 COP 6.2M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Glarus
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$657 COP 2.1M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.1
10.94
-80.80%

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

Last update for Glarus: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Glarus
$1.4K
Medellin
$642 53.4% $735
Eating Out
Glarus
$447
Medellin
$170 62.1% $277
Groceries & Markets
Glarus
$442
Medellin
$297 32.8% $145
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Glarus
$403
Medellin
$211 47.6% $192
Getting Around
Glarus
$279
Medellin
$94 66.5% $186
Sport & Entertainment
Glarus
$212
Medellin
$58 72.9% $155
Clothing & Footwear
Glarus
$168
Medellin
$169 0.6% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,676 in Glarus 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $119 in Glarus versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $442 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇭 Glarus
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
05:40 5:40 AM
23:40 11:40 PM
6 h behind Glarus
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
12,500
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.825 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.921 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Glarus Medellin 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Glarus
  • 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
Glarus vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Glarus?
Yes – Glarus is pricier by about 103%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,992 per month in Glarus and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $1,676 in Glarus.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 66% less in Medellin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $2,278 per month in Glarus and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Glarus or in Medellin?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Glarus at $3,328. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Glarus it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Glarus or Medellin more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Medellin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Medellin is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 51% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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