Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,425 in Glasgow, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,425 per month in Glasgow vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Glasgow $2,425
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,706 per month in Glasgow vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Glasgow $3,706
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $4,987 per month in Glasgow vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Glasgow $4,987
Medellin $3,186

Glasgow costs about 48% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Glasgow and Medellin sit above the global median – Glasgow by 78%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.28 £15.97

$8.09 COP 25.6K

163.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 £50.4

$47.05 COP 148.9K

42.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 £7.94

$9.50 COP 30.1K

11.37%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$3.01 COP 9,540

59.80%

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

$2.26 £1.69

$1.80 COP 5,693

25.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.41 COP 4,469

29.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 £4.11

$3.18 COP 10.0K

72.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 £4.98

$5.75 COP 18.2K

15.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.51 COP 4,778

10.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 £1.23

$2.38 COP 7,524

-31.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 £1.50

$1.77 COP 5,606

12.99%

Eggs

$4.00 £3.00

$2.89 COP 9,146

38.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.28 £6.96

$10.19 COP 32.2K

-8.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 £6.82

$9.87 COP 31.2K

-8.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 £12.57

$13.99 COP 44.3K

19.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 £2.27

$3.97 COP 12.6K

-23.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.55 COP 4,911

-2.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 £2.19

$2.18 COP 6,907

33.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 £2.39

$2.18 COP 6,910

46.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.96 COP 6,210

-1.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.59 COP 5,029

-2.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 £0.85

$1.15 COP 3,625

-1.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.24 COP 3,934

27.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.96 £17.98

$3.96 COP 12.5K

505.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 £8.49

$13.68 COP 43.3K

-17.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 £2.53

$1.66 COP 5,252

103.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 £2.50

$2.26 COP 7,145

47.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.99

$1.17 COP 3,696

240.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £81.1

$77.4 COP 244.8K

39.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 £4.32

$1.27 COP 4,013

352.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 £0.86

$2.05 COP 6,480

-44.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 £45.48

$8.55 COP 27.1K

608.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.57

$1.35 COP 4,262

54.81%

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

$39.3K £29.5K

$34.1K COP 107.8M

15.29%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

$34.7K COP 109.7M

17.19%

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

$312 £234

$170 COP 536.8K

84.17%

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

$20.29 £15.22

$13.55 COP 42.9K

49.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.05 £31.55

$28.07 COP 88.8K

49.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 £28.00

$43.70 COP 138.3K

-14.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.73 £15.56

$17.19 COP 54.4K

20.59%

Cinema Ticket

$16.26 £12.20

$6.91 COP 21.9K

135.31%

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

$1,124 £843

$797 COP 2.5M

41.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K £16.2K

$9,112 COP 28.8M

137.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$132 £99.0

$84.7 COP 268.1K

55.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.81 £34.37

$58.0 COP 183.4K

-20.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £80.0

$135 COP 427.1K

-21.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 £70.1

$97.9 COP 309.7K

-4.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 £1,027

$1,208 COP 3.8M

13.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 £786

$642 COP 2.0M

63.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,770 £2,078

$2,028 COP 6.4M

36.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 £1,561

$1,012 COP 3.2M

105.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,035 £3,027

$4,170 COP 13.2M

-3.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,923 £2,193

$1,910 COP 6.0M

52.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,339 £2,505

$657 COP 2.1M

408.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

10.94

-56.22%

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

Last update for Glasgow: 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

Glasgow

$1K 43.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 38.7% $406

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$375 15.5%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 43.6% $164

Eating Out

Glasgow

$317 13.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 46.5% $147

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$311 12.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 4.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$170 7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 0.6% $1

Getting Around

Glasgow

$135 5.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 30.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$70 2.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 17.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,368 in Glasgow 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 Glasgow are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Glasgow versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $311 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:02 4:02 AM

23:02 11:02 PM

5 h behind Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

2,486,723

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

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 GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Glasgow Medellin 8,270 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Glasgow
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

Glasgow vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,425 in Glasgow, $1,639 in Medellin – Medellin comes out roughly 32% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,637 per month in Glasgow 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 $1,368 in Glasgow.

Kindergarten costs $1,124 per month in Glasgow and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Glasgow, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $2,425 in Glasgow. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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