Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Golden, CO and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $3,432 in Golden, CO, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

165

Cost of Living Index in Golden, CO
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Golden, CO Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Golden, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$3,432

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,432 per month in Golden, CO vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Golden, CO $3,432
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $3,162 per month in Golden, CO vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Golden, CO $3,162
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $2,891 per month in Golden, CO vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Golden, CO $2,891
Medellin $3,249

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

Both Golden, CO and Medellin sit above the global median – Golden, CO by 154%, Medellin by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.14 $20.14

$8.34 COP 27.0K

141.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 $67.0

$46.53 COP 150.9K

43.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.08 $12.08

$9.47 COP 30.7K

27.56%

Cappuccino

$5.52 $5.52

$3.13 COP 10.2K

76.36%

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

$2.75 $2.75

$1.77 COP 5,727

55.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.42 COP 4,619

42.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 $5.85

$3.15 COP 10.2K

85.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.99 $6.99

$5.70 COP 18.5K

22.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.53 COP 4,969

-35.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.29 COP 7,429

44.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.94 COP 6,306

120.10%

Eggs

$2.94 $2.94

$3.07 COP 9,942

-4.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.95 $14.95

$9.99 COP 32.4K

49.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.44 $13.44

$10.45 COP 33.9K

28.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.31 $17.31

$13.96 COP 45.3K

24.00%

Apples (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$4.05 COP 13.1K

32.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.53 COP 4,956

-16.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.10 COP 6,823

107.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$2.29 COP 7,437

102.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.11 COP 6,839

18.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.71 COP 5,542

52.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.17 COP 3,794

97.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.58 COP 5,123

20.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.40 $10.40

$3.91 COP 12.7K

165.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.90 $18.90

$14.04 COP 45.5K

34.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.76 COP 5,712

93.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.71 COP 8,793

73.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.18 COP 3,825

122.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.79 $3.79

$1.81 COP 5,859

109.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.13 COP 6,904

-27.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.33 $25.33

$8.13 COP 26.4K

211.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.28 COP 4,135

-17.19%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

-19.15%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-23.11%

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

$199 $199

$178 COP 576.3K

12.02%

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

$93.9 $93.9

$13.89 COP 45.0K

576.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$30.74 COP 99.7K

128.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.3 $59.3

$41.94 COP 136.0K

41.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 $15.22

$7.47 COP 24.2K

103.75%

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

$1,543 $1,543

$790 COP 2.6M

95.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.1K $21.1K

$12.3K COP 39.9M

71.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 $59.0

$86.3 COP 279.9K

-31.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.95 $24.95

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-57.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 $80.4

$138 COP 448.6K

-41.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$98.8 COP 320.4K

2.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,206 $2,206

$1,341 COP 4.3M

64.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,091 $2,091

$667 COP 2.2M

213.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

10.94

-39.03%

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

Last update for Golden, CO: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Golden, CO

$2.1K 61%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 68.1% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Golden, CO

$420 12.2%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 26.8% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Golden, CO

$363 10.6%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 38.8% $141

Eating Out

Golden, CO

$326 9.5%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 47% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Golden, CO

$120 3.5%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 44.1% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Golden, CO

$90 2.6%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 36.6% $33

Getting Around

Golden, CO

$22 * 0.6%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 324% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,206 in Golden, CO versus $1,341 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 $67 in Golden, CO versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $420 vs $307 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Golden, CO

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:32 7:32 AM

09:32 9:32 AM

2 h ahead of Golden, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,399

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,635 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Golden, CO Medellin 4,750 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Golden, CO
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

Golden, CO vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,432 in Golden, CO, $1,692 in Medellin – Medellin comes out roughly 51% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,148 per month in Golden, CO and $2,538 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 $1,341 there versus $2,206 in Golden, CO.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,432 in Golden, CO and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Medellin about 51% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,543 per month in Golden, CO and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in Golden, CO at $3,432. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Golden, CO it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.