Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grand Forks, ND and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,035 in Grand Forks, ND, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Grand Forks, ND
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Grand Forks, ND Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Grand Forks, ND

🇺🇸 United States

$2,035

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,035 in Grand Forks, ND versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Grand Forks, ND $2,035
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,968 in Grand Forks, ND versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Grand Forks, ND $2,968
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,901 in Grand Forks, ND versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Grand Forks, ND $3,901
Medellin $3,199

Living in Grand Forks, ND is roughly 25% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Grand Forks, ND 50% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.31 $21.31

$8.30 COP 26.3K

156.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.5 $81.5

$46.91 COP 148.7K

73.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.11 $13.11

$9.24 COP 29.3K

41.88%

Cappuccino

$6.13 $6.13

$3.05 COP 9,676

100.98%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$1.80 COP 5,707

56.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.38 COP 4,382

114.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 $4.87

$3.24 COP 10.3K

50.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 $5.96

$5.56 COP 17.6K

7.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.50 COP 4,760

-24.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.37 COP 7,508

52.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$1.70 COP 5,377

163.53%

Eggs

$3.69 $3.69

$2.96 COP 9,379

24.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.28 $24.28

$10.22 COP 32.4K

137.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.53 COP 4,839

29.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.22 COP 7,052

99.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.27 COP 7,194

43.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.99 COP 6,311

11.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.67 COP 5,285

70.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.18 COP 3,742

88.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.24 COP 3,919

64.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$3.87 COP 12.3K

159.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$35.08 $35.08

$13.78 COP 43.7K

154.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 $6.08

$2.40 COP 7,615

153.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.24 COP 3,944

20.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.18 $41.18

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-47.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.03 $6.03

$1.28 COP 4,044

371.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.35 COP 4,288

-34.81%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

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

$217 $217

$167 COP 528.4K

30.08%

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

$115 $115

$13.62 COP 43.2K

742.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.6 $72.6

$29.12 COP 92.3K

149.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.9 $62.9

$45.09 COP 143.0K

39.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$15.04 $15.04

$6.97 COP 22.1K

115.78%

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

$586 $586

$790 COP 2.5M

-25.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$975 $975

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-5.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$815 $815

$620 COP 2.0M

31.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 $1,564

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-16.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 $1,292

$1,008 COP 3.2M

28.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,664 $1,664

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-58.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,682 $1,682

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-1.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,125 $4,125

$663 COP 2.1M

521.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

10.94

-37.66%

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

Last update for Grand Forks, ND: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Grand Forks, ND

$815 40.1%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 24% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grand Forks, ND

$404 19.9%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 48.2% $195

Eating Out

Grand Forks, ND

$343 16.9%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 50.2% $172

Groceries & Markets

Grand Forks, ND

$327 * 16.1%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 8.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Grand Forks, ND

$93 4.6%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 36.5% $34

Getting Around

Grand Forks, ND

$53 * 2.6%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 79% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Grand Forks, ND

- * 0%

Medellin

$173 10.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $975 in Grand Forks, ND and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Grand Forks, ND pays 522% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $81.0 in Grand Forks, ND vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $298 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Grand Forks, ND

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:36 7:36 AM

Same time as Grand Forks, ND

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,372

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Grand Forks, ND Medellin 5,060 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Grand Forks, ND
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

Grand Forks, ND vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Grand Forks, ND. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 522% higher in Grand Forks, ND, 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: $975 in Grand Forks, ND versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 90% less than in Grand Forks, ND. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $586 in Grand Forks, ND versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,625 in Medellin versus $2,035 in Grand Forks, ND, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Grand Forks, ND. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,625 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Grand Forks, ND and Medellin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Grand Forks, ND. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.