Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grand Island, NE and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,648 in Grand Island, NE, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Grand Island, NE
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Grand Island, NE Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Grand Island, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,648

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,648 per month in Grand Island, NE vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Grand Island, NE $2,648
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $3,864 per month in Grand Island, NE vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Grand Island, NE $3,864
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $5,079 per month in Grand Island, NE vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Grand Island, NE $5,079
Medellin $3,186

Grand Island, NE costs about 62% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Grand Island, NE and Medellin sit above the global median – Grand Island, NE by 95%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.03 $19.03

$8.09 COP 25.4K

135.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.7 $75.7

$47.05 COP 148.0K

60.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 $10.84

$9.50 COP 29.9K

14.11%

Cappuccino

$5.17 $5.17

$3.01 COP 9,485

71.76%

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

$2.57 $2.57

$1.80 COP 5,660

42.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.41 COP 4,443

38.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 $6.06

$3.18 COP 9,990

90.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 $7.09

$5.75 COP 18.1K

23.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.51 COP 4,751

-34.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.38 COP 7,480

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 $4.24

$1.77 COP 5,573

139.55%

Eggs

$4.09 $4.09

$2.89 COP 9,093

41.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.27 $12.27

$10.19 COP 32.1K

20.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.38 $11.38

$9.87 COP 31.1K

15.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.24 $15.24

$13.99 COP 44.0K

8.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$3.97 COP 12.5K

21.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.55 COP 4,883

2.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.18 COP 6,867

96.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$2.18 COP 6,870

114.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.96 COP 6,174

47.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.59 COP 5,000

74.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.15 COP 3,604

73.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.24 COP 3,911

74.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.43 $9.43

$3.96 COP 12.5K

138.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.26 $14.26

$13.68 COP 43.0K

4.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.66 COP 5,221

11.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.26 COP 7,103

52.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.17 COP 3,674

73.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 $53.9

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-30.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.27 COP 3,989

170.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.05 COP 6,442

-19.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.32 $29.32

$8.55 COP 26.9K

242.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.35 COP 4,237

-34.07%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-12.71%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-25.92%

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

$184 $184

$170 COP 533.7K

8.44%

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

$52.8 $52.8

$13.55 COP 42.6K

289.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.8 $66.8

$28.07 COP 88.3K

138.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.25 $43.25

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-1.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$13.37 $13.37

$6.91 COP 21.7K

93.49%

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

$1,290 $1,290

$797 COP 2.5M

61.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

161.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.0 $50.0

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-40.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 $39.99

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-31.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 $86.7

$135 COP 424.6K

-35.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$97.9 COP 307.9K

14.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 $1,600

$1,208 COP 3.8M

32.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,376 $1,376

$642 COP 2.0M

114.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,667 $2,667

$2,028 COP 6.4M

31.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,256 $2,256

$1,012 COP 3.2M

123.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,768 $2,768

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-33.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,469 $2,469

$1,910 COP 6.0M

29.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

10.94

-40.49%

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

Last update for Grand Island, NE: 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

Grand Island, NE

$1.4K 52%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 53.4% $735

Groceries & Markets

Grand Island, NE

$385 14.6%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 23% $88

Eating Out

Grand Island, NE

$309 11.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 45.2% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grand Island, NE

$304 11.5%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 30.4% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Grand Island, NE

$130 4.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 30% $39

Getting Around

Grand Island, NE

$74 2.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 26.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Grand Island, NE

$70 2.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 17.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Grand Island, NE 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 $76 in Grand Island, NE versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Grand Island, NE

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:09 6:09 PM

Same time as Grand Island, NE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,632

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Grand Island, NE Medellin 4,470 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Grand Island, NE
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 Island, NE vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Grand Island, NE is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,973 per month in Grand Island, NE 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 $1,600 in Grand Island, NE.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Grand Island, NE. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,290 per month in Grand Island, NE and $797 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 $1,639, than in Grand Island, NE at $2,648. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Grand Island, NE 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.