Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Green Island and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Green Island: $1,009 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Green Island, Jamaica
Medellin, Colombia
Green Island
🇯🇲 Jamaica
$1,009
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,009 in Green Island versus $1,639 in Medellin.

  • Green Island $1,009
  • Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,670 in Green Island versus $2,413 in Medellin.

  • Green Island $1,670
  • Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,332 in Green Island versus $3,186 in Medellin.

  • Green Island $2,332
  • Medellin $3,186

Living in Green Island costs roughly 38% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Green Island is 26% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Green Island
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.69 JMD 2,159
$8.09 COP 25.4K
69.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$76.0 JMD 12.0K
$47.05 COP 148.0K
61.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.07 JMD 1,273
$9.50 COP 29.9K
-15.05%
Cappuccino
$5.33 JMD 840
$3.01 COP 9,485
77.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.20 JMD 190
$1.80 COP 5,660
-33.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 JMD 117
$1.41 COP 4,443
-47.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.17 JMD 342
$3.18 COP 9,990
-31.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 JMD 482
$5.75 COP 18.1K
-46.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Green Island
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$4.10 JMD 646
$1.51 COP 4,751
171.52%
White Bread (500g)
$3.70 JMD 584
$2.38 COP 7,480
55.46%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.62 JMD 255
$1.77 COP 5,573
-8.47%
Eggs
$3.47 JMD 547
$2.89 COP 9,093
20.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.45 JMD 1,806
$10.19 COP 32.1K
12.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.34 JMD 1,000
$9.87 COP 31.1K
-35.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.40 JMD 1,640
$13.99 COP 44.0K
-25.66%
Apples (1kg)
$6.09 JMD 960
$3.97 COP 12.5K
53.40%
Banana (1kg)
$3.92 JMD 618
$1.55 COP 4,883
152.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$7.21 JMD 1,137
$2.18 COP 6,867
230.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.12 JMD 492
$2.18 COP 6,870
43.12%
Potato (1kg)
$3.17 JMD 500
$1.96 COP 6,174
61.73%
Onion (1kg)
$2.70 JMD 426
$1.59 COP 5,000
69.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.10 JMD 489
$1.15 COP 3,604
169.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.51 JMD 238
$1.24 COP 3,911
21.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.22 JMD 1,454
$3.96 COP 12.5K
132.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.28 JMD 1,779
$13.68 COP 43.0K
-17.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.80 JMD 441
$1.66 COP 5,221
68.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.09 JMD 644
$2.26 COP 7,103
80.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Green Island
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.17 COP 3,674
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$77.4 COP 243.4K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.24 JMD 196
$1.27 COP 3,989
-2.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.12 JMD 492
$2.05 COP 6,442
52.20%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.16 JMD 971
$8.55 COP 26.9K
-27.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 JMD 232
$1.35 COP 4,237
8.89%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$43.5K JMD 6.9M
$34.1K COP 107.2M
27.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.4K JMD 5.3M
$34.7K COP 109.1M
-3.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Green Island
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 JMD 26.7K
$170 COP 533.7K
-0.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.28 JMD 4,618
$13.55 COP 42.6K
116.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.1 JMD 8,368
$28.07 COP 88.3K
89.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Green Island
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$43.70 COP 137.5K
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.19 COP 54.1K
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.48 JMD 2,126
$6.91 COP 21.7K
95.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Green Island
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$355 JMD 55.9K
$797 COP 2.5M
-55.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,242 JMD 1.3M
$9,112 COP 28.7M
-9.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Green Island
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$24.02 JMD 3,788
$84.7 COP 266.5K
-71.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.52 JMD 4,970
$58.0 COP 182.3K
-45.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.7 JMD 12.4K
$135 COP 424.6K
-41.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 JMD 16.2K
$97.9 COP 307.9K
4.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Green Island
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,208 COP 3.8M
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$642 COP 2.0M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$2,028 COP 6.4M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,012 COP 3.2M
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,170 COP 13.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,910 COP 6.0M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Green Island
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$657 COP 2.1M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.45
10.94
-13.62%

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

Last update for Green Island: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Green Island
$384
Medellin
$297 22.7% $87
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Green Island
$252
Medellin
$211 16.1% $41
Eating Out
Green Island
$222
Medellin
$170 23.7% $53
Clothing & Footwear
Green Island
$107
Medellin
$169 58.6% $62
Sport & Entertainment
Green Island
$27 *
Medellin
$58 113% $31
Getting Around
Green Island
$17 *
Medellin
$94 456% $77
Accommodation & Living
Green Island
- *
Medellin
$642

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $76 in Green Island vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇯🇲 Green Island
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
10:08 10:08 AM
10:08 10:08 AM
Same time as Green Island
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,546
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Green Island Medellin 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Green Island
  • 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
Green Island vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Green Island and in Medellin?
Green Island and Medellin differ by about 63% in total monthly costs ($1,009 vs $1,639 including rent). Green Island is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Green Island compared to Medellin?
You’d need roughly $1,513 in Green Island and $2,459 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more expensive overall: Green Island or Medellin?
All in, you’ll spend $1,009 per month in Green Island versus $1,639 in Medellin – a 63% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How far does $2,000 go in Green Island compared to Medellin?
Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Green Island gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Green Island and Medellin?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Green Island vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?