Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haarlem and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,258 in Haarlem, rent and utilities included – about $19,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Haarlem
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Haarlem Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Haarlem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,258

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,258 per month in Haarlem vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Haarlem $3,258
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $4,615 per month in Haarlem vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Haarlem $4,615
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $5,971 per month in Haarlem vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Haarlem $5,971
Medellin $3,186

Haarlem costs about 99% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Haarlem and Medellin sit above the global median – Haarlem by 139%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.24 €26.28

$8.09 COP 25.4K

261.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 €89.9

$47.05 COP 148.0K

112.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.67 €12.28

$9.50 COP 29.9K

43.89%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.72

$3.01 COP 9,485

37.54%

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

$4.08 €3.67

$1.80 COP 5,660

126.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 €3.03

$1.41 COP 4,443

139.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.03 €7.21

$3.18 COP 9,990

152.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 €5.06

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-2.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.51 COP 4,751

-3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 €2.51

$2.38 COP 7,480

17.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 €2.37

$1.77 COP 5,573

49.15%

Eggs

$4.75 €4.27

$2.89 COP 9,093

64.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 €12.50

$10.19 COP 32.1K

36.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.30 €11.95

$9.87 COP 31.1K

34.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.49 €19.31

$13.99 COP 44.0K

53.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-24.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 €2.27

$1.55 COP 4,883

63.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 €1.62

$2.18 COP 6,867

-17.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 €4.48

$2.18 COP 6,870

128.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.96 COP 6,174

-3.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 €2.04

$1.59 COP 5,000

42.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.16

$1.15 COP 3,604

12.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.90

$1.24 COP 3,911

-19.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.88 €12.47

$3.96 COP 12.5K

250.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.73 €6.95

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-43.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.66 COP 5,222

-9.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.12

$2.26 COP 7,104

4.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 €2.55

$1.17 COP 3,674

142.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.0 €74.6

$77.4 COP 243.4K

7.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 €5.56

$1.27 COP 3,989

387.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.50 €2.25

$2.05 COP 6,442

21.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.38 €23.70

$8.55 COP 26.9K

208.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.53 €2.27

$1.35 COP 4,237

87.41%

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

$41.4K €37.2K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

21.67%

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

$39.6K €35.5K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

14.10%

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

$249 €224

$170 COP 533.7K

46.71%

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

$23.98 €21.55

$13.55 COP 42.6K

76.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.9 €54.8

$28.07 COP 88.3K

117.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.92

$43.70 COP 137.5K

22.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.02 €25.18

$17.19 COP 54.1K

63.00%

Cinema Ticket

$16.09 €14.45

$6.91 COP 21.7K

132.85%

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

$2,598 €2,335

$797 COP 2.5M

226.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,587 €5,919

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-27.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.1 €76.4

$84.7 COP 266.5K

0.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.2 €56.8

$58.0 COP 182.3K

9.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 €87.8

$135 COP 424.6K

-27.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €132

$97.9 COP 307.9K

49.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,031 €1,825

$1,208 COP 3.8M

68.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,781 €1,600

$642 COP 2.0M

177.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,215 €2,889

$2,028 COP 6.4M

58.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,339

$1,012 COP 3.2M

157.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,820 €7,026

$4,170 COP 13.1M

87.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,830 €5,238

$1,910 COP 6.0M

205.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,219 €3,791

$657 COP 2.1M

542.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

10.94

-65.27%

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

Last update for Haarlem: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Haarlem

$1.8K 54.7%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 64% $1.1K

Eating Out

Haarlem

$406 12.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 58.2% $236

Groceries & Markets

Haarlem

$362 11.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 18% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haarlem

$334 10.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 36.7% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Haarlem

$177 5.4%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 4.3% $7.7

Getting Around

Haarlem

$113 3.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 17.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Haarlem

$86 2.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 32.7% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,031 in Haarlem 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 Haarlem are about 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Haarlem versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $297 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Haarlem

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:55 3:55 PM

09:55 9:55 AM

6 h behind Haarlem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,396

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Haarlem Medellin 8,790 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Haarlem
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

Haarlem vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Haarlem costs about 99% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,887 per month in Haarlem 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 $2,031 in Haarlem.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Haarlem and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,258 in Haarlem and $1,639 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 99%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Haarlem at $3,258. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Haarlem it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $3,258 in Haarlem. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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