Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hempstead, NY and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Hempstead, NY: $1,474 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

71

Cost of Living Index in Hempstead, NY
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Hempstead, NY Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Hempstead, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$1,474

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,474 in Hempstead, NY versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Hempstead, NY $1,474
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,319 in Hempstead, NY versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Hempstead, NY $2,319
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,164 in Hempstead, NY versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Hempstead, NY $3,164
Medellin $3,186

Living in Hempstead, NY costs roughly 10% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hempstead, NY 8% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.94 $19.94

$8.09 COP 26.1K

146.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.1 $76.1

$47.05 COP 151.9K

61.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.73 $12.73

$9.50 COP 30.7K

34.00%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$3.01 COP 9,734

70.76%

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

$2.91 $2.91

$1.80 COP 5,809

61.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.41 COP 4,560

65.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.05 $6.05

$3.18 COP 10.3K

90.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$5.75 COP 18.6K

42.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.51 COP 4,875

-16.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 $1.65

$2.38 COP 7,677

-30.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.77 COP 5,719

38.42%

Eggs

$3.62 $3.62

$2.89 COP 9,332

25.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.56 $9.56

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-6.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.17 $12.17

$9.87 COP 31.9K

23.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 $12.13

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-13.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-24.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.55 COP 5,011

-1.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.18 COP 7,047

-17.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.18 COP 7,050

160.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.96 COP 6,336

46.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.59 COP 5,131

65.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.15 COP 3,698

122.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.24 COP 4,014

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.96 $11.96

$3.96 COP 12.8K

202.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.17 $15.17

$13.68 COP 44.2K

10.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.66 COP 5,359

39.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 $4.42

$2.26 COP 7,290

95.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.17 COP 3,770

150.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$130 $130

$77.4 COP 249.8K

68.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.27 COP 4,094

127.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 $0.63

$2.05 COP 6,611

-69.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.40 $24.40

$8.55 COP 27.6K

185.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.35 COP 4,348

-15.56%

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

$31.7K $31.7K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-6.92%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-23.29%

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

$230 $230

$170 COP 547.7K

35.60%

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

$64.4 $64.4

$13.55 COP 43.7K

375.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 $66.9

$28.07 COP 90.6K

138.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 $112

$43.70 COP 141.1K

156.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$14.88 $14.88

$6.91 COP 22.3K

115.34%

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

$2,082 $2,082

$797 COP 2.6M

161.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.5K $42.5K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

366.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.96 $48.96

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-42.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.40 $44.40

$58.0 COP 187.1K

-23.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$135 COP 435.7K

-24.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$97.9 COP 316.0K

44.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

10.94

-39.12%

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

Last update for Hempstead, NY: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hempstead, NY

$361 24.5%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 41.5% $150

Groceries & Markets

Hempstead, NY

$344 23.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 13.6% $47

Eating Out

Hempstead, NY

$327 22.2%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 48.1% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Hempstead, NY

$152 10.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 11.4% $17

Getting Around

Hempstead, NY

$148 10.1%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 36.9% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Hempstead, NY

$142 9.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 59.5% $84

Accommodation & Living

Hempstead, NY

- * 0%

Medellin

$642 39.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $76 in Hempstead, NY vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $297 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hempstead, NY

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:16 3:16 PM

Same time as Hempstead, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

793,409

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Hempstead, NY Medellin 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Hempstead, NY
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

Hempstead, NY vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,474 in Hempstead, NY and $1,639 in Medellin, so Hempstead, NY is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,210 in Hempstead, NY 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.

Shoppers in Medellin pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $76 in Hempstead, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Hempstead, NY gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.